Category Archives: zombies

Feb27

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

Posted on by
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.”

Feb20

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

Posted on by
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

Feb13

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

Posted on by
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

 

Dec17

December 16, 2016 – No GH, Lots of Zombies & Four Quotes

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Due to presidential circumstances beyond my control, there was no General Hospital today. Why, why, why is it always at 3 pm? I rushed home from Christmas shopping hoping they were going to reveal who the mystery person is, only to see the horrifying words “Special Report.” It’s my understanding that today’s episode will be shown on Monday, throwing off the entire Port Charles holiday season.

Z Nation

The Man tells Lucy no one is coming for her and she has to think about her future, especially at the rate she’s aging.

Doc tells Addie that their car needs oil. They see a hitchhiking zombie in a sweater that says Grandpa on it. Addie stops the car. Doc thinks he’s trippin’, but Addie says she sees it too. They back up. The zombie comes toward the car, but as Addie is about to shoot, he says, “Lucy.” They bind him with duct tape and put him in the back seat. Doc gives him a pair of sunglasses so he doesn’t look as weird. Addie instructs Doc not to get him stoned.

The Murphy caravan pulls over. Red asks 10K how he’s holding up, and he says he’s just tired. Murphy examines his new KISSish look in the mirror. Kaya gets through to Roberta. She tells Roberta to change course to intercept The Man. She fades out and Murphy starts to freak because they couldn’t hear the coordinates. They get her back and she repeats them. There’s been no word from Citizen Z for the past 12 hours. Murphy tells Roberta he’s counting on her.

Lucy mentally contacts the zombie in Addie’s car. Doc thinks he’s dead, but Addie says he’s receiving and Lucy is transmitting. Doc calls it an apocalyptic GPS.

Red blows the car horn and pulls over. 10K is having a seizure. Sun examines him, and he has an infected wound . Murphy tells Roberta that making the right decision is her strength. She tells Sun they have to keep moving and Red should drive.

Lucy continues to transmit. The Man drives the car into the woods and then into a mountain, where a weird invisible door has opened up. They get out of the car and The Man tells Lucy no talking. They walk through a corridor that’s wet and dark, and includes a zombie banging its head against the wall. It tries to attack them, and The Man shoots it. Lucy tells him that she couldn’t communicate with it. More zombies come toward them. The Man shoots them, but they just keep coming. Some soldiers come out with machine guns, and The Man tells Lucy to get down. The soldiers mow down the zombie crowd. The Man tells Lucy not to be afraid, and that he won’t let anyone harm her.

A soldier asks if she’s infected. The Man says she’s the package. He’s supposed to meet someone from Zona. He needs access to the LZ and a radio to let someone know they’ve arrived. Lucy is pretty frightened, but he tells her it will be all right.

Addie tells Doc they’re running on fumes. They stop the car and get out, bringing the zombie along. He keeps repeating Lucy’s name, and leads them through the forest. They come to the mountain, but Doc says he doesn’t see a doorbell. Addie says she doesn’t think that’s their way in and looks up. Doc asks what about Grandpa and she tells him to stay with the zombie since he’s all they’ve got.

Doc does some Z-weed vaping, while the zombie continues to point. Doc closes his eyes for a moment and when he opens them, sees some parachuters. Soldiers suddenly come out from everywhere. They knock Doc in the head. Doc tells them not to shoot the zombie. One of them says he might be the package. They tie Doc and Grandpa together back to back.

One of the soldiers tells Doc he’s going to answer some questions, but he’s only to nod or shake his head. Every time Doc speaks, he gets a smack. The soldiers are given instructions to sweep the inside and try to make contact with the base team. The soldiers go in and we hear machine gunning. The zombie starts making noises, and the soldier guarding them tells Doc to keep him quiet. Despite his binds, Doc rushes the soldier, but the soldier gets the best of him. Grandpa jumps the soldier though, and he’s toast. Doc and Grandpa look at the entrance to the mountain, and a bunch of soldiers-now-zombies come out.

Doc and Grandpa take off. Roberta appears and yells for them to get down. She shoots the zombie soldiers and then shoots Grandpa before Doc can say anything. Doc tells her that was their guy and he was helping them find Lucy. Murphy says the soldiers are from Zona and their immunity must be failing. Doc tells them that Addie is climbing up. Roberta tells Murphy, let’s go get your daughter.

Addie climbs up the side of the mountain. OMG it’s like the wall in Game of Thrones.

The Man explains what’s happening. He tells the soldiers there might be others coming, and if they get inside, shoot to kill. He starts to leave with Lucy, but she begins to cry. He tells her not to be afraid. She says she doesn’t want anyone else to die. The man says that’s exactly the point; because of her, more people will live. He says that she’s very special and she knows it, and whatever’s left of this world will know it too. She says she doesn’t want to die, and clings to him. He promises to keep her safe. She asks what’s going to happen to her, and he says they’ll find out together. Well, that’s comforting.

He asks her if she’s ready, and they go up a flight of stairs to the outside.

Roberta and the others go into the mountain. Doc tells 5K to stay and keep watch. Sun tells them that 10K is dying. Murphy tells her that he saved him once, and he can do it again. Doc and Roberta split up. Roberta hides behind a pillar and sees a group of soldiers go by. Doc looks out a window and can see the entire coast. They reconvene. Doc tells Roberta maybe they should stash 10K upstairs. Roberta says Lucy is the priority and they’ll deal with 10K when they get back.  They bring him to a spot near the window.

Sun says they have to kill 10K in order to save him, and that Murphy died four years ago. Technically. Murphy is like, I’ve been dead this whole time? Sun says yep, and 10K needs to die too, if he’s going to survive. Murphy says he doesn’t feel dead, and how do they know they’re not all dead, and this is a dream? Roberta slaps him hard, and says if he felt that, then he’s not dead. Sun says someone has to kill 10K.

She tells them, choke, die, bite, inject, in that order. Roberta tells Murphy to get a move on, and he says to give him a break, he just found out he was dead. She tells him to focus. Roberta chokes 10K while Murphy holds him down. Murphy bites him immediately after he dies. Sun does the injection. Nothing happens. Suddenly, Murphy feels something and says 10K is finished. Red says Sun has to save him. Everyone stands around looking helpless. Sun goes to 5K and Doc to let them know. Doc holds 5K.

Whoa! 10K sits up and grabs Murphy, saying he’s not his savior. Murphy says thank God for that. Red is ecstatic, and says she’s glad he’s alive. Roberta says they all are, and Murphy tells her to speak for herself.

Murphy feels something going on with Lucy, and says they have to hurry. Roberta tells Sun to stay with 10K. Red stays too.

Addie is still climbing up the side of the mountain. Her foot occasionally slips. She realizes she has to lose her weapon, because it’s just getting in her way. Reluctantly, she tosses it down.

The Man radios someone, telling them two for transport, and that the deal has changed. Lucy begs him not to make her go. He says it’s not up to him. Operation Bite Mark minus 10K and plus Murphy, keep going up on the inside.

This is the season finale. Waaaaaah! I hope it gets renewed. I always worry about that, because when I really like a show, the chances of it sticking around go down.

A zombie goes by with Addie’s weapon sticking out of its back. Maybe she can get it later. She passes a zombie mountain climber and cuts the rope holding him.

Kaya tries to contact Citizen Z. Nothing. She looks at her Nana sleeping, wondering where he is.

OBM get to where The Man and Lucy are. Murphy is shocked that Lucy is a teenager. Doc tells him that it’s the apocalypse, and none of this sh*t makes sense. Roberta tells Doc to keep her covered. She puts her gun down and walks forward, telling The Man they don’t want any trouble; they just want Lucy. She tells Lucy that this is her daddy, Murphy. Lucy asks The Man if it’s the truth, and he says yes. He tells Roberta take another step and he’ll shoot, but Lucy says no more killing. Murphy shoots, and The Man gets distracted. Lucy runs to Murphy, hugs him, and then slaps him. She asks why he abandoned her, and says he missed her entire childhood. He tells her that a month ago she was a baby, and that he loves her more than anything.

The Man and Roberta fight. The Man gets her in a headlock. He tells Doc careful with the gun. Doc tells Murphy and Lucy to run, but Murphy says, today we fight. The Man and Murphy struggle. The Man says he doesn’t want to kill him, and Murphy says he can’t kill him, he’s already dead. The Man backs up and shoots at Murphy. We see the bullet travel in slow motion, through Murphy and into Roberta.

Roberta falls to the ground. So does Murphy. Doc holds Lucy back. The Man points his gun at Doc. Doc shoots at him, but his gun doesn’t work. The Man picks Lucy up, throwing her over his shoulder. Sun and the rest come up the stairs. Lucy screams.

Addie reaches the top of the wall just as some kind of space ship arrives to take The Man and Lucy away. It says USAF on it. Everyone stares at it, frozen. The Man has set Lucy down, and Addie runs at him, taking him over the edge of the mountain. Lucy follows, and so does 5K, his wings spread. A huge gun comes out of the ship, shooting flames. WTF? Well, they left us hanging with a nuclear bomb the first time, and it doesn’t get much more dire than that.

Yay! Z Nation will be returning in 2017.

Quotes of the Week

There wouldn’t be a parade if there wasn’t Lisa on a bus. — Stassi on Vanderpump Rules

Learn how to be happy with what you have while you pursue all you want. — Jim Rohn

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty, instead of upon your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. — Charles Dickens

Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1942. — Kim Zolciak’s daughters, while discussing history on Don’t Be Tardy

Dec12

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

Posted on by
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.

 

Dec10

December 9, 2016 – Charlotte’s Parents Are Revealed, Addie Fights The Man for Lucy & Some Free Quotes

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 General Hospital

Jason tells Curtis the information had better be good, since he didn’t exactly feel like meeting him.

Nell goes to Sonny’s house. She asks why he needs to see her, and he gives her the necklace she lost. She asks where he found it, and he tells her under the bed. He says if Carly had found it before he did, they’d have a big problem.

Ava tells Julian she hears congrats are in order; he’s being released. She talks about hiring nurses, and he says that won’t be necessary. She wants to hire some professionals, and remain distant and slightly amused at his condition. He tells her that he already has someone who’s perfect for the job.

Alexis puts a vodka nip in her coffee. Best. Takeout. Coffee. Ever.

Nathan tells Griff about his visit to Windemere. He wants to talk with him, thinking maybe they can come up with some more information. Griff gets a call, and says they’ll talk later. Dante tells Nathan that he can’t get ahold of Lulu.

Why isn’t Lulu using her phone? She hears me, and tells Maxie that she can’t get a signal. Maxie thinks Dr. Bellamy is either calling the cops or a total perv. Lulu says the longer they’re in there, the more nervous she’s getting, and they need to get out right now. Maxie opens the window blind and there’s a gate over the window.

On the phone, Dr. Bellamy tells Valentin what Lulu saw in the file. Valentin tells the doctor he’s going to have to clean things up sooner than he thought.

Dante thinks something is wrong. He tells Nathan that whatever the girls are doing in NYC involves Charlotte, not the wedding.

Lulu says no one has done anything to them yet. She says the doctor definitely didn’t buy her story, which means he doesn’t believe why Maxie is there either. Well, I think even if he bought Lulu’s story, he would figure Maxie’s was a ruse to get them in there. Maxie complains about having to go through two exams for nothing. Lulu thinks the doctor must be calling Valentin.

Curtis tells Jason that the footage the police have didn’t tell him anything new, but he realized there must be more footage elsewhere. He chatted up the drugstore manager and voila! He shows Jason a homeless man who probably wasn’t interviewed. Jason sees a guy go behind Julian’s car and then drop a Chinese takeout bag in a trash can. He says they have to find the bag

Sonny asks Nell if they can talk. He says he slept with her and shouldn’t have, and now they have to deal with the consequences. Nell says it’s been rough seeing Carly. She has to brace herself before going into work, so it must be worse for him. She talks about Carly and Sonny’s connection, and says most people don’t have a connection like that. She’s afraid if Carly finds out, the connection might be broken. She agrees they should keep it a secret, and swears she’s not going to hurt any of them. Sonny says he’s figured out a way to resolve the situation.

Ava asks if Julian has vetted the health care professionals he’s hiring. He says she’s been vetted. Ava is like, she not they? She says she hopes whoever it is can double as a bodyguard. Julian says he can’t wait to get out of the hospital. Ava tells him nice try, changing the subject. She says that he’s unusually calm, and she wants to know what’s going on. In the meantime, whoever ran him over is still out there, and he needs to trust the people around him. He says he does, and she tells him to spill it. He says it’s not a healthcare worker at all, but here she is now. Alexis walks in.

Griff tells Dante that Lulu seemed driven, anxious, and determined before she left. He shows Dante and Nathan a picture of Dr. Bellamy on his phone, and explains he had shown it to her. Dante and Nathan leave for NYC.

Dr. Bellamy tells Lulu and Maxie that they’re good hostages. Maxie says it’s not their first rodeo, and Lulu adds that their husbands are detectives. The doctor says she’s probably already figured out that it’s a dead spot, and tells them not to bother screaming; it will just annoy him. Maxie says he’s in trouble, and Dr. Bellamy says they’re the ones who broke in and they need to just sit tight. He leaves, and Maxie tells Lulu that it’s up to them to get themselves out. She starts picking out some surgical instruments for weapons.

Jason digs around in a dumpster. Curtis is just standing there, and Jason says he thought finding the truth was important to him, so get in the other dumpster. Curtis says the way he sees it, Julian was setting Sonny up the whole time. Jason tells him get moving.

Sonny tells Nell that she doesn’t have to deal with it anymore. He says she was working for the school system in Atlanta and even though her position was terminated, he knows people. They have a job waiting for her. He hands her an envelope and says she can start teaching at the beginning of the year and he got her a higher salary. She says he can’t let her go.

Julian tells Ava that Alexis will be taking care of him at Ava’s penthouse. Ava asks how Alexis feels about that. Alexis asks Julian for the paperwork, takes it and walks out. She gives Griff the confidentiality form, so he can tell her what she needs to know to take care of Julian. He doesn’t get it. He says she did everything to put Julian behind bars, and he was under the impression she wanted justice.

Ava tells Julian that Alexis isn’t a nurse, and even if she was, it would be a horrible choice. Ava says he tied to kill her and she tried to put him away. She says no matter how much he clings to the emotional attachment, Alexis doesn’t share it; she hates him. He says contempt is better than indifference. Ava says playing head games with Alexis should be the last thing on his list of concerns. Someone tried to kill him twice, and maybe they won’t fail the third time. All of a sudden, the light bulb comes on, and Ava knows it was Alexis who hit him.

Nell says that Sonny can’t throw her away like garbage. He says he’s not; he’s just trying to help. He thought she could get on with her life. She says she has no friends or family in Atlanta. He doesn’t see how that’s possible. She says where she lives, her qualities aren’t admired, and kindness is considered weakness. Sonny says that’s how he grew up, but Michael taught him that kindness is strength. Nell says that even if she went back, she wouldn’t be able to forget, and it would be a reminder of how she screwed up in Port Charles. She thanks him for reminding her that she has a purpose now. When she met Josslyn, she realized the worst thing that happened to her is the best thing that happened to someone else. She says eventually she’ll forget about what happened between her and Sonny. She wants to continue building her life with the people she cares about, and asks him not to send her away.

Curtis complains to Jason about Julian. He says when he got too close to the truth, Julian terminated their relationship, and no one does that to him. The cop in him wants justice, and if his mom could see him in a dumpster, she’d slap him. Jason asks him to talk less and look more. Curtis finds some old World’s Fair glasses from 1939 that are in perfect condition despite the lack of packing material, and sets them aside. Like any of us would find something that good in a dumpster. Curtis is startled by something and jumps to the top of the dumpster. Jason and I laugh.

Lulu tells Maxie to hide behind the door. She’ll scream to get the doctor in there, and Maxie can jump him. Too late, he’s in already. He says they’re free to leave the exam room, and to put the instruments down; they won’t need them. In the office, Valentin introduces himself to Maxie. He says Lulu must have a lot of questions and she smacks him across the face.

Curtis tells Jason that there was a rat the size of a Doberman. He talks about rats carrying diseases and says now he’s in a dumpster looking for months old garbage. Jason finds a Chinese takeout bag.

Ava is worried about another attempt on Julian’s life. She says he’s making Alexis do this, and they didn’t get along when she was happy with him. She says if Alexis had no qualms about killing him in a public parking lot, why wouldn’t she try in the privacy of the apartment? He says Alexis didn’t try to kill him.

Griff asks how Alexis can be willing to help Julian. She says she’ll answer when he tells her why it’s his business. He says Julian killed his father, which she can’t argue with. She says it’s an emotional situation that’s weighing heavily on her. She would appreciate someone to confide in, and asks if he’s still a priest. He says yes, and she asks if he can keep a confidence.

Sonny says he’s not making Nell do anything. Nell says she understands that he was just sparing her pain. Sonny says just forget about it then. She tells him that she has to get ready for the gala, and asks if he can get her some tea, as she feels light-headed. She promises to never tell Carly about what happened, and Sonny believes her. When he’s out of the room, she listens to what she just recorded on her phone.

The bag Jason finds contains everything you’d need to plant a bomb. Curtis thinks the fingerprints might be preserved as well because of the way it’s wrapped. This doesn’t say much for Julian’s guy, who threw everything out in the same place and in the same bag, while he was being videotaped from several different angles, and left DNA evidence. Seriously, Julian needs to rethink his mob staff.

Valentin says Lulu has every reason to be upset, but he needs to explain. Maxie says imprisoning people it getting to be a thing with him. He tells Dr. Bellamy that he must have a delivery to attend to at the hospital, and the doctor leaves. Valentin asks Lulu to be an adult, because he needs to explain things. She wonders why she should believe anything he says. He tells her that he’s never lied to her except by omission, and there was reason for that. He says it’s awkward, but here they are. He wants to tell her something, but Nathan and Dante bust in. Valentin tells them that there’s something they all deserve to know. How is it possible for these people to travel so quickly? Yesterday, Hayden made it sound like they were close to Niagara Falls.

Maxie tells Nathan that Dr. Bellamy was keeping them prisoner, and wants him to arrest Valentin. Valentin says he knew this day would come, and it’s time they knew the truth. Dante wants to know what happened.

Alexis tells Griff that she doesn’t think her daughters would understand. She doesn’t know how long she can keep it from them, but asks him not to share the information. She says Julian has done horrible things, mostly to her, and she thought she’d hate him forever. When she found out he was in the hospital, she just found herself getting involved. She says the only way she could move on was by forgiving people, including Julian. Griff understands wanting to forgive, but devoting her days to taking care of Julian doesn’t seem like something she’d do.

Julian tells Ava not to say anything, and she says what is she going to do, go to the cops? Julian says it was an accident. Ava says no it wasn’t. He says he knows Alexis is telling the truth, and let’s leave it at that. Ava thinks he’s keeping something from her.

Nell thanks Sonny for the tea, and for finding the necklace. They make small talk. He says he knows what it’s like to fight for your place in the world, and he’s not standing in her way. She takes his hand and promises to stay quiet. Jason walks in. Because he never knocks.

Jason apologizes for barging in. Nell says she’s on her way to meet Michael anyway, and excuses herself. Jason tells Sonny about the security footage. Sonny isn’t paying attention, and Jason asks what he’s missing.

Alexis says she’s sorry that Griff doesn’t’ understand, but he doesn’t have to. He says she’s right, and goes to sign the forms.

Ava doesn’t see how any good can come of this. Julian says he knows what he’s doing and everything will be crystal clear.

Valentin says it’s no secret that Claudette lied about who Charlotte’s father was, but she lied about something else – that she was Charlotte’s mother. He confirms for Lulu that the both of them are Charlotte’s parents.

On Monday, Jason asks Sonny what’s going on, Kiki asks if the offer still stands, and Dillon is shocked about Nina’s new boyfriend. Nina is now consistently calling Valentin her boyfriend, but I find that word odd sounding once you’re past college age. Although I don’t know what other term to use. Significant other sounds clinical. We have to come up with something else.

Z Nation

Addie continues on Lucy’s trail. She sneaks around a marina, hearing laughter somewhere. She sees Lucy playing with a bunch of zombies. She’s also lighting matches near a gas pump. Addie reveals herself, and stomps out a match. Lucy is glad to see her, and shows her how she can play patty-cake with one of the zombies. She says the zombie thinks Addie is her mom. She’s obviously got a connection to them like Murphy does.

Addie asks Lucy where The Man is. Addie tells her that they have to go before The Man gets back, but Lucy says she likes her new friends. Addie says she’ll pike them if Lucy doesn’t get a move on, and Lucy agrees to leave. The Man comes out of nowhere, and says no one is going anywhere. He cracks Addie in the face with a gas can, and she whacks him with her spiked thing. Lucy screams and it carries into the next county.

The Man starts shooting the zombies. He loses his gun and faces Addie. Lucy screams again.

The Man grabs what looks like a metal oar, and they duel, but a zombie comes up behind him. He dispatches it, and then Addie has the same problem. The Man gets her weapon away. He says if she lets Lucy go now, he won’t kill her. Lucy throws a match and some gas is lit on fire. She tells Addie to run, and takes off herself. Addie picks up her weapon and follows. The man walks through the fire after them.

Lucy calls to Addie. The Man follows like Yul Brynner in Westworld, slow and steady, whacking zombies along the way. A zombie pops out of a boat and Addie kills it. The Man tells her she could make things easier and just walk away. She says she could say the same thing for him, and it’s got to do with saving humanity. He asks what humanity has done for her. She says more than some rich a-holes from Zona, and asks what they’ve done for him and why he doesn’t quit. He says everyone has a job to do.

The zombies are accumulating, and Addie gets on one of the boats. Lucy finds an arm and takes a bite. The Man tells her not to eat garbage off the ground. He grabs her and drives away as she screams for Addie.

The fire travels along a rope to the boat. Addie is trapped. The boat starts to fill with smoke, and zombies are gathering. Addie punches out a window and jumps out. The boat explodes as she runs down the pier. She finds her bike, but it’s wrecked. She sees another boat and has an idea. She goes inside and looks for tools, grabbing some liquor too, and eating a piece of discovered chocolate. She goes back out to the bike and tinkers with it. She sees a disembodied arm crawling. Lucy is apparently making the hand point in the direction she’s going in.

Lucy tells The Man he can’t tell her what to do; he’s not her dad. She says they all hate him. She lists their names, and he says he doesn’t know them. She says he killed them, and they’re going to eat him. She sing-songs, you’re gonna die; they’re gonna eat you, and he yells at her to sit down and shut up. She says he can’t make her; she’s a magical princess. He slams into a zombie on the road which distresses Lucy. She sings again, and he runs another one down. After the third time, she says she’ll promise to be quiet. She does that I’m-locking-my-lips gesture and he pretends to take the key.

Addie gets the bike going again and heads north, the direction the arm is pointing. She sees the car in the distance and goes through the forest. The Man sees two cars blocking the road. Were those there or is Addie that fast? The Man gets out, drawing his gun. Someone shoots him. Addie comes out and kicks the gun away from his body. I guess she is that fast. She gets in the car. Lucy tells her The Man is mean. Addie asks which way he was taking her; they’re going to go in the opposite direction. As soon as they’re gone, The Man’s hand twitches.

Doc follows Addie’s trail. She’s left him a message scrawled on the boathouse. He sees the arm and figures it’s talking to him. It points. He says Lucy is a genius, and when a zombie arm tells you to go north, go north.

Addie takes Lucy shopping. She sees no reason Lucy can’t be stylish, and tells her no jumpsuits or overalls. Lucy sees a bra, and Addie tells her it’s a medieval torture device, and explains what it’s for. Lucy asks if her mom wore one, and Addie says probably. Lucy says her mom was a warrior queen, but left her. Addie says she sacrificed herself – she died so Lucy could live. Lucy asks if she’s dead dead and Addie says yes; she was there. Lucy says she doesn’t know everything. Her mom was special, and her dad wouldn’t let her die. As Lucy gets agitated, so do the zombies wandering around. Lucy tells Addie to leave her alone, because she’s suddenly a tween.

The Man comes to. The bullet hasn’t gone all the way into him, and he pulls it out of his chest.

Addie tells Lucy they have to go. Lucy says she wants her mom. Addie says she’s old enough to understand that people die. The more you love them the more likely they are to bite it unexpectedly. Lucy says her father would have saved her mom, but Addie says there were too many zombies even for him. Lucy asks how her mom saved her. Addie says she killed a lot of zombies who were after her. Lucy asks why they always have to kill. Addie says they’re not like her, and if they don’t kill the zombies, the zombies will kill them. Lucy says the zombies just don’t know any better. Addie says they don’t know anything. It’s just a dead body and a virus keeping it going.

Lucy gets into the zombies’ heads, and tells Addie their names. Uh-oh. The Man is suddenly there.

The Man takes Lucy outside, but she takes off running. Addie follows them. Lucy runs to a creek. Addie almost gets the man with her weapon, but he smacks it out of her hand as well as her gun. They fist fight. The Man knocks Addie out. Lucy picks up a rock and throws it at him. Addie recovers and jumps on his back. He twists her arm behind her back and dislocates her shoulder. She grabs him with the other arm. He drags her to the water and tries to drown her. Lucy says she’ll go. Addie stops moving, but I don’t think she’s dead. The Man scoops Lucy up.

Back at the car, The Man tells Lucy to be quiet or he’ll shut her mouth for her, and binds her wrists with duct tape. They drive away. Lucy tells The Man she’s in pain. She smacks him and he stops the car. She breaks the bonds around her wrists. She’s a teenager now, and jumps into the front seat. The Man is like, oh no, a teen, and she starts crying. I think she has PMS. She gets out and he follows. She wants chocolate. Yep, PMS. He tries to grab her, and she tries to bite him. She says she needs chocolate. The zombies start growling and he says, fine. He piggybacks her, and she says next time just do what she says.

Doc bicycles along. He sees a car leaving a trail of fire. It’s a DeLorean. Another Doc and 10K get out, like Marty McFly and Doc in Back to the Future. Future Doc tells real Doc to get in. Doc asks if it won’t mess up the time continuum, and the car disappears. He pulls a joint out of his pocket and smells it.

Addie wakes up on the rocks and sees a zombie. She can’t move very fast, but luckily, neither can he. She gets up and moves along the rocks into the forest. Another zombie joins him, but Addie is having a hard time getting it together. She whacks them both, but nearly faints from shoulder pain.

The Man takes Lucy to a general store and looks for chocolate. She asks what’s wrong with him that he can’t find it. He tells her that it’s the apocalypse and not many treats are left. She says it’s not a treat, it’s medicine; that’s what Addie told her. He tells her to keep the zombies back, and she laughs because he’s afraid of them. All of a sudden, she  says she’s bleeding and dying. She gets up, leaving a blue puddle, and gets hysterical. The Man tells her to stop screaming. He says she’s just growing up. He says she’s fine, and they’ll get her chocolate somewhere else.

Lucy tells him to go. The zombies look at him in a threatening manner, and she tells him to go now.

Addie gets up. She slams her shoulder into a tree to reset it. I feel her pain.

The Man says Lucy is his responsibility, and he’s not leaving without her. He says he’ll kill her friends, and she tells him they’re ready to die for her. She bites one of them and tells The Man not to follow her. She walks out and he’s left with the rest of the zombies.

Addie moves along the creek.

Lucy gets in the car. The zombie stands next to the car, telepathically telling her how to drive. She takes off. The Man comes out to see her drive away. He calls to her and stands in her pathway. She says let’s see how you like it, and runs him down.

Addie is back at her bike, but hears a car and hides. Lucy pulls over. She tells Addie that was awesome. She says that her friends helped her get away. The Man grabs Lucy from under the truck. I say oh sh*t! out loud. Addie tells him not to hurt her; she’s too valuable. The Man says Addie isn’t, and he’ll kill her next time, no matter how much Lucy cries. He drives off with Lucy.

Addie is a mess, but gets back on the bike. It won’t start. She scratchess DXD with an arrow into it. A car comes by and she flags it down. She puts down her weapon, acting like she’s harmless, but draws her gun and says it’s an emergency. The woman says screw you, and tries to grab her own gun, but Addie is faster and pulls her out of the car. She says nothing personal, just the survival of humanity, and drives away. The woman chases the car. Addie sees a little girl in the back seat. She tells her she can’t go where Addie is going, and her mommy will find her. She leaves the girl on the road with the gun.  The little girl immediately shoots a zombie. Her mother comes running to her, but the girl looks nonplussed.

Addie sees Doc. She stops the car and gets out. They look at one another, saying nothing. They both get in the car. The poor zombie from the store stumbles up the road.

Next time, a hitchhiking zombie and Murphy is out to kill The Man.

Quotes of the Week

I love walking in your front door. It gives me a moment in my gown. — Porsha to Phaedra on The Real Housewives of Atlanta – please note that this was at midday

If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you do read it, you’re misinformed. — Denzel Washington

If God sends you on stony paths, He will provide you with strong shoes. — Alexander McLaren

 

Dec5

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

Posted on by
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?

Dec3

December 2, 2016 – Sonny’s Dream Comes True, Murphy is Roberta’s Nightmare & Collectible Quotes

Posted on by
Standard

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

General Hospital

Jason and Sam are meeting Curtis. He’s late, and Sam asks if Jason still trusts him. Jason says he never did.

Curtis eavesdrops on Ava’s visit to Julian in the hospital. I’m wondering why Julian doesn’t have a guard. Sonny would have one. Ava asks if there’s been any progress tracking down the driver. Julian tells her no, and he doesn’t think there ever will be.

Alexis gets a text from Julian asking her to stop avoiding him. She flashes back to the accident. OMG – she just hung her purse on the back of the chair at Kelly’s. You should never do that. It’s a huge invitation to a purse snatcher. And Lord knows, Port Charles is rife with criminals. She puts a nip of liquor into her coffee. Anna is suddenly there, and says she hopes there’s more where that came from; she could use some. It’s cold in Port Charles today.

Nell listens to the recording of Sonny on her phone with earbuds. Michael asks if she’s listening to something good.

Carly wakes up Sonny, who’s sleeping on the couch. She says she woke up and reached for him, but he wasn’t there. She didn’t like the feeling of life without him. She says they have a lot to work on, but have to work on it together. She wants him beside her now and forever. He says he loves her and they kiss. As their lips part, he sees Nell’s face, and she says she loves him too. He wakes up. Carly is there. For real. I think.

Nina tells the kids at the hospital that Santa is on his way. She plugs Toys for Tots. Valentin comes in and asks if he can help with anything.

Alexis asks Anna why she wanted to meet. Anna says she heard about Alexis’s case being reviewed. Having returned to the WSB, she has some pull with the bar, and could use her influence to get Alexis’s license restored. Alexis asks what the catch is.

Ava complains to Julian about the inept police department. She says he has to do something about Sonny – it’s the second attempt on is life. She says he’s vulnerable right now, and she wouldn’t miss the opportunity. He asks what she has in mind.

Nell acts like she was listening to music. She asks Michael what’s up, and he says he’s going Christmas shopping and asks if she can help him. He wants to brainstorm some gift ideas for Carly. He thanks her for helping on Thanksgiving, and asks if she cheered her friend up. Not really, but her “friend” doesn’t know that.

Sonny tells Carly he was having a nightmare, and she asks if he remembers what it was about. He says every time he sleeps on the couch, he can’t get his mind to shut off. He tells her that it was a long day, and she says not as long as Julian’s.

Laura and Doc bask in the afterglow. So that’s where Santa is. He asks if she has any regrets, but she has none. Not counting opening her coat and finding Santa staring at her. She says that she realizes that she’s been making excuses and she loves being with him. She says her life is better with him in it, and he says the feeling is mutual.

Jason tells Sam that it’s safe to assume Curtis is sympathetic to law enforcement, so he doesn’t really trust him, but his favorite PI, meaning her, is out of commission. Sam wonders if Curtis has loyalty to Julian, but Jason thinks it’s just the opposite. He has unanswered questions, and maybe a grudge. And they’re running out of time to prove Sonny’s innocence.

Sonny tells Carly it’s a shame Julian wasn’t finished off. He says go ahead and ask if it was him.

Dante and Lulu are still all romantic when they arrive at the hospital. Lulu tells Dante about how Tracy ended up babysitting, but doesn’t have the details.

Valentin has brought toy donations. He talks with Nina about Toys for Tots. I always love how every year they try to make these conversations sound natural. Valentin says that Nina has a soft spot for children, and she says maybe a little.

Doc suggests breakfast in bed to Laura. He likes to cook, but says it’s no fun doing it for one person. She suggests they cook breakfast for each other. He asks if she’s up for the challenge of eggs Florentine. She asks when he’s supposed to be at the hospital, and he says right now. Oops.

Nell gives Michael gift suggestions. He says she really knows Carly, but there’s one more thing he needs to ask before he goes. He tells her there’s a Toys for Tots gala happening, and asks if she’d like to go with him.

Carly doesn’t think for one second that Sonny did it, but says the police probably do. He’s surprised they haven’t questioned him, and she says they know he’s not going anywhere. She says when they first lost Morgan, the only way to deal with it was anger, and she lashed out at everyone, especially him. She says the grief is still there, but the anger has faded and she’s seeing things more clearly.She knows he’s not responsible for Morgan’s death, and it makes the grief more bearable. Sonny says it matters a lot. If she doesn’t believe in anything else, believe he wants to change for her.

Anna asks Alexis how much she knows about Valentin. Alexis says he’s proved he’s the heir and owns everything Cassadine. They talk about Charlotte. Anna says Claudette has disappeared, and Valentin came forth with proof he’s her father. She says Griff lost in court because it’s impossible to prove any of Valentin’s crimes. She needs a place to start looking. Anna says she knows Alexis has been in contact with the Greek authorities, and if Alexis could help, she would be grateful. Alexis says she knows Valentin is evil.

Ava goes on to Julian about Sonny. Curtis’s phone rings, so he steps away. Julian tells Ava that when the time is right, he’ll deal with it as he sees fit. He suggests she not provoke Sonny. He asks what if Sonny gets off, and she says he’s making it sound like Sonny has been wrongly accused. She tells him the trouble is going to be all Sonny’s and leaves.

Jason tells Sam that the new DA will want to make a name for herself and is interested in making a case, so she’ll want an early trial date. Sam says Diane will push it back. Jason says even though Sonny was previously pardoned by a judge, they can still bring up his past.

Carly asks Sonny if Jason has made any progress. Sonny says not yet, but he will. He’s hoping there will be enough evidence that the charges get dropped. He says he’s not doing anything stupid; he doesn’t want to throw away the good he has left. Carly says she believes him and they’ve had too much loss not to be honest. Sonny thinks back to Nell in the bed. He asks if Carly wants coffee, and she says he doesn’t have to change the subject. She can tell something is eating him up inside and asks what it is. Oh brother.

At the hospital, Lulu wonders why Valentin is hanging around Nina. She freaks when she realizes they’re together. Nina tells Valentin she has to get back to work. He asks if he’s done something to offend her, and she says if Anna has her way, he will.

Anna tells Alexis that any detail could open up a line of inquiry. Alexis tells her about establishing Valentin’s lineage, and that he resided in the UK. Anna asks about his time there. Alexis says she doesn’t know much except that he went to boarding school when he was five. She says when she asked about his mother, he told her to keep her focus on the Cassadines. She tells Anna not to say anything to the bar. She wants her license back on her own merit.

Curtis enters Julian’s room. He says Julian needs him. He needs to find out who’s after him before his luck runs out. The third time’s the charm and it’s already been twice.

Sonny tells Carly that he has too much time to think and be alone. He knows he shouldn’t be playing coulda, shoulda, woulda, but he does it all the time. Carly says she does it too. She says you have to stop and think about the future and the people who love and need you. She tells him to think about Avery. Sonny’s phone rings. An old fashioned landline phone with a twirly cord. He says to send her up and tells Carly to guess who’s here. It’s Ava. He asks what she wants and she says they have to talk. She hopes they can keep it civilized. She sees Carly and wants to speak privately, but Sonny says she can talk in front of Carly. Ava says no secrets between the two of them, eh?

Valentin asks Nina if Anna has been talking to her. She says more like an interrogation. He asks if Anna said to stay away from him, and she says more or less. Valentin was hoping Anna would back off after Charlotte’s custody hearing. Nina thinks it might have something to do with what happened in Greece, but she chooses to believe his version. She says he’s far from innocent, but he’s a good father and it carries a lot of weight with her. He whispers something naughty in her ear.

Dante tells Lulu that eventually Valentin will make a mistake and they’ll catch him then.

Alexis tells Anna to nail Valentin to the wall. She wants him to pay for Nicholas’s death. Anna says she’ll do what she can, and steps away to make a call. She says she has the name of Valentin’s childhood school and it’s a starting point.

Alexis sees Sam and Jason outside. She apologizes for ditching them on Thanksgiving. She gets another text from Julian and says she has to go. Sam asks if she knows Julian was hit by a car. Alexis asks if there are any suspects. Sam says the police are looking at Sonny, and Jason adds that they don’t think it’s him

Julian says maybe it was an accident. Curtis asks what he remembers, and Julian says he remembers firing Curtis. He’s not giving him one more cent. He says if he keeps investigating, he’s going to regret it.

Michael and Nell talk about business. She says he’s cool and icy, and it’s the opposite of the warmth he has with his family. He says she’s been so good to them, he wants to treat her to something fun.

Ava tells Sonny that they need to revisit the custody agreement. Sonny says the agreement is that it’s on his terms. She says he doesn’t have a leg to stand on, and one of them has a monitor. I think Scotty is rubbing off on her. Sonny says he’s Avery’s father, and Ava says he can’t even go out his front door. He says she can go to the park or wherever with her brother or sisters, and the charges could be dropped next week. Ava says not only did he kill Morgan, he tried to run Julian over, so why not spare Avery more turmoil and chaos? There’s no reason that Avery shouldn’t be with her mother. Carly says she’s the reason.

On Monday, Curtis thinks Julian is hiding something, Anna talks to Laura, and Carly threatens to kick Ava’s ass.

Z Nation

Addie continues to follow The Man and Lucy, and a zombie pops out at us like one of those things on YouTube. A ball of zombies tumbles past. Ha-ha-ha! Lots of hijinks already. Addie stops for gas at a station overrun with zombies. She dispatches them with her nifty new weapon. She thinks she sees Lucy in the back of a car, but it’s a doll.

Kaya says Spokane is totally powered up. She tells Citizen Z that The Man is still headed for the coast with Lucy. No word about Operation Bite Mark though. Citizen Z is bumping along in a tiny plane that Uncle is piloting. He tells Kaya to keep and eye out for Roberta. He asks Uncle if everything is okay, and Uncle tells him they’re carrying too much weight. Citizen Z says Uncle thinks he’s funny, but he’s not.

Roberta and company spy on Murphytown. She feels badly for the Blends, who live in some kind of limbo. She says Murphy has the numbers. Sun asks how she plans on limiting collateral damage. Kyle says the whole world is collateral damage. Roberta says they made their choice, and she can’t let them stand in the way of saving humanity. She’s come too far and killed too many to give up now.

10K is shooting zombies and sees Roberta. He runs down an alley. She waits at the other end and knocks him out as he runs past.

Kaya sees Roberta on the screen. She radios Citizen Z, telling him OBM has landed. She says Roberta looks like she’s traveling with some rough customers, and tells him that Addie isn’t with them before he asks. Neither is Doc. Citizen Z says they’re going into strong headwinds, but don’t worry. He looks pretty worried though.

Roberta makes a plan with Kyle and Sun. She gives Kyle instructions He says they’re professionals and suggests a grisly distraction. Roberta wonders what to do with 10K. She says she can see the Murphy in his eyes. She asks if Murphy sent him to kill her. Sun keeps her from getting physical with 10K, saying he could be useful knowing about Merch’s work. He doesn’t want to talk to her, and Roberta tells him it’s for his own good and punches him. She pulls a paper out of his pocket and hands it to Sun to read. It’s the paper he was looking at in the previous episode. It says: Find Warren, bring her to me. If she won’t come, kill her. Roberta tells Sun to give him a booster. Sun hesitates, wanting a baseline first, since he’s had so many drugs pumped into him. Robert says she’s do it herself. A bloody severed hand drops down from above. Murphy says hello to Roberta.

Murphy tells Roberta that it’s the new new him and if she likes it. He looks like a cross between my Uncle Al and a KISS band member. He tells them no sudden moves, but one of the men aims at him anyway and is shot down. Roberta asks if he’s dying, and he says he’s becoming. She asks if he’s becoming Moses or Billy Idol, and he tells her he’s becoming his destiny. He asks where she gets off judging him, and says at least 10K has the good grace to count his kill. He points out that she’s brought along the Red Hand. He tells Kyle that if he wants to stop being a murdering nihilist, to take the cure. Kyle says he’ll stick to his nihilist ways. Murphy wonders where Hector is, and answers his own question – dead.

Murphy suggests that Roberta take the cure, but she says no way. He tells her that their lives as they know them are over, but they can be reborn. Roberta says he’s insane. He says they were all wrong, and look at what he’s built. He says it’s over for the human race and they all know it. He knows how she thinks and tells her don’t do this. He wants and needs her on his side. She says she has a species to think of. His species. He says not any more, not for a long time.

Roberta tells him Sun needs his blood for a vaccine. He says he doesn’t trust humans anymore, and wants to let nature take its course. He helps 10K up and tells Roberta her friends are rubbing off on her. He leads 10K away, telling him he did good in reaching out.

Sun tells Roberta maybe they can still reason with Murphy. Roberta says she doesn’t know him. Sun says this is about revenge, not the mission. Roberta says nothing else matters except getting Murphy’s blood for the vaccine. Sun says give her a lab and she’ll do her part

The zombies are eating someone who fell into the moat. Murphy asks what he did, and looks up to see a huge sign hanging from the building, saying Be Afraid. Murphy says he knew the day would come, and it’s here, but they won’t be afraid.

Kaya plays with streetlights, trying to get Roberta’s attention. Sun asks Roberta how they’re going to cut the power to the fence. She and Sun go down an alley. One of Murphy’s minions is checking the bridge security and Kyle and his men take her down.

In Murphytown, tons of people are still getting inoculated. Murphy’s head guy tells im that they’re almost out of vaccine, and Murphy gives him a new batch. He says it’s wonderful how so many are joining him.

Citizen Z is trying to talk to Kaya, but he’s not coming in clearly.

Roberta sees that Kaya is signaling them in Morse code on the streetlight. Sun translates. Operation Bite Mark, Frenchy. It’s the fast food clown. Kaya explains who she is and says she has a message from Citizen Z, but the screen goes blank before they can copy. Roberta isn’t sure, but she thinks Kaya said they found Lucy. She tells Sun that they need to finish what they came to do.

Murphy says Warren! the way Seinfeld says Newman!

Murphy tells his clan that living without fear is within reach, but some find comfort in chaos and terror. He says they knew the day would come when they’d have to defend their way of life. He tells them be careful out there a la Hill Street Blues. He tells 10K to get the power restored. He’s ready to dance with Roberta.

10K and a technician head for the power supply, but get shot at. The tech thinks they should try to reason with them. He walks out, raising his hands over his head, explaining that he’s the one who restores the electricity. He gets shot for his trouble, and 10K ends up getting shot in the arm. Then a zombie grabs him with a small crowd of them on the way. What do you know there’s Red and 5K with a slingshot. Red leads 10K away.

Even though he can’t hear her, Kaya tells Citizen Z something is going down in Murphytown and the power is down. She says she forgives him for being recklessly brave, and that he’s her hero. She says don’t forget to be careful and come back to her.

The woman from the bridge is covered with blood and approaches Murphytown. The guys run out to get her, but she struggles against them. She screams for Murphy to help her. Kyle pops out of a trailer and we realize she’s attached to it. She tells them not to let go and yells for help. Kyle says it’s time to die and they let her go. She scoots back to the trailer and there’s a shootout between Kyle’s men and Murphy’s. Murphy watches and makes a hand gesture. Not that kind of gesture. He’s controlling them.

Sun and Roberta continue on. The get inside and go upstairs to the lab. Roberta tells Sun to get what she needs while she finds Murphy. Roberta looks around and hears what’s going on outside. She sees the gunfight. A woman tells her she can’t be in there, and then recognizes her. Roberta shoots her. She says “Murphy loved you,” and drops to the ground. Roberta says she has something for him.

10K tells Red she looks good for an hallucination. He hears Murphy and says he has to go.

Murphy makes another hand gesture and the zombies in the moat break the gate down. They’re cut off at the ankles by a wire which is pretty cool. Unfortunately both the bridge woman and Kyle are casualties. A zombie free-for-all ensues.

Roberta comes up behind Murphy and says knock knock. He says her lost boys are bleeding out. She says they knew what they were in for and served their purpose. He tells her that she’s turning into an ends justifies the means gal. She says she has a mission and he says that’s getting old. He says he saved the world, and she tells him that he’s taking the zombie messiah thing to heart. He says he’s brought peace and that’s what a savior does.

Roberta wants his blood. He says she’s on a fool’s errand. She tells him that there are still survivors. He says they come to him every day, begging to be released from fear. He says she needs a bite mark to make her see things more clearly. She holds up a brain and Murphy gets all longing and shaky.

10K catches Sun in the lab. She says she can help him and the rest of them. He says they don’t need help, they need Murphy. She says she has to test the vaccine and asks if he can help find the notes she needs. Red and 5K run in, and 10K says don’t worry, they’re not real. He tells Sun that he can’t help, but Red tells him to let her do what she needs. He says Red isn’t real, but Red says she’ll prove it and kisses him. I can’t help but think of how he must smell. And when was the last time he brushed his teeth? 10K is all happy and hugs 5K. He tells Sun where the research is. The password is password and she opens the vault.

Some guys come in and tell Sun to put the book down.

Murphy asks Roberta where she got that and she teases him with a piece. He grabs it and eats it. She knocks him down, asking him if he’s saving the people or are they his food supply? He says she doesn’t understand. They wrestle, and Roberta kicks him in the cojones. Roberta tells him that he’s reborn this very moment, because she’s decided not to kill him. His cronies come in. The little girl runs to him, and Murphy asks who the monster is now. He asks if reality is setting in. He’s never seen a look of resignation on Roberta and it doesn’t suit her.

Uncle lands the plane near Murphytown. Roberta says Citizen Z might have a message about Lucy. The plane doesn’t land well.

Everyone goes out to the plane. Citizen Z is weirded out by actually seeing everyone in person. He says he sees it’s a bad time, but has a message for Roberta. She hugs him and asks if Addie and Doc are still alive. He says he doesn’t know, but Doc told him that Lucy has been kidnapped by The Man. Murphy says he’s taking her to Zona. Citizen Z says he’s taking her to a top secret rendezvous, but he has the coordinates. Murphy tells Roberta that he needs her help and she says let’s make a deal.

Kaya keeps trying to get Citizen Z. Suddenly he’s there. He says things got dicey, but they’re going after Lucy. Kaya tells him that The Man is still on his way to Puget Sound. He tells her that she’s saved the world. She says she’s missed her period. He asks if that’s a code thing, and she says it’s a she’s pregnant thing. He says the world will have to take care of itself; he’s coming home.

Murphy says he’ll be back soon. He’s told that Roberta can’t be found, and he says that everything will be fine.

Meanwhile, Addie finds The Man’s car abandoned on the road. It’s still warm. She sees a few dead zombies. One of them is pointing, and Addie says, “Clever girl.”

Next time, Addie faces The Man, and Lucy shows her mettle.

Quotes of the Week

We can complain that rose bushes have thorns or we can rejoice that thorn bushes have roses.          – Abraham Lincoln

The adoption process is simple. We put cats in your car when you’re not looking. – Kate McKenna in a Whiskers R We SNL skit

…Above all things lose no occasion of exercising your dispositions to be grateful to be generous, to be charitable, to be humane, to be true... – Thomas Jefferson

Nov28

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

Posted on by
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.

 

Nov21

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

Posted on by
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.