Tag Archives: Colman Domingo

Mar14

March 13, 2022 – Pamela Makes Maggie an Offer, New Element, Coupling Up, All Of Them, Fear’s Return, Strand Spin, Not Involved & It’s For You

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

In the alleyway, Max tells Eugene that It was just dumb luck she found the radio parts in a dumpster. It would have never been dumped there for security reasons, so someone thought it was trash, but it just needed some love. We see her putting it together, turning it on, then talking to Eugene. She says, they talked about everything and nothing. We flashed back to Eugene saying he thinks it’s a celestially ordained meet and greet, and Max saying her people are uber cautious. She tells Eugene that she never let herself believe it was possible to leave. Then her brother got involved, and he wasn’t happy. We see Mercer finding her radio equipment, and Max tells him, it’s not what he thinks. He says, a massive communications breach from an unauthorized station is being investigated. Someone’s been talking to a community outsider outside the walls, and Lance is all over it. Please tell him it wasn’t her. Please tell him that she’s not about to sneak out to meet a stranger. It’s dangerous for everyone in the Commonwealth, especially the two of them. Pray Lance doesn’t realize it’s her voice. She tells Eugene that she crossed line, and Lance was on the prowl. It was impossible for her to turn up. Then some other girl was calling herself Stephanie, using her words and voice. We flash back to Max getting ice cream at the same time fake Stephanie did. Max passes Eugene, who asks, that wouldn’t happen to be Rocky Road? but Max doesn’t respond, and walks away. She turns to see him eating ice cream with fake Stephanie, and Max says Eugene seemed happy, so she kept her head down. She didn’t know what else to do. We see Max go in to Pamela’s office to give her some files. She asks if she can get Pamela anything else, and Pamela says, a day her son isn’t acting like an a-hole. She asks Max to have the bank cut off Sebastian’s credit line. Maybe that will whip him into shape. (Doubtful.) Max tells Eugene that Lance was bugging out about him and Alexandria, and Eugene asks what Lance is planning. She says she doesn’t know. Lance is ambitious; it could mean anything. Or it could mean nothing, just the rebuild. He says, the guy in orange armor is her brother? and she says, yes. He asks if she’s Stephanie, but she says, no; Max. There is no Stephanie. It was her mother’s name. He says he’s sorry, brushes past her, and goes out the gate.  

In a Humvee, Pamela tells Lance that they’re a long way from home. She’s not convinced they should stretch their resources. In growing their empire further than their power can stand, they could lose that power. He tells her, it’s not that dramatic, and she says, there’s enough to do at home without worrying about the small communities. He says, give it a chance. She might be surprised. They go into Alexandria, where Aaron has some of the people quickly doing some housekeeping. Mercer, Daryl, Pamela, and Lance step out of the caravan, and Aaron welcomes them. He asks if Pamela wants the grand tour, and she says she’d expect nothing less. He explains that they’re a self-sustaining agricultural community, and have water and solar power. She asks, who was the engineer? but he says, no one. Maggie, the leader of their allied community Hilltop, gave them the plans. Mercer asks Daryl how safe it’s been here, since they’re isolated, and Daryl says, they’ve fought a lot of fights. Mercer asks if Daryl was the leader here, and Daryl guesses he could say that; they all were. Mercer asks what Daryl did before this, but Daryl says, it doesn’t matter. Not to them anyway.

Pamela looks at a picture of Deanna, and says, Deanna looks like how she remembers her. Daryl says, Pamela knew her? and she says, they used to cross paths in philanthropy circles, but back then, Pamela had no interest in politics. Deanna was born to run things. She asks what Deanna was like as a leader, and Daryl says, she brought them in. He’d never met anyone like that. He admired her very much. She built all this for them; something worth fighting for. Pamela says, but it fell, and he says, they always brought it back. She says, it fell more than once? and Mercer’s radio says they’ve got a breach. Daryl says he’s got it, and sees a zombie toddling around outside. He and Mercer jet. Pamela asks Aaron how they lost Deanna, and he says, she got bitten. She asks if Deanna turned, and he says, they had to put her down. Daryl stabs the zombie in the head, and Pamela says she thinks she’s seen enough.

Ezekiel gets some bloodwork done, while Jerry keeps him company. Tomi tells Ezekiel, no food or solids for 12 hours before they see him in the morning, and Jerry says, they thought it was a routine check-up, but Orderly Theo says, it’s pre-op bloodwork before surgery. Ezekiel looks puzzled, and Tomi says, they’re going to take out the tumor. Ezekiel says, no one told him. He thought he was on the list. Tomi says, now he’s at the top of the list, and Theo says, he’s lucky; some people wait years. Jerry asks about the bill, and Tomi says, it’s paid up. However it happened, Ezekiel should be thrilled. They’re going to take good care of him. He’ll see Ezekiel on Friday at 9. He leaves, and Jerry laughs, saying, it’s so frickin’ awesome. Ezekiel doesn’t look happy, and Jerry says, what? Ezekiel wonders how it happened, and Jerry says, maybe it’s a coincidence, or a clerical error, or divine intervention, but doesn’t Ezekiel think he deserves some luck?

Pamela sits with her feet in the water – I note her perfect French pedicure – and breathes the fresh air at Oceanside. Lance tells her that Rachel is ready for her. She tells Rachel that they’re blessed to have the water at their doorstep. She heard Oceanside battled the Saviors and the Whisperers. That says a lot about the strength of their community. She’s excited to be partners, but Rachel says she talked to Maggie, who isn’t partnering. Lance tells Pamela that Hilltop declined, and Rachel says, Maggie has always been there for them. If Maggie decides to be a partner, they will be, but otherwise, it’s a no.

Aaron and Lance ride together to Hilltop, and Lance asks what the point of bringing Aaron along was when he has no helpful intel? Aaron says, it’s not his fault, and Lance says, Aaron should have known about Rachel and Hilltop. Now it looks like they’re not prepared. Aaron tells Lance to stop acting like Alexandria means more to him than it does to Aaron, and Lance says, they’re all in the same sinking boat. He asks if Maggie is going to make it difficult, but Aaron has no answer. Lance says, it’s all or nothing for Pamela. If Maggie says no, Pamela will walk, and Alexandria will be cut off. Aaron says, then they’ll figure it out, and Lance says, it was going so well before they stepped in. Their caravan stops, and zombies are trickling out of the woods. There’s some zombie dispatchment, and Maggie, Dianne, Lydia, and Elijah are part of the fray. Done with the zombies, Daryl helps Maggie up from where she landed, and Pamela says, she must be Maggie.

Aaron brings Maggie some food, but she says she already ate. She says, it’s good to see them, and asks why they trust these people. Daryl tells her, who says they do? When does he ever? She says, fair enough. It’s good Alexandria is getting cleaned up. At least their word meant something. Aaron says, out of 50 thousand people, at least 49.9 of them are decent folks. It’s not forever. Is she sure she doesn’t want to come? Lance approaches, and says, they brought some extra rifles. Pamela proposed they go hunting, if they’re up for it.

They go through the woods, Pamela wearing safari gear, and Pamela says, they’ll scare the food away if they go as a big group. She’ll go with Maggie, and the rest of them can pair off. She doesn’t need a minder. They split up, and Pamela asks Maggie how things got so bad. Maggie says, how do they ever? She can’t figure out why some of them are lucky enough to fight off the world, while other can’t. Pamela says she doesn’t believe in luck, and Maggie says, luck is about opportunity. She doesn’t know anyone who’s had more opportunity than Pamela. Pamela says, being honest, cards on the table, she didn’t want to come on this tour, but it’s her responsibility. It’s what keeps her up at night; the price of leadership. Everything costs something. For her, it’s sleep. What keeps her awake at 3 am is, who does she trust, and how do they stay safe? She wasn’t sure the risk going out was worth it, but the world belongs to them. What she believes to be the natural order of things has vanished, and has to be restored. It will provide a future for their kids. She’s offering a mutual protection pact, like Maggie has with Oceanside. They’d have her back.

Ezekiel is cooking on a hotplate, when Carol knocks at the door. She says, she wanted to see how he was doing, and he says, Nabila and Jerry left him a buffet. She takes over hotplate duty, and says, Jerry told her that Ezekiel had a check-up today. She asks if anything came up, and he says, funny thing. Tomi said he was having surgery on Friday. Carol says, great, and he says, did she… What did she do? She says she didn’t, and he says his debt was wiped out. She says, Lance owed her a favor, but he says, it’s cheating. Why did she do that? She says she doesn’t want him to die. The lines are a lie. Pamela wouldn’t think twice about doing the same thing for her sh*tty son. He says he’s been inside the hospital, and seen all those people suffering, the same as him, and waiting for treatment, the same as him. She asks if he’s supposed to die because the system is broken. Lesser men have been given more, and done nothing with it. He’s not lesser.

Maggie calls Pamela an autocrat, but Pamela says she’s a leader who makes decisions. Maggie is the same thing. Is she an autocrat? Maggie says, Deanna and George taught them how to divide things up. Pamela drives a nicer car, and has a nicer house than a lot of her people. Pamela says she also has more responsibility. Her people need something to look up to. Doesn’t Maggie want her people to look up to her? Maggie says she wants them to look up to her for what she does and has done, not what she has. She asks if she should get the zombie coming up behind Pamela, and Pamela says she was just thinking of going after the one behind Maggie. Maggie stabs the zombie behind Pamela, and Pamela shoots the other one’s head off. Maggie nods appreciatively.

Eugene sits on a bench by the lake, and Rosita joins him with Coco in a stroller. She asks if he’s okay, and he says he’s great. She tells him that he’s got a great poker face, and he asks, how’s the new job? She says, it’s a lot, and he asks if she regrets coming here. She says, does he? He says he thinks she likes it here, and she says, they all get to be together, and everyone is safe. It works for now. He says, going with the flow, and she says she didn’t think she’d end up being a cop. She’s pretty good at it. He says she’s good at everything she does, and she thanks him. She admits she misses home though. She misses the freedom they used to have, but it’ll come when Alexandria is fixed. People will have choices, and that’s good. He says she’s excited about the future, and she says she guesses she is. What is it? Spill. He says he was thinking about when they first met, and he was lying to her about who he was and Washington DC. She says, it was a long time ago. They found their home, and they’re going with the flow, What is it? Get it out. He’ll feel better. He says, Stephanie… isn’t missing. He saw her. He holds back tears, and says she broke up with him. Rosita hugs him, and he cries. He tells her that Stephanie wasn’t who he thought she was, and she says, he can do better. He’ll find his person. She’s out there.

Maggie brings a couple of game birds back to Hilltop. Dianne tells her that they’ve been working on reinforcing the water tower. Lydia sees Daryl, and they hug. He asks how she’s holding up, and she says she’s doing her best, but it feels like some things can’t be fixed; it seems pointless. She asks how you know when it’s time to walk away, and he asks if that’s what she wants to do. Lance asks Maggie if it’s okay to hand out supplies; they have more than enough food and fuel. Maggie tells him, sure, and thanks him. Mercer tells Daryl, it must be hard to be a kid growing up here, and Daryl says, they’re a different kind of kid. This place used to be special, but they’re going through a hard time. They’ll be up and running again. Mercer says, not all places are as lucky as Alexandria, and Daryl says, not all places are as lucky as the Commonwealth. Mercer asks if Daryl is coming around, but Daryl says he wouldn’t go that far. They’ve done good stuff, he’ll give them that, but they ain’t perfect. Mercer tells Daryl not to get comfortable out of his armor. Lance thought it was good for appearance sake, but Daryl has his role to play, and Mercer has his. I’m liking Mercer.

Jerry and Carol visit Ezekiel in the hospital, and Ezekiel says he wants pizza and ice cream, no pineapple. Pineapple on pizza makes no sense. Theo tells Ezekiel, it’s going to be nothing but Jell-O for a while, hotshot.

Maggie sits on some steps, and Lance approaches, one of his hands kind of moving, Maggie says, nervous twitch? and he says, lucky coin. She says she had a lucky rabbit’s foot when she was a kid. Her dog brought it home with the rabbit still attached. Lance says, when he was a kid, he thought the coin was gold, but it was really gold plated, just a lowly nickel. Has she decided? She asks what he gets out of all this, and he tells her that he’s not going to pretend. She’s in over her head. She says he doesn’t know, but he says he knows she’s smart enough to know a good offer… and he’s smart enough to know he’s pissed her off. Maggie says he didn’t answer her question, and he says, the first time he saw Alexandria, he saw potential, as he did in Hilltop and Oceanside. They can have so much more. Imagine picking Herschel up from a concert at the Commonwealth, or taking him to a doctor’s appointment in Alexandria, or going for a boat ride up the coast from Oceanside. And what’s up the coast? Another protected town, another school or a university. Maggie says they tried to build one, and Lance says, of course. They see things the same way; the world as they want to build it. Picture the power of fifty-thousand Commonwealth workers making it a reality. They hear, swarm incoming, and Lance says, as it is, there’s reality.

The Hilltoppers run out with weapons. There are a ton of zombies in the woods, and Maggie and the Hilltoppers start picking them off. Mercer joins them, looking badass, and flips one over himself before killing it. His troopers line up, and he yells, fire! They shoot, and the zombies are done. The bodies are piled up, and Dianne tells Maggie, imagine not dealing with this. Lydia says, they could keep building; no stops and starts. Dianne says, we need this, and Maggie says, she knows. Mercer calls, formation! Let’s go. He tells Daryl, fall in, and when Daryl gets closer, Mercer quietly tells him, they’re always watching. Got him? Daryl says, yeah, and marches behind the troopers. Maggie watches, and Pamela says, never a dull moment here. Maggie says, we try, and Lydia says, everyone’s okay. No injuries, all limbs intact. It’s a good day. Maggie tells Pamela, Hilltop is passing, and Pamela asks, why? Maggie tells Pamela that she said it herself; everything costs something. Aaron watches, and looks mega worried.

Eugene knocks at Max’s apartment, and says, please don’t shut the door. He found raspberry goodness of the Inside Scoop variety. She lets him in, and he sees the radio in pieces. He says he’s so sorry for his ungentlemanlike behavior. He wasn’t listening to her because he was bruised and confused. Max says, he was rude, and he says he let Lance get in his head. It was an infiltration of epic Proportions. Lance is like a snake. Max says, he’s like a worm, and Eugene says he let fake Stephanie into his life. He let her read his manuscript. He’s writing a novel. She asks if a sepulcher is involved, and if it takes place in the Carpathian Mountains. They talk some nerd talk, and she asks how he could let fake Stephanie read it. He says he thought she was Max, but Max says, after all that time, how could he not know it wasn’t her? He says he doesn’t know. He’s not like most folks; he’s used to rejection. Sometimes he didn’t even realize he was being rejected. Let it suffice to say he had his fair amount, and part of him wondered if the connection they had was in his head. When got here, and fake Stephanie didn’t push him away, he wanted so badly for it to be real. The subtle clues escaped him. He never meant to hurt her, but the intent doesn’t excuse the impact. How can he make it up to her? She says she doesn’t know, and asks if she can read his novel. He says, as ill fortune would have it, she came up on him when he was burning the only copy. But he’s committed the text to memory. She asks what the concept is, and he says it’s about a gumshoe going on a rollicking caper to stop a nuclear threat. He also gave the detective an unsavory twin brother, and Max says, an evil twin, nice touch. If Eugene makes the evil twin a scientist, it will ramp up stakes of the nuclear threat. Eugene says, that’s exactly what he did, and she says, it’s like old times.

Daryl gives Maggie a mason jar, saying, it’s something from Judith in case she makes Herschel eat horse meat, She hugs him, and he says she knows where to find him. She says, same for her, and Daryl joins the troopers. Dianne tells Maggie that she’s leaving. Some others are coming, and Maggie should too. Maggie says, be careful who she trusts. Dianne knows that better than anybody. Dianne says, she also knows when to ask for help. It’s become harder, but it doesn’t have to be. Dianne respects the hell out of Maggie, but she can’t do this anymore. She’s sorry. She, Elijah, and another guy leave.

Lance goes to Pamela’s tent, and she says, it was a worthy effort. He says, it’s not over. They still have Alexandria. He just needs time to get the other two. She says, it’s a bold move getting three communities on board. She can see why it would be attractive. He says, it’s ultimately her decision, and she says, he pretends he’s doing it for the good of the Commonwealth, and not for himself. He says he’s doing it for her, and she says, they’ve both had ambitions their whole lives, and ambition is notoriously hard to reel in. So if he wants to try and make it work, fine, but if his job at home suffers, there will be consequences. The Commonwealth always comes first. He leaves.

Lance takes a stroll in the woods, and shoots his gun in the air. A zombie comes toward him from all four directions, and he shoots three of them, one by one. Aaron shows up, and asks if he’s okay. Lance says, A plus, and Aaron asks, what about Alexandria? Are they good? Lance says, everything’s fine. Pamela is on board, and they’re bringing even more in. Get ready. They’re going to remake the world. He blows the last zombie’s head off.

Next time, Aaron talks to Gabriel, Lance needs a solution, and Maggie discovers some dead troopers.

🕶 Going Rogue…

The politics of Eugene and Stephanie.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-rogue-element-eugene-stephanie-angela-kang/

👏 I Can’t Wait…

More on Negan and Maggie’s partnership.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-lauren-cohan-jeffrey-dean-morgan-isle-of-the-dead-spin-off/

🎡 Hold On…

All the Dead spin-offs.

https://www.insider.com/walking-dead-spinoff-shows

⚰️ What the Fear…

Everything about FWD’s return.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7b-premiere-synopsis-follow-me-alicia-clark-alycia-debnam-carey/

https://undeadwalking.com/2022/03/13/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-episode-9-release-date/

🥂 The Thirst Is Real…

Everybody wants more than their fifteen minutes. Not that I blame them.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-colman-domingo-victor-strand-spinoff-amc/

🐉 Not Us…

Apparently, not everyone is down with Game of Thrones spin-offs.

https://www.ign.com/articles/game-of-thrones-db-weiss-and-david-benioff-not-involved-with-spin-offs

🦵🏼 Shaking a Leg…

See you tomorrow for soap and Sailing. Until then, stay safe, stay using your time wisely, because there’s only so much of it, and stay knowing that everything costs something.

Oct18

October 17, 2021 – Strand Leaves His Tower, Some Friends Are Reunited, Turning Over a Bad Leaf, Finale Talk & Wolf

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

In the aftermath of the bombs, a zombie crawls through the wasteland. A man in protective gear and mask stabs it in the head, and goes through its backpack, taking out some cans of food. He checks for radiation, and it’s off the charts. He considers a dead possum nearby, but decides against it. He looks dejected, but keeps walking. He goes inside a van, turns on a light, takes off his mask, and lies down.

The man gets back in his gear, and comes out of the van. He goes to a swampy area, and puts an X on a paper that has a grid with other Xs on it. He travels through the wasteland, and a few zombies toddle along. He waits as one approaches.

Back at the van. he peeks outside, seeing wandering zombies. Some people run out, and he draws his gun and listens.

He comes out again, and sees more zombies. He seems tired, and draws his knife.

The man walks along a path to a lighthouse, and goes inside. He hears a zombie, and sees it at the top of the stairs by the beacon. He goes up, and puts it out of its misery. He looks around, but there’s nothing worth taking. He goes back out, and back to where he’d seen the dead possum the day before. He roasts the roadkill in the woods, and cries. A zombie comes up behind him, but he does nothing, turning back to the fire. Someone shoots the zombie, and three people ride up on horses. One asks who the hell he is, and he asks if they’re the ones who have been stripping the dead. Another tells him, let’s go, but he runs. They shoot him, but not with a bullet.   

The man wakes, wondering where is, and several people in protective gear and masks strip him and hose him down, scrubbing him with brooms. Dressed again, they take him into an elevator. He asks, what hell is going on? Where are they taking him? He gets silence. The elevator door opens, and he runs, only to find a locked gate. He runs into the art studio Victor found last season, and grabs a sword. Victor says, magnificent, isn’t it? and holds a gun to the man’s head. He says, it belonged to a friend, and dates back to 1812. The man says he doesn’t want any trouble, and Victor laughs. He says, turn around slowly, and takes away the sword. The man asks, who the hell is he? and he says his name is Victor Strand, and who might he be?

A guy – Victor’s valet? – pours drinks, and serves the man a pasta dinner at a formal dining table that has a chandelier hanging above it. Howard has joined them, and Victor tells the man that he’s been given a meal and a drink. He asks, what’s in it for Victor? and Victor says he has some questions. The man dives into his food, and says, what’s that? Victor asks what his name is, and he says, Will. Victor asks what he did before, and Will says, before the dead were walking, or before they blew everything up? Victor says, both, and Will says he was a senator’s aid. Victor asks, which senator? and Will says, Elias Vasquez. Victor asks what Will did for him, and Will says, PR. Victor asks where Will came from, and Will says, originally, Oklahoma, but most recently he was at a settlement where they were protected from the blast. Victor asks who was with him, and Will says, the senator and a few other aids. Victor asked why Will wasn’t with them, and Will says, things went bad, and he wound up outside. Victor says, and the senator? and Will says, he didn’t make it. Victor asks how long Will has been outside, and Will says, 50 days, give or take. Victor asks what Will has seen and who he’s seen, but he says, not much, and Victor says, Will mentioned something about people stripping the dead. Will says he calls them stalkers. He saw them sneaking up on the dead. Victor asks why Will hasn’t figured out who they are, and Will says, there are no faces out there anymore; just masks. When was the last time Victor was outside? Victor says he has everything he needs there. Why should he? Let him show Will.   

Victor takes Will past a putting green, and tells the golfer, nice putt, Toby. Will asks where everything came from, and Victor says, department stores, homes, museums. His rangers scout out anything of value; anything worth preserving is there. They pass a yoga class, and Victor says the people were there before, and he brought them in and let them stay; they’re of value. Will asks what Victor means, and Howard says, Victor is asking the questions. Will looks at a wall of photos with memorial candles in front of it, and Victor says, they’re walkers his rangers encounter.  Even though they’re no longer walking, some have loved ones out there. Will asks if there’s anyone Victor is hoping to find, and Victor says he has everything he needs right there.

Victor says, everything Will sees there came after the destruction. The world gave them fire, ash, and devastation, but there they were given growth, vitality, and a new dawn. Everything he needed was there when he arrived, except Howard. They watched as the world was destroyed, and they thought it was the end. When the dust settled, they were still standing, as well as this place. Howard says, the weather patten took the fallout away from them, and Victor says, it’s the only inhabitable place for miles. They’re laying the foundation for a new civilization. Will asks, how? and Victor says, the same way he ended up there; instinct. He tells one of his people to bring Will’s things, and Will says, Victor is kicking him out? He answered Victor’s questions. Victor says Will’s not quite what he’s looking for. Take care, and good luck out there. Will’s things are thrown in front of him, and he says, please don’t do this. He won’t make it alone. Victor says, sorry, not sorry, and Will asks why Victor gave him the tour. Why go through the trouble? Victor says he wanted to share his vision. Will says he found this out there. It’s meant to help people carry heavy burdens. Victor needs it more than he does. He tosses Victor the St. Christopher medal Victor gave Alicia, and Howard says, let’s go. Victor says, stop. Where did he find this? He says he found it on one of the dead, and Victor says, don’t lie. Will says he’s not. He thought it would bring him good luck. Howard says, so much for that, and Victor tells Will to take him to where he found it. Maybe they can make a deal. Take him to where he found it, and help him find the owner. He can spare her the horrors of life out there, and he’ll let Will move in to his humble abode. Deal? Will nods, and Victor says, good. Give him his sword.

In the woods, Will says, the levels are low; they can take their masks off. Don’t worry. Almost all the zombies not killed in the blast, died from radiation. It’s not dangerous. Victor says, it’s not his first rodeo, and Will says he thought Victor hadn’t been out before this nightmare. Victor says, not this one. How much further? Will says, about a mile. Victor says he can see why Will had resistance to coming out, and Will says, it’s not spaghetti and scotch. Victor asks why Will didn’t return to the settlement, and Will says, Victor’s tower isn’t the only place he’s not welcome. His exit wasn’t by choice. He’s been trying to find a way to make it up ever since. Victor tells him, success is the best revenge. Don’t spend a moment trying to make it right. Focus on showing them how wrong they were. That’s how you win, and procure your place in the tower. He won’t remember his past. History is written by victims to assure them success. It begins to rain, and Will tells them to put their masks back on. He says, they won’t make it back to the tower, and Victor says, follow him, and they ride.    

They go to the underpass where Will’s van is, and Victor asks, what is this place? Will says, it’s been home for the last 50 days, and Victor says, cozy. One of his men takes pictures of the dead, and Victor looks at another body. Will asks what they’re really doing out here. Whoever the medal belongs to, Victor must know them. Victor asks what difference it makes, and Will says, Victor told him that he had everything he needed at the tower. Victor says he does, and Will asks why he’s out there looking for her. Victor says, he never told Will that he was looking for a woman. He believes they’ve been lured there under false pretenses. He suggests Will start talking, and asks, where is she? Will says, who? and Victor says, answer him. All of a sudden, some men start shooting at them, and Will says, stalkers. They duck for cover, and Will is hit. Victor grabs him, and pulls him behind Will’s van. He shoves Will into the van, and gets in the driver’s seat. Zombies have joined the fray, but the shooting continues. The zombies take the stalkers down, as Will watches. Victor tells Will to answer his question; where is Alicia? Will says he doesn’t know, and Victor pushes on his wound. He says he doesn’t know where Teddy took her. Teddy said she had to make the journey by herself. He wants to make things right with her, but why did Victor risk coming out to find her? Victor jumps out of the van, and closes the door. Zombies scrabble at the van.   

Victor rides to the lighthouse, lights a lantern, and goes upstairs. He looks at the double-dead zombie near the beacon, and picks up a map. He says, bingo, and goes back out. The fog is so dense, he can’t see, but he hears footsteps. It’s Will, who says, hold it, and trains his gun on Victor. Victor asks how Will found the place, and Will says, there are only so many places to hole up out here. Now Victor will answer his questions; sit. Victor sits, and laughs. Will says Victor tried to kill him twice today. He left the comfort of his humble abode, and sacrificed his guards to find Alicia to tell her that he was grateful. Victor says, Will knew who he was, yet lied; why? Will tells him, because Alicia said Victor wasn’t trustworthy. He was biding his time, testing Victor, to see if he was worth saving. What makes Victor think he can change Will’s opinion? Victor says, the tower succeeds because of him and his choices, all the people living there. Will says, they might give a damn about Victor, but them being afraid of what to do isn’t leadership. Victor asks if Will thinks he’s an authority because he worked for the senator, and Will laughs. He says he learned from the senator, but learned more about it from Alicia. Alicia didn’t want to be in the bunker, and locked up, while that psycho dropped bombs, so she could become a cynical a-hole like Victor. You can’t lead alone. If you want people to believe in you, you have to believe in them. Victor asks why Will isn’t with Alicia, and asks if Victor still has the medallion. Victor holds it up, and Will snatches it back, saying, he needs it as much as Victor does. She asked him to do something, but he couldn’t do it. Victor asks what it was, but Will says, it doesn’t matter. Victor asks why Will didn’t do it, and Will says, because it would have protected everyone there except her. Victor says, it must have been bad if they cast Will out, and Will says he’s been looking for a way back every day since. He thought he found it when he woke up at the tower. Maybe he could have brought Victor to her, but after what he’s seen today, he doubts she’d recognize Victor. Victor says he doesn’t think she would. He doesn’t know if Alicia told Will, but he was the one who gave her the medal. Will says, she did; she knew it would get Victor’s attention. Victor says, he gave it to her to remember who she was. He didn’t think he would see it for himself. He guesses they both held up their end of the bargain. May he? Will leans in to give him the medal, and Victor grabs him, slamming him against the wall. Will drops his gun, and they struggle. Will manages to get his gun back, and says, that’s three times now. He thought if he took Victor there, it would bring them together, but he’s better off without Victor. Victor says, everyone is, and opens the door. There are loads of dead outside, and they get close. Will is mesmerized, and Victor says, get inside, and shuts the door. He asks Will, what the hell was that? and Will says, he knows them from the bunker. Victor says, Alicia.   

The zombies scrape at the door, and Will says, it wasn’t passable. They had enough food for 10 years, water, a future to outlast all of them. Victor asks if she was gone, but Will says he didn’t see her. He suggests they find out, and they grab things for weapons. Will starts up a generator, and puts the beacon on. He tells Victor, go, and Victor stabs zombies with his sword. Will goes out on the walkway, and looks out, saying, follow the light. Victor continues slicing and dicing, and the generator dies. Victor yells for Will, who’s trying to get the generator going again. He calls to Victor, and goes out with a lantern, stabbing a random zombie in the head. More zombies are coming, and they surround him, but Victor flies out with his sword, doing all kinds of damage. Will lies on the ground, clutching his gun. He asks Victor, was she? and Victor says he didn’t see her. He helps Will up, and Will says, Victor could have walked away, but he stayed. Victor still cares about her. You don’t run into a fog like that because you want to see if someone’s dead; he ran like that because he wanted to save her. Victor says, let’s go.

Victor and Will ride to the bunker, Will riding on the same horse, behind Victor. They go inside, and check the room where the bunks were, but it’s empty. Victor says, it’s a ghost town, and Will says, whatever happened here, happened a while ago. Victor asks how many lived there, and Will says, 128; him, the senator, and some aids. Teddy sent some scouts who killed everyone there, and they stayed in the servants quarters. He yells for Alicia, but gets only silence. They turn on the lights in a conference room, and Will says, it wasn’t the stalkers; nothing was taken. Victor wonders if she panicked, and they see a note taped to the podium that ways, Will. Will looks at it, and says he thinks she did. All is says is, PADRE.

Victor asks, what’s padre? and Will says, it doesn’t matter. It will probably get her killed. Victor asks if it’s a person or place, but Will says he doesn’t know; nobody knows. It might not even exist. He always knew it was a possibility. He thought at first she wouldn’t have to. If anything happens to them, it’s on him. Victor says Will doesn’t know that, and Will says he should have been there and found a way to make things up to her. Victor says, Will loved her, and Will says, it doesn’t matter; it’s all for nothing anyway. Victor says, it wasn’t all for nothing. Will was right. This wasn’t about proving something to her; it was about proving something to himself. Will asks, what? and Victor says, that he didn’t need her, but he does, as does Will. Will says, maybe that’s the point of all of this. Maybe they’re supposed to find her together. Victor says, or perhaps she’ll find them. They walk out, and Victor draws his sword. They leave on the horse, the zombies pulling a wagon behind them with the lighthouse beacon on it. Good idea, putting them to work.

Back at the tower, the beacon has been set up on the roof. Zombies hang around outside, and Victor says, it appears his flame has already drawn moths. Will says, she’ll see it, she’ll follow it, and she’ll find this place. Victor says Alicia is the closest thing he has left to family. Will isn’t the only one who loves her, and he never had a chance to tell her, but would have if he’d found her. Will says, perhaps she would have reminded Victor of the man he was trying to be. She still can. She can help Victor be himself. Victor says, he never should have left. He almost got killed because he didn’t trust his instincts. He can’t let it happen again. It could destroy everything he’s doing. Will says, that’s not true. He’ll make this place even better; they both will together. Victor says, Will told him that he could leave because he woudn’t make it alone, but he was wrong. It’s the only way. Will says, that’s not true, but Victor says, it is. He watched others build things like he has, and they came close, but they fell short, all for the same reason; love. Attachments don’t make you strong; they destroy you. Will says, the light wasn’t to draw Alicia, and Victor says, no. It was to keep her, and everyone else, as far away as possible. Will says, it won’t work. She’ll find this place, and get through to Victor. Victor says, no, she won’t, and pushes Will off the roof, much to all of our surprise. Victor says, she won’t have anything to do with him after this. He and Howard look down, and Howard asks if Victor wants him to send someone down to take a picture for the wall, but Victor says, no. No one here is looking for him. Howard says, someone out there might be. This is going to draw more than the dead. Maybe the people Victor was with before, like Morgan. Victor says, don’t worry about Morgan or anyone else, and Howard asks, why not? Victor says, if anyone tries to get to him, they’re going to have to get through them. They look down at the zombies as they feast on Will, who’s all messy with a smashed in face.

Next time, Morgan says, they’ll build someplace else that will actually last; Morgan tells Grace that she knows why he has to do this; and Morgan rolls the car with Grace in it.

The World Beyond

A woman took the eyeballs out of a zombie corpse and replaced them with flowers.

Elton and Percy trotted down the road on a horse, Elton telling Percy that they could catch up with the others. Percy said, after what Huck did, he thought the odds weren’t good. They spied a young man and woman eating by a campfire in the woods, and remembered they were hungry.

Hope jogged around the CRM facility, checking out all the security. She also practiced some fighting.

Huck and Dennis got busy. She told him, after what he did, people got hurt. She questioned his employment choice, but he said he couldn’t move to active until he worked in decontamination.

Percy and Elton assessed the couple. Percy said there was no sign of guns, and only two sets of tracks; so they’re alone. They camped overnight, so that meant they were far from home. He could tell by the uniform shape of the turnips that they’d been harvested, and Elton suggested they grab a couple of turnips and jet. Percy said they were looking for people who could be anywhere; they might need all the couple’s food. Elton said he thought they were good people (using no reasoning skills whatsoever), but Percy said they’d thought Huck was too. Elton approached them, but the man quickly had Elton at knifepoint, while the woman patted him down. He told them that he had a traveling companion named Percy, and they were looking for their compatriots. Avoiding people was usually the smart move, but their stomachs were calling the shots. They seemed like good people. The man went to look for Percy, but couldn’t find him, and the woman told him, it seemed that Elton just wanted food. She handed Elton a canteen and a few turnips, and introduced herself as Asha and the man as Dev. Percy was caught rifling through their food stash, and Asha asked if they were conmen. Elton said, Percy had been one, but wasn’t anymore, and the two of them took off, leaving everything. The couple ran after them.    

Huck got commended for her work. The casualties had been limited, and she’d furthered the priorities of the CRM. She was cleared to resume active duty. Leo asked her about iris and Felix, and said he thought Huck and Elizabeth were lying. He asked if she’d been manipulating Hope, and she told him that Hope was there now, and Felix and Iris would be too. He said she and Elizabeth had taken their innocence, and they couldn’t get it back. He didn’t give a damn who Huck’s mother was, or what name she was going under. She was using them, and he wanted her to find his daughter.

Percy and Elton jetted through the woods with the couple in hot pursuit. The couple did martial arts moves on some zombies, which Elton and Percy admired for a while before they ran.

At CRM, Hope was in a class, the professor speaking about accelerated decay. He told the students that they should be glad they were studying decay, and not living it. Hope looked out the window, as you do in science class, and remembered good times with Iris and Felix. The professor thought she wasn’t paying attention, but she gave him an incredibly complex answer, adding that she thought making vodka out of the same properties would do more good. Why focus on the negative? This led to a debate between her and Mason, but the professor said Hope was right.  He thought she and her father should put their heads together father working on. After class, Mason asked if Hope was busy later, and did she want to join him and his friends. She declined, but he told her where and when, in case she changed her mind.

While he and Percy were running through the woods, Elton tripped and fell. Percy came back to help him, and zombies started coming up from under the ground, almost like it had been zombie quicksand. Then Percy tripped on one, and it was a losing situation, zombies grabbing at them every which way. Asha and Dev caught up to them, and killed the zombies, once again with impressive moves. Elton was still on the ground, struggling with one who had a grip on him, and he stabbed it in the head. Asha helped him up, but another zombie popped up, grabbed his arm, and bit. Asha grabbed Elton up, and tossed him aside. She was ready to kill him, but Elton told her that his jacket was bite-proof, and showed her his wound-free arm. He said, industrial corduroy. We saw Elton and Percy tied up, and Asha wearing Elton’s jacket. Asha took the eyeballs out of a dead zombie, and replaced them with flowers. She and Dev prayed over the bodies.

Leo discussed yeast in regard to decay with Hope. He thought she was trying to keep him distracted, and she said the whole place was a distraction. They’d agreed there was nothing they could do. They had to just wait and trust. Iris and Felix were okay. Leo said he knew there was something Hope wasn’t telling him. She said she’d talked to Huck, and Leo asked if Huck did something like threaten Hope. Hope asked him to do one thing; trust her. It was hard out there, but it was hard in there too. He said he understood. She hadn’t asked for this, and he wished he could give her a distraction from the distraction.

Mason toasted to those who had perished in Omaha. Hope decided to join the party, and Mason welcomed her to the bunker. He told her normally they were a fun bunch, and gave her the tour. 

Dev drove a wagon with Percy and Elton sitting in the back, their hands tied, Asha on horseback next to them. Percy told Elton that he should have listened. The world is a sh*t show. You’re going to get infected or going to die. That’s just how it is. They stopped at a sign that said, Danger Unseen Something-or-Other (okay, I wasn’t paying attention), and Dev put hoods on Percy and Elton. 

Mason told Hope that he was sorry about what happened to her. He said they’d built everything themselves in the bunker, and introduced Ian, who explained how he devised a game table. Mason said they’d been there three years, and had built a master control panel for all the labs. Everyone who did well on their tests ended up there. Getting to learn from her dad was an honor; he liked it there. She asked if he liked the soldiers, and he said his dad wanted him to go the military route, but it wasn’t for him. He decided to focus science because it would unlock the future.

At the Perimeter, Asha cut Percy and Elton free. Percy wondered how she knew his name, when Dev brought Iris over to them. She hugged them both, and said she’d thought Percy was dead. He said he thought he was too, and Elton said, Asha and Dev knew the entire time? Asha said her mom runs the place. They were going to just get them and bring them back, but when they tried to steal the food, she and Dev thought they’d have some fun. Percy said they had a screwed up way of having fun, and Elton wondered where Hope was.

Actually, Hope was playing Jenga. The blocks had tasks on them, but related to the game, not like the ones on Vanderpump Rules. Hope had to take a block out while blindfolded, which she did with ease. When Mason took his first one out, the whole thing fell. Hope flashed back it Iris saying they’d always protect each other. Hope went to Huck, and insisted Huck take her to Iris and Felix. Now. What had she been doing? Huck said it wasn’t as easy as Hope thought, but Hope didn’t give a sh*t. She needed Huck to take her, or they’ll probably try kill her. Huck said they’d go tomorrow. It was just one day. Hope said, in one day, a city of people got wiped out. If they didn’t go, her dad would start stirring sh*t up.  

Elton wondered how Hope could just be gone. Brody was pissed that Asha brought back more strays. It was putting them in danger with the CRM because of their agreement. Asha said they were there first, and screw the agreement, but he said that wasn’t for her to decide.

Dennis tried to chat up Huck, but she changed into her uniform. She said she’d left because of what he did, and when she was gone, she had to do some things she hated. She wanted to be okay, and maybe that would happen, but she was still figuring it out. She couldn’t be with him right now.  

Huck drove out, showing the guard some papers. Impressed with Huck’s name, the guard said, after Huck left, she’d been transferred there to assume Huck’s responsibilities. Her mother was an inspiration. Huck agreed, and the guard banged on the trunk, startling Hope, who was inside. After a tense moment, the guard told Huck to drive safely.

Asha showed Elton an artwork memorial to everything they’d lost, and said she was sorry for what he’d lost. She wished she’d known. He hoped he and Percy weren’t causing her any trouble, and Asha explained that the CRM supported the town in return for them encouraging people to steer clear. Elton called the zombies empties, but they called them vessels. They were holding souls, and killing them helped the souls move on. He said, and the flowers? and she told him they were her personal touch; a little beauty in the darkness left behind.

Iris tended to Percy’s wound, and needed him to take his shirt off, which I smelled coming. She thanked him for the night he surprised her, and he said, it wasn’t anything, She said he’d cut up his art books; it was. He said he agreed, and wished he could have been there, but she said he was there now. The CRM just kept taking; Hope, her dad, Silas. But he and Elton found them. It was a second chance. They just had to make it count. They heard the tinkling of an alarm.

Elton peeked out, and saw guards walking down the street. Iris saw Hope with them, and Percy had his knife at the ready.

Next time, Silas gets caught outside, Felix asks what Huck wants, and Hope tries to get Iris to come back with her.

😈 New Look…

Both Victor and the scenery got a makeover this season.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-premiere-beacon-strand-will/

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-strand-becoming-villain-colman-domingo/

⚰️ Dead Finale…

You want insight, I got insight.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-for-blood-season-11-part-1-finale-leah-daryl-judith-angela-kang/

🛌 Full Sleep Ahead…

We’re another weekend closer to Halloween, otherwise known as Free Candy Night to parents of small children. See you tomorrow for some soap and a finale on Deck. Until then stay safe, stay not comparing yourself to others, and stay knowing success is the best revenge, but attachments won’t necessarily destroy you.

Jun14

June 13, 2021 – There’s No Stopping It, Dead Future, Victor Dissected, a Viewer’s Guide, AHS 10, About Those CMTs & Grave

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

When we last left, Teddy had set off the bomb, and Morgan let Teddy jet with Dakota. Morgan told Victor to get lost, and was alone in the control room of the submarine.

Seagulls fly overhead. We see a sign that says, Coastal Access – 3 miles, lying on its side. Rachel tries to take the tire off of her truck, as baby Morgan cries in the backseat, and bloodhound Rufus waits in the truck bed. She gets on a walkie talkie, and asks if anyone can hear her. She needs help. Anybody? She sees the missile go up, and hears Morgan say he’s still going to try and stop what Teddy started. He’s not sure it’s possible. The missile is going to reenter the atmosphere, and has multiple warheads. This could be all the time they have left. Use it. Make it mean something. Give yourself the end you wanted, even if it’s not the one we all imagined. Rachel says, this isn’t the end, and goes back to the tire. The jack falls a little, but she keeps trying, but the jack lets go completely, and the car falls on her leg. A title says: Promise me you’ll find someone. She’s not messing around, and duct tapes her broken leg, bone hanging out and all, to a makeshift splint. She takes out Baby Morgan – who I have to mention has an amazing head of hair – and hobbles down the road, Rufus running ahead. She falls, but the baby is okay, even if crying. She says she’s sorry. They can’t do this. She sees the missile divide, and kisses her baby. She says she just can’t, and takes out a knife. We think she’s going to kill the baby, but instead, she rigs up the backpack to put the baby on her back. She says, this is the end for me, but not for you. She ties a rope around her waist, tying the other end to Rufus, and telling him to find people. She puts a gag in her own mouth, and says she’s sorry. She stabs herself, and keels over, as Baby Morgan cries.

Daniel screws with the radio, and hears Morgan giving his speech about the end. A title says: Dame el Arma. Rollie squeals into the parking lot, and he, Wes, and Riley get out of the car. Rollie says Riley knows where a bunker is where they can ride things out. Funny what you can get out of a true believer when they’re pulled away from their leader. Daniel asks why they should believe Riley. He heard a voice on the radio giving coordinates to a safe place to go. Rollie asks if it was Morgan, and Daniel says, no. It was someone else, but he knows that voice. Rollie says he remembers the last time they took Daniel’s word for something, and Luci says they have no time for this. Is Daniel sure about what he’s telling them? He’s a little iffy, so she says they’ll go with what Riley said. It’s their only choice. They all get in the truck, and drive over some zombies loitering in the road. Sarah gets on the radio, and says, if Wen can hear her, stay where he is. Daniel asks Riley, why not remain silent, and die for his cause? Why would he tell them about a safe place when they’re so close to the end? The truck suddenly fishtails, and Rollie says, the brakes went out. Sarah asks Jacob if he’s fixed brakes before, and they get out. Rollie says, all hands on deck; they have company. A cluster of zombies approaches, and Jacob helps to keep the zombies at bay, while Sarah works to patch a hole in the accumulator. She tells Jacob that they may not make their way to the bunker, but he says they will. She asks, what comes next? and he says she and Wen will be together, one way or another. She does some welding.

Daniel asks Riley, if he’s all about destruction, why help them survive? Riley says he wants to see their faces when it all turns to ash. They said Teddy and his group were all insane, but it’s just the beginning. Sarah says, it worked, and Riley tells Daniel, the next will rise, or some kind of nonsense lik that. Sarah says it’s a patch job, but should get them there in one piece, and Rollie says they’ll make it out of this thing yet. Daniel talks to Luci in Spanish, asking her to give him the gun, and he shoots Rollie. Daniel says, he was one of them. That’s how Teddy found out they were at the sub. That’s why they were prepared. Riley is shot from behind, and we see Charlie holding the literal smoking gun. He’s not dead, and Luci asks Riley if it’s true. He tells her, they lost their faith and turned on each other behind the wall. Daniel has himself to thank. Otherwise they would have never been found out. Nobody is going anywhere. Warheads start to come down, and Daniel says, the coordinates. They can still make it. Luci says he knew truth about Riley. They’re putting their faith in him. They read out the coordinates.  

Dwight and Shari ride up the road, and stop. Dwight says, there’s no school there. Shari wonders if they took a wrong turn, and Dwight says, they’ll go back. There’s got to be something nearby. They gallop away, and they hear Morgan on the radio, saying, give yourself the end you wanted, even if it’s not the one we all imagined. They see a cabin, and Shari says, maybe there’s beer and pretzels in there. He asks if she’s serious, and she says, it’s the one thing they said they’d do when they found each other, and they haven’t done it yet. If this is the end, it’s how she wants to go out; just them. A title says: Enjoy the view, a-hole. They go to the cabin, and Dwight says, maybe it’s not just them. They go inside, and Dwight checks the kitchen, while Shari looks at a photo of a couple with a baby. She goes out to the backyard, and Dwight joins her. He says he couldn’t find pretzels, but he found these bad boys, handing her a beer. He says, they’re warm, but they’ll do the trick. They drink, and Shari wonders why they didn’t do this sooner. They  found each other, after everything. That doesn’t just happen, but she couldn’t get past the past. She wasted so much time being pissed off; trying to fight the bad guys, but the bad guys always win. They’ve seen that every time, and nothing she did was going to change that. She cries, and says, all it did was cost her time with him. He takes her beer, and puts it with his on the porch, and holds her. He says, everything she did, everything she’s done, she has nothing to be sorry for. He kisses her, and says they still have this life, even if it’s just for now. The woman and man from the photo come out, the man holding a gun, and Dwight says, they don’t want any trouble. They thought the cabin was empty. Shari says, they’ll get out if they know a place where they can hole up. The man says they had a place, but they took it. Dwight asks what he’s talking about, and the man says, a storm cellar. They were about to go down, when two jackasses showed up, and forced them up. Dwight asks who they were, and the woman says, they didn’t introduce themselves. They just ranted about, the end is the beginning. A little girl comes out, and we assume she’s the baby from the photo. The woman says, just give them their house back, and Dwight asks where the cellar is. He’ll get it back for them. The woman asks, how? and Dwight asks if they have any rope.  

Dwight ties one end of a rope to the horse, and the other to the cellar door handle. He slaps the horse’s flank to get it moving, and it runs, pulling the door off. Two guys come out shooting. Shari shoots one, killing him, and shoots the other, who falls, but gets up and runs. Dwight shoots him in the back, and he crawls. They all run over to him, and Dwight turns him over. The guy says, do it, and Dwight says he looks scared. A zombie is heading their way, and the guy says, please, but Dwight says, no. He doesn’t think so. He’s going to do for the guy what the guy tried to do for the family there. Give him a front row seat to the sh*t show they brought on them. Someone shoots the zombie, and Shari shoots the guy in the knee, calling him an a-hole. As they walk to the cellar, Dwight tells Shari, maybe they’re both right, and the bad guys don’t always win. They go to the cellar door, and see the missile divide. They rush inside.   

Driving with Dakota, Teddy hears Morgan on the radio, saying he’s still going to try and stop what Teddy started, but he’s not sure it’s possible. Dakota snaps the radio off, startling Teddy. She says she’s sorry she saved Morgan. She’s the only reason Morgan is alive. If he’d died at the gulch, there would have been no one stopping the missiles. Teddy says he’s glad it went the way it did. Otherwise, he never would have met her. Dakota asks if he means it, and he says she gets him. All those others, hanging on his every word, doing what he tells them, not a single one understood what he was doing the way she does.

A title says: You have nothing to be sorry about. Teddy and Dakota stand at a viewing station, and look out. He says, it’s almost time. Look at it. Here they are with a front row seat. Dakota says Teddy told her that she got him. He was the first person who didn’t look at her like she had something wrong with her, and try to make her change. He takes her hand, and says, imagine if they’d found each other sooner. John comes up behind them, and tells Teddy, step away from the girl. Teddy asks if John is spending his last moments before he turns to mulch, putting him down. John says he’s there for Dakota. He’s not fixing to hurt her; he just wants to say something. Dakota says, he’ll try to make her change her mind, and John says, she can still make her life mean something. She just has to believe people are better than she thinks they are. She says that’s how John Jr. ended up with a bullet in him, and John says, even though he walked out on his son, John Jr. still found it in himself to forgive him years later. She asks what he’s going to do with her, and he says, forgive her for killing John; for taking her son’s life. Teddy tells Dakota not to listen to him. She has nothing to be sorry about. She asks if he means that, and he says he does. John puts his gun down, and Teddy raises his, but it’s shot out of his hand. June walks up, saying, John didn’t come alone, and John says she’s a better shot than he is. Dakota asks why they’re there, and June says she forgives Dakota too. It’s not too late, even if Dakota believes it is. As long as you’re alive, it’s not too late. Dakota asks, if June believes that, why did she kill Virginia? and June says, when she lost John, she lost what she believed, but she found it again. So can Dakota. John steps on something hard, and says, what the hell is under there? He brushes aside the grass, and sees a camouflaged trap door. It opens to a ladder going down into a tunnel. He says he thought Teddy was the end. It looks like he plans on sticking around. His talk about the beginning was just hot air to get his lambs to march to slaughter. June says John isn’t lying to Dakota. Teddy is here to do what he believes. Dakota asks, what the hell is this? and Teddy tells her they’re going to shoot off the rest of the missiles. When he dust clears, he can finish what he started. Dakota says, he didn’t mean it about her understanding him, but Teddy insists he did. She says, then why didn’t he tell her? He says he couldn’t risk anyone else finding out. He wanted it to be about her and him. Why else would he bring her? John says, he needs two people to launch a missile; only one can’t turn both keys. He doesn’t care about Dakota. He just needs her. Dakota says, he’s her family, and doesn’t want her to be something she’s not. Teddy says, John abandoned his son, and June tells Dakota that she has a chance to survive; it’s a sign there are second chances. They see the missile divide, and John says, it’s starting soon. Dakota can die being who she is, or go with them. She says, and pretend to be someone she’s not. He says, it’s her choice. She points the gun, but seems unsure, and points it at Teddy.

Riding down the road on a horse, Victor hears Morgan over the radio, saying the missile is going to reenter the atmosphere, and it has multiple warheads. A title says: Which man are you? He goes into a building fighting his way through zombies inside. He tries a door, but it’s locked. A zombie gets him up close and personal, but he stabs it in the head, and runs into a stairwell. He goes up to an empty floor, and asks if anybody is there. He sees dead people, but not like that kid in Sixth Sense. They lie all over on the floor. He looks out to the parking lot, and at the crowd of zombies wandering around. He yells at the top of his lungs, and sits on the floor. He hears something in the distance, and follows the sound. He opens a door and hears a recording of a man singing the blues. He walks into a humongous room where a lot of art is being stored. He hears a gun click behind him, and a man asks how he got past the dead he let in. Hand over his gun, and start talking. Victor turns around, and says, he didn’t see it? and the man says, it was hard to miss. Is it hitting there? Victor says, it’s hitting everywhere. The man asks how Victor knows, and Victor says, he was there. Unless the man has someplace to shelter, there’s nothing more he can do. The man says he guesses that’s the ballgame, puts his gun down, and asks if Victor likes bourbon. It’s from a distillery in Texas. It used to be in Texas anyway. He asks Victor to turn the record over. He says, it’s “Lemon Blind” Jefferson. He mostly played around Dallas in 1926 to ’29. Victor says he knows his history, and the man says he hopes so. He’s a historian, or he used to be. He was a teacher before the world did what it did. Victor puts the needle on the record, and asks if that’s where all of this came from. The man says, it came after. From museums, city halls… The flag is from the Alamo. He figured somebody should try to preserve history. Victor sees a medal around the man’s neck, and asks if he’s a religious man. He says, no; his wife was. She said it would protect him. So much for that. (I dunno about that; he’s still alive.) Victor says he gave one just like it to someone, a dear friend. The man asks what Victor was trying to protect them from, and Victor says, it’s complicated. The man says, now’s not the time to be cryptic, and asks Victor, who is he? What is he doing up there? What happened out there? Victor says they were trying to build a future, while the ones they were up against were trying to end it. He was trying to stop it. He should have stopped it. The man asks why he didn’t, and Victor says, it came down to two men. They had to give their lives to save everyone, and when push came to shove, one couldn’t. The man asks, why not? and Victor says, he wanted to survive. He wanted the tales of glory for himself, and consigned everyone to be destroyed trying to circumvent death. The man asks, which one was he? and Victor says, he was the one who ready to die. The man asks why he’s there. Why isn’t he with the rest of them? Victor says, something led him there, This must be the ending he deserved, or thought he did. They hear the warheads, and see one coming down in the distance. The man says he wishes they’d met sooner, and introduces himself as Howard. Victor says, he’s Morgan. Morgan Jones.   

Grace watches the missile, and hears Morgan on the radio, telling everyone to make it mean something, and give themselves the end they want. She throws the radio, and rages a little. A title says: I can hear her. She looks into the submarine, and says she knows the ending she wants. She goes down the ladder. Morgan is cursing his life at the controls, when she comes in. He tells her that he said he’d keep trying. He’s got to make it happen. She says he can’t make stop, but he says, it’s not over. She says, they don’t know where the missiles hit, but it’s close enough. Even if they survive, with the radiation and fallout, the won’t want to live in this world. She’s seen what it does. It will be worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dying from radiation is extremely long and painful, and there will be no escaping it. He takes her hand, and she says she’s not watching it happen again; not to someone else she loves. That’s the problem with her. Don’t tell her it’s not too late. Morgan kisses her, and tells he that he loves her. She says she knows, and puts her gun on the desk. She says, please don’t make her watch it again, and he says, he thought he’d die in the gulch, but there was a reason he kept breathing. It was her. He wanted to take care of her, to build something for Athena. She says, it’s not going to happen. She’s sorry, but neither one of them were meant to be there. He says he’s sorry; he truly is. He’s sorry for them, and for what could have been. He actually let himself believe he could have a family again, be a husband… be a father. She says he can be, just not there. When Athena was born Grace wished so long to hear her cry, but it never came. She needs to hear her baby cry. They hear something outside, and Grace says, it’s the warheads separating. He picks up the gun, and says he’s sorry it has to end this way, but she says, it’s for the best. They hug, and put their foreheads together. He puts the gun against the back of his own head. We hear a baby cry, and Grace says, I can hear her. Morgan says, he can too, and they realize it’s a real baby, not Athena in their heads.  

Outside, Rufus barks. He’s leading Rachel, who’s now a zombie. Morgan says, Rachel, and Grace grabs the dog. Morgan hesitates for a moment, but then stabs Rachel through the head with his pokey stick. He catches her as she falls, and takes Baby Morgan out of her backpack. I have literally never seen a head of hair like this on a baby this young; it’s amazing. Morgan laughs, and Grace hugs the dog. He says, it feels like a gift from Athena.

Wes and Sarah get out of the truck, followed by the others. Wes asks if Daniel is sure he had the right coordinates. Charlie says, there’s nobody here, and Daniel says he’s sorry. Sarah says, maybe Wen will be okay, and Riley says, he told them, there’s no escaping. Daniel grabs him, pulls him out of the truck, and throws him on the ground. He’s either knocked out or dead, and Wes goes through his pockets. Charlie looks up, and is the first to see the helicopter headed their way. Sarah says, sh*t in a sandbox, and Luci says, Daniel was right; she knew it. The helicopter lands, and they run to it. Sarah wonders who the hell it is, and the person on the passenger side says she’s glad they got the coordinates. Don’t ask the pilot any questions. The less they know, the better. She’s wearing a facemask, but we assume it’s Al. I also assume the pilot is Isabelle.

Dakota aims her gun at John again, and June says, please, but Dakota says she doesn’t have to change for anyone.  John asks if he ever told June about the St. Louis Barnraiser, and she nods. He shoots in the air, and Dakota shoots at him, getting him in the arm, as June shoots the gun out of her hand. June and John go down into the tunnel, leaving Dakota and Teddy behind. Dakota asks if Teddy ever really gave a sh*t, or did he just need her to turn the key? He doesn’t say anything, and she shoots him, saying, that’s what she thought. She shoots him again in the head, and tells him, he said she should never change, and she’s not. Now, he never gets to see his ending.

Victor and Howard go to the window, and watch the warheads come down.

Dakota looks out, everything goes white. She’s been burned to a crisp, and I laugh.   

John and June duck, and everything blows apart.

Dwight, Shari, and the family huddle together in the root cellar. They hear the door banging, but it suddenly stops.

Luci says, if they stick together, they’ll be fine. The helicopter takes off, and we see Wes has painted, This Isn’t The End on the road; the word End on Riley’s back. Riley gets up and walks away, as a mushroom cloud rises in the distance.   

Everything is blowing up everywhere. Grace sees a dust cloud coming , and Morgan says, go! They run, Morgan holding the baby, and Rufus gets in a truck. As usual, the dog is my main concern. Morgan and Grace go under a car with Baby Morgan, and it looks like that move The Day After.   

Victor grits his teeth and closes his eyes, but then it’s over. He and Howard they see mushroom cloud. Victor laughs, and Howard asks why he’s laughing. Victor says, because he’s alive. After everything he did, he’s still there. Howard says, everything he did? and Victor says he’s not the man he told Howard he was. He’s the other one. He’s not Morgan Jones; he’s Victor Strand. He’s a man who’s thrown other men to the wolves when it was necessary. He’s not afraid to the cut the cord when he’s had to. He’s a hustler and a backroom dealer, and he’s cheated if the opportunity presented itself. Howard asks, why? and Victor says, survival. He’s done it all his life. Despite the critics, he’s still there. He came from nothing, but he knows how to survive. He’s had to rebuild himself from the ground up, over and over again. They have a great future behind them. They can take that future and rebuild, with art, and books, and music, and good bourbon. It feels like the dawning of a new day to him. They look at the cloud, and Victor asks, how about Howard?  

Grace coughs, and she and Morgan come out with the baby. They see a zombie going by, the back of him smoking (dubbed Backdraft Zombie by Talking Dead). Morgan waits for it to approach, and stabs it in the throat. They hear some popping sounds, and Morgan looks at Grace, and then Baby Morgan.

No preview, since this was the finale.

⚰️ So I’m thinking about this episode as I’m editing and listening to Talking Dead, where they’re talking about FWD having a new reality for its characters due to the bombings. And I thought, but wait, doesn’t this mean they’ll have to do the same for Walking Dead, and whatever other shows are connected to it in the same timeline or after?

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-6-finale-explosive-ending-impacts-walking-dead-universe-crm-helicopter/

💣 Victor’s Villainy…

I never thought of villains as necessarily being queer, but hey, why not?

https://ew.com/tv/colman-domingo-fear-the-walking-dead-zola-pride/

🧛🏼 Speaking Of Queer…

A wonderful list of horror films. This article also contains one of my favorite horror film titles of all time, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-a-Rama. I’ve never actually seen it, but I have seen Tammy and the T-Rex, also on the list. It was… interesting.

Queer Fear: A Viewer’s Guide to Shudder’s 2021 Queer Horror Collection

📽 It’s Coming…

The latest on American Horror Story.

https://www.ihorror.com/american-horror-story-announces-official-season-10-title/
‘American Horror Story’s’ New Season and Its Spin-Off Gets Premiere Dates

🐎 Country Wins…

Everything you ever wanted to know about this year’s CMT Awards, including the fashions of course.

https://www.cmt.com/cmt-music-awards

⛸ Skating…

Finally, my dog saw the vet, after screaming, crying, and stamping my feet to get an appointment that wasn’t three weeks from now. Slight exaggeration, but I was persistent. His health issues were dealt with, so hopefully, I’m back on track now. Until we meet for soap and a sail, stay safe, stay resilient, and stay being a survivor, but without throwing anyone to the wolves like Victor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX3mxjtpyBc