What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Victor is having his portrait painted. In a voiceover, he tells us that Oscar Wilde said every portrait painted with feeling, is a portrait of what the artist sees, not the sitter. He wants a portrait of him, not what the artist sees; who he is, what he’s built. He wants what he sees painted. Artist Juliana, says, yes, sir, but he says, it’s Victor. Howard comes in, and says, it’s early for scotch, but Victor says, a thousand years from now, no one will question what time he drank. Howard tells him, if this place is going to see a thousand years from now, they have to populate the tower.

Howard brings in the callbox phone, and Victor picks it up, asking, how did you find this place? A man says his name is Arnold, and he’s a carpenter, but Victor says he just admitted someone with Arnold’s skillset, and hangs up. He picks up the phone again, and asks how they’ve survived. A woman says she was training with some medics, and helped a few folks along the way, and Victor hangs up. He asks Juliana how long it’s going to take, and she says, a few more sittings. Victor answers the phone, and asks where they were before this, and how they’ve survived. He barely listens, and hangs up. He tells the next one, they’re not what he’s looking for, and another, he just admitted someone with their skillset. He’ll have to turn them away. He tells Howard, don’t say it, but Howard says, he’s rejected everyone. He should at least meet them face-to-face. Victor says, they can’t give entry to every Tom, Dick, and Arnold. Howard says, some of them had skills they could use, and Victor says, he took that into consideration, but he can look at a person, and tell who they are; see what others don’t. Listening to his instincts got him this far. They didn’t need them.

Howard comes in, and Victor tells him, tell whoever it is to come back another day, but Howard says he’ll want to see this one for himself. Up on the roof, Victor looks through the binoculars, and sees Morgan holding Mo. Howard says, told him, and Victor gets on the phone, asking, to what does he owe the pleasure? Morgan tells him, he knows what Victor said before and what he said, but he needs Victor’s help. Something is wrong with Mo, and she needs to see June. Victor asks why he would let Morgan do that, and Morgan says, they’re not asking to stay, and this little girl has nothing to do with what went on between them, so please… Victor hands Howard the phone, and says, tell him to take a hike. Howard says, Morgan heard him.

Victor asks Juliana if it’s finished, and she says, she’ll put glaze on it when it’s dry, but for now. He says, let him see it, and she turns the painting around, asking if he likes it. He looks at himself for a long time.

On the roof with the painting, Juliana says she’ll fix whatever it is, but Victor flings the painting off the roof. She asks what he’s doing, and he says she should be glad it’s not her. Howard asks, what’s going on? and Victor says, she doesn’t see him; no one does. Howard says he doesn’t understand, and Victor says, no one does; that’s the problem. Howard says, why? and Victor says, Howard heard him The zombies walk all over Victor’s portrait.

Morgan looks at the Wall of the Dead, and Victor says, none of them are theirs. Morgan says, it was Victor’s idea? and Victor says, people have a right to know who’s out there. Morgan says, Charlie, Luciana, Jacob, Wes, and Daniel – they found them. Victor tells him, Wendall is there, June and Mr. Dorie. Things are not so bad, all things considered. Morgan says, Alicia? but Victor says he doesn’t know. Morgan asks why Victor let him in, but Victor says he’s the one asking questions. Why did Morgan come back? Morgan says, he had no choice. That’s his baby. Howard tells Victor, June is ready.

June is talking to Mo, when Morgan comes in. She hugs him, and says, he’s all right. He says he heard her message, and tried to get to the bunker, but Victor says, she would have died by the time Morgan got there. June says, he doesn’t know that, and Morgan asks if Mr. Dorie (aka JD) is okay. She says, he’s managing, and Victor says, he thinks Morgan is trying to ascertain whether or not June likes it there. She says, it’s certainly better than out there. She has medicine and supplies, and she’s able to help people. Howard asks for a word with Victor, and tells him that JD detected movement near the tower. Victor and Howard leave, and Morgan says June is still limited with what she can do. How different is Victor’s offer from the one Virginia gave her? She asks if he has something better, and he says, maybe. She asks, what? and he says he’s working on it. She says, so is she. John died because he ran. Virginia wasn’t playing games, and she’s not making the same mistake. Victor comes back, and asks if they have a diagnosis, and June says, Mo has a double ear infection. If it had been left untreated, it could have resulted in hearing loss. They should keep her for observation until they know the antibiotics are working. Victor asks, how long? and she says, 36-48 hours. Victor says, it looks like Morgan’s baby earned him a holiday. Can he offer Morgan a drink?

Victor pours drinks for Morgan and himself, and Morgan says, he’s not going to lie; it’s impressive. Victor says, it’s more than that. It’s a miracle, an oasis in the middle of the blast. They have clean air and clean water, everything to keep the nasty stuff from outside away. Morgan suggests they cut the sh*t. Victor didn’t bring him in there to rub his achievements in Morgan’s face. Victor says, he was already doing that while Morgan was out there. There’s something he needs Morgan to do for him; something he can’t do. Morgan says, what? and Victor says he’s not sure he can trust Morgan yet. Morgan says, Victor can’t expect him to make a deal he doesn’t know the terms of, but Victor says, it’s not a negotiation. He sits down, gun in hand, and says, doing what he asks, is the only way Morgan will see his little girl again. He smiles, and asks, shall we drink to our new deal? He raises his glass, and Morgan says, all right. They clink glasses, and suddenly, a zombie slams against the window, then slides down, leaving a trail of blood. They look out, and zombies are being catapulted toward the tower. One comes crashing through, and Victor shoves him back out. There are explosions below, and smoke is everywhere. Morgan asks if Victor is okay, and Victor asks if Morgan is. Morgan says, yeah, and Howard comes in. He tells Victor, the Stalkers are here, and Victor says, he knows. Howard says, he wants to talk to Victor, and Victor asks, who’s he? They go to the roof, and Victor looks through the binoculars. He sees a guy pick up the phone, and Howard says, he claims they met before. Victor picks up the phone, saying, he’s listening, and the guy says he sees he got Victor’s attention. Victor says, a call would have sufficed, but the guy says, he tried, and it didn’t work. Victor doesn’t recognize his voice? It’s Arnold. Victor says, he knew it. His instincts were right. He’s not changing his mind. Arnold says he doesn’t know about that. At the very least, they can destroy the tower. Victor asks what he wants, and Arnold says, the same thing as before. he and his people want a place to call home. Victor says, not going to happen, not here, not now, but Arnold says, this might change his mind. They found a warhead that was a dud, but it killed anyone who touched it, including those who put pieces of it on the dead. Victor sees a truck full zombies, and asks if those were contaminated walkers who were launched. Arnold says, no, but the next ones will be. It will make the place uninhabitable, and Morgan says he’s seen them out there. Victor says he didn’t ask anyone’s opinion. If they want this place, they won’t destroy it. Arnold says, he has one hour, and Victor tells them, get John Dorie ASAP. Morgan asks for the radio, saying, he has people in range, and they’ll be there. Victor asks how he knows Morgan isn’t working for these masked a-holes, but Morgan says, Victor has Mo. Does he think Morgan would launch explosives? Trust him. Victor says, he can’t. He needs an update from JD. Victor suddenly clutches his throat, and Morgan asks if he’s okay. Victor can’t breathe, and tells Howard to get June.  

Victor wakes up inside, and June is there. He asks how long he was out, and June says, ten minutes. Howard says, they haven’t fired any more dead, and Victor asks, how much damage? Howard says, mostly the lower stories, but there are no casualties that they know of. They haven’t cleared the tunnels, so they can’t leave. Victor doesn’t think it’s a coincidence; they poisoned him. He knows it. June says she’ll get an IV, and Victor asks if JD is on the roof. Howard gets JD on the radio, and JD says, he’s got them in his sites. If he fires, he’ll blow up the whole lot, Unless they want the tower to be extra crispy, he suggests they hold off, and Victor asks how long they have. Howard says, 47 minutes, and Victor says, tell them to hold off. Tell JD, if they launch anything, drop whoever he can before it hits the building. Howard tells JD, stand by and stay locked. Morgan says he can take care of it if Victor lets him radio Grace, and Victor asks what Morgan is doing here. Morgan tells him not to let what’s gone on between them stop Victor from taking help. There are lives at stake; his daughter’s life. Let him help. Victor says, get him out of here, but Morgan says he just wants to help. Howard says, there are no radios; everything there is hard wired. Morgan asks if that’s why they stripped the submarine, and Victor says, unlike Morgan, they don’t broadcast things. Morgan says, they must have walkies, and Howard says, in the armory. Morgan asks where it is, and Victor says, Morgan doesn’t get to ask questions as if he’s in charge. Morgan says he’s just asking if he can relay a message, and Victor begins to breathe heavy.

Howard radios Ollie, and realizes the line has been severed. Victor says, they have to find another way to stop these a-holes. Zombies are launched at the third and fourth floors, and Victor says he was told an hour. Fires break out, things blow up, and the lights go out. JD says, they’re early, and Howard answers the phone. He tells Victor that Wen says Arnold is on the callbox, and Victor says, patch him through. He yells for them to get the artifacts away from the windows. He gets on the callbox phone, and tells Arnold, he said no more surprises for an hour. Arnold says, their scope was glinting. It was just a warning to make sure Victor doesn’t try anything funny. Victor asks, were the dead clean? and Arnold says, the next won’t be. He suggests they leave the roof. June says, there are probably injured on the lower floors, but Victor says, no one leaves until they know what they’re dealing with. Morgan says he knows how to deal with it, and Victor hobbles to a basin and throws up. June says, Victor was right. He was given methylene blue. Victor says, someone put it in his food. What will it do to him? She says, it depends on how much he ingested and when, and Victor asks if it will kill him, but she says she doesn’t know.

JD says he can figure out a deal. He’s had a lot of experience talking people down from doing crazy things. Howard asks how that worked with Teddy. Only Victor represents the tower. Victor says, question everyone, and JD says he’s not sure this is the time, but Victor says, do it. He needs to get to the armory, and radio Grace for assistance. Morgan is surprised, and Victor says he’s doing what’s best for the tower. He’s not the selfish a-hole they make him out to be. He’ll do it himself. Howard says they don’t know if the stairwells are intact, and JD says, there could be fires, dead, but Victor says he’s doing it himself, drawing his sword to make his point. He says, someone in the tower poisoned him, and Howard says, he’s been there since the beginning, but Victor says, that doesn’t mean anything. He can’t trust anyone until he’s figured it out. JD says, those people tried kill him, and June too, but Victor says he doesn’t know that. June has access to the medicine; JD won’t interrogate anyone; and Wen is angry because Victor turned his sister away. Wen says, she was here? and Morgan says, she didn’t want him to know. Wen asks why Victor would do that, and Victor says, for the same reason he turns anyone away. He was trusting himself; what he’s doing now. June says he’s not going to make it, and Victor says, she’s right. That’s why Morgan is coming with him. Howard reminds him that he said he didn’t trust Morgan, and Victor says, he does, as long as he has Mo. Hand her over. Morgan says, not a chance, but one of Victor’s people holds a gun on him. Mo cries, and Morgan says, okay, giving Mo to Victor. He says, if Victor hurts her… and Victor says, he knows, so don’t give him a reason to. Howard says, they have 35 minutes. They leave, and we hear the clock ticking.

Victor and Morgan come to a large shaft that goes down several floors. There are random zombies sticking their hands out from the walls. Morgan says, they were trying to take shelter from the first blast. He asks if Mo is still asleep; June said the medicine might knock her out. He thinks Victor doesn’t know what he’s doing; being sick has made him see ghosts where there ain’t any. Victor says, if Morgan did that to him, he’ll do everything he can to take him out, but Morgan says, he’s not Victor. He tells Victor, he’s not lowering the three of them down, and Victor says, then they all die. 29 minutes. Let him go. Morgan tells him, stay with her. He’s not going anywhere without her. He asks where the opening is, and Victor says, it’s in the basement service corridor. Morgan tells him, take care of her. If anything happens to her, he’ll do worse to Victor than they will out there. Victor says, agreed.

Morgan swings on a rope past the dead’s outstretched, grasping arms, lowering himself down. Victor tells Mo, he’s not her papa; he’s Victor Strand, her temporary guardian. Morgan swings past more dead and into a window. Victor tells Mo about the tower, and how he and Morgan both tried to save the things they loved. Morgan says he’s down, and it looks intact. Mo cries, and Morgan calls to Victor. Victor says, he’s up here, and Morgan asks if he’s okay. Victor says, he’s fine and dandy, but Morgan says, lower her down. If something happens, and he turns… He’s not moving until Mo is in his arms. Victor says, don’t move, and they all die. He doesn’t think Morgan will let that happen. Morgan says, pass her down, and Victor tells Mo that everyone is interested in her. His father barely looked at him. She should enjoy it now. Morgan asks if Victor wants to save this place or not, and Victor says he’s doing it. Morgan tells Victor, keep talking to him, and Victor asks, what is Morgan? His therapist? He tells Mo that she’s going for a little ride. Her papa is down there. Morgan asks why Victor let him in, but Victor says, it doesn’t matter. Morgan says, don’t tell him that, and Victor carefully lowers Mo down, making me a nervous wreck. Morgan says, maybe Victor can find a way to trust him, but Victor says, that’s how you lose. He only trusts people if has a reason. Morgan grabs the baby, and we all breathe a sigh of relief. Victor says, Morgan’s not coming back, is he? and Morgan tells Mo that it’s going be over soon. Sweating bullets, Victor says, Alicia, and Morgan says Victor told him that he didn’t know where she was. Victor says, he doesn’t know, but if she’s alive, he wants Morgan to find her. Morgan asks why Victor doesn’t look, and Victor says he doesn’t think Alicia would like it if he found her, but she’d go with Morgan. Morgan promises to be back, and Victor puts his head in his hands.

June gives Victor a shot, and tells him to relax; he’s very dehydrated. Victor asks if they’re gone, and Morgan says, all he did was get the walkie. Grace and Sarah did the rest, and Victor has them to thank. June says she can’t stay; she has to help injured. She thinks most of it is out of Victor’s system. Morgan says, he’ll bring Victor up when he’s strong enough to walk, and Victor thanks June. She tells him, don’t ever use her medical skills again to help him get what he wants, and leaves. He asks Morgan, how the child is, and Morgan says, fine. She’s with JD. Victor says, Morgan brought him to June, when he could have kicked him over the edge. Morgan says, it crossed his mind, and Victor asks, why didn’t he? Morgan tells him, what he said about Alicia. If he’d done that, she wouldn’t want either one of them to find her. Victor says, he did what needed to get done, but it still wasn’t enough, and Morgan says, they’ll find her, but Victor will have to make it the kind of place she’ll want to live in. Victor asks what he means, and Morgan says, a lot of people need a place like this; people Victor knows. Victor says, what if Morgan doesn’t find her? and Morgan asks what Victor’s gut tells him, and Victor says, he thinks Morgan will; they will. Morgan holds out his hand to help Victor up, and Victor sees blue under Morgan’s thumb nail. He flashes on Morgan putting the drug in his drink, and says, it was him. Was his baby even sick? He tries to fight with Morgan, but Morgan gets him down, Morgan says, he’d never put everyone’s life in danger, but Victor says, Morgan was working with them. Morgan says he stopped them, and Victor says, Morgan tried to kill him. Morgan says, Victor gave him no choice. Howard comes up behind Morgan, and tells him, stand up and back away. Victor says, take him to the roof.

Victor says he should never let Morgan in, as he pushes Morgan halfway off the roof, and over the zombie crowd. The callbox phone rings, and Victor tells Howard to answer it. It’s Grace, and Victor says, she shouldn’t watch this, but she says, he needs her help. He says he already got it, but she says, some walkers got loose who were exposed to the warhead. She thinks they joined the others around the building. Victor says he knows what she’s doing, and it’s not going to work, but she says, if they go off, he knows what happens. Even if they don’t, they’ll be leaking what’s inside for months. He asks what her play is, and she says, she’ll find them, and help remove them. He says, for what? and she says, Morgan’s life, and her daughter’s. Victor asks Howard if he thinks she’s telling the truth, and Howard looks at the smoking mess left behind. He says he thinks so, and Victor says, if she’ll help him, he’ll let her come in, but she has to live by the same rules, and doesn’t get to leave. Morgan says, don’t do it, and Victor says, shut up. He asks if they have a deal, and Grace says, yes. Victor says, it’s a deal, and Morgan says, let him talk to her. Victor says, the deal is struck; do as you please. He hands Morgan the phone, and Morgan says, she didn’t have to do that. She says she knows, but she wanted to; for him, for her, for their family. He says he’ll find his way back to her, and Victor hangs up the phone, saying, no, he won’t, but he’s got nothing to worry about. He’ll give her everything Morgan couldn’t; food, shelter, and security. Show Mr. Jones the exit. He tells Howard, get some lunch, and retrieve his painting.

Howard tells Victor, Grace says she can find the irradiated dead if she has access to the equipment. Victor asks if they have what she requires, and Howard says, some of it. He asks if everything is okay, and Victor says, he was wrong. He didn’t see what Morgan was up to. Howard says, from everything Victor told him, he doesn’t see how he could have. Does Victor want him to have Juliana come and clean the portrait up? Victor says, no. He likes it like this. This is the way people need to see him. Howard asks if Victor is sure everything all aright, and Victor says, he was wrong about Morgan. Who else has he been wrong about? Howard tell him not to let Morgan make him second guess himself, and Victor tells Howard to bring him the baby. He wants to spend time with her. Howard says he didn’t know Victor liked children, and Victor says she’s got to get used to her new father some time. Howard leaves, and we see the painting, now all ripped and messed up, with blood on it. Victor admires it.

Morgan walks in the dark, looking like a nomad, in a hood and holding his embellished pokey stick. He stops, and says he knows someone is there. Show yourself. He’s not in the mood for this. A few masked people come out of the darkness, and Dwight and Sherry ride up. Morgan says, they’re alive, and Sherry says, so is he. Morgan asks if they’re traveling with the Stalkers. If they are, there are things they ought to know. Dwight says Morgan doesn’t know the half of it.

They go to a camp, and Dwight says, the wind is in the right direction. They can take their masks off. Morgan asks how long Dwight and Sherry have been running with them, and Sherry says, a couple weeks. It’s getting rough out there. Morgan says he knows; what are they doing here? Sherry says their leader wants to talk to him, and Morgan says, show him where he is. Sherry says, he means where she is. I say, I think it’s Alicia.

A woman in Stalker garb comes out of a tent, and Morgan says, he just told her people, he doesn’t want any trouble. The woman says she didn’t bring him there to cause trouble, and takes off her mask. I was right, and Alicia and Morgan hug. She tells him that he looks like sh*t, and he says, to be honest, he feels like sh*t. They thought they lost her. She says she was safely underground while the rest of the world burned, and he says he doesn’t get this. They’re the ones who attacked the tower? She says, those aren’t her people. Not anymore. He asks what’s going on? What is this about? She says, these people are tired, hungry, and getting desperate, and Morgan says, so are they. He doesn’t know how much he can give her. She says, there is. That’s why she asked Dwight and Sherry to find him. Someone yells, all hands! and we see zombies headed for the camp. Alicia says, it looks like Morgan picked up a few strays.

Morgan takes a better look, and says, don’t shoot! but it’s too late. They shoot at the zombies, who explode. Morgan looks up, and says, everybody run now!

Next time – the mid-season (I think that’s what we’re calling it) finale – Alicia tells Morgan why she needs him, the P.A.D.R.E. file is found, and Dwight tells Morgan it’s time to go to work.

The Walking Dead World Beyond

When we last left, Jadis told the soldiers to eliminate some to traumatize the many.

Leo and the others who were hiding, detonated some bombs around the CRM compound, each of them blowing one off. I guess it’s so they would all be accountable, like in Murder on the Orient Express. Felix said there was no going back now, like there had been any going back before. Jadis tried find out what going on, and wondered where they’d gotten explosives. Leo radioed Jadis, who scolded him, saying, the soldiers might mean nothing to him, but they’d dedicated their lives to the future. He’d put everyone in jeopardy. Leo said that one was just for show, and they were willing to escalate. She told him that he’d crossed a line. Leo said they were done with the CRM, and they were leaving today, all of them. Jadis said he wasn’t in a position to bargain, and he told her they had Mason. Hope begged, and mason reluctantly got on the radio, and told Jadis to please get him out of there. Jadis asked what Leo wanted, and he said, two transport trucks with full tanks of gas, and no tricks. Jadis asked if he was willing to throw away an entire species. Leo said they were murderers, but he and the others would eventually save everyone, even them. She said he wouldn’t find safety and security out there. There would be no progress, only death and the dead. He said they had thirty minutes, and she congratulated him on roping a bunch of smart people into a suicide mission. Jadis then scolded Huck, saying, Huck’s mission had been to make sure Hope understood. Huck said it wasn’t her fault the CRM killed people and Hope found out.

Silas tended to Dennis, saying, Dennis didn’t deserve a bullet wound for helping him out. Dennis said, sometimes helping hurts like hell. Silas asked if Dennis wanted him to radio Huck, but Dennis didn’t want to risk blowing her cover. He was sorry for what Huck had done to Silas, but Silas said she’d been saving the world. Elton came back, and said he couldn’t find antibiotics, but found some vodka. Dennis poured the vodka on his wound, and told Silas to hold him down while Elton took out the bullet. Elton took a swig from the bottle, and Dennis told him to get a good grip before he pulled it out. It was painful to watch, but Elton was successful. Dennis told him, nice work, and told Silas, stick to the plan, and find his friends.

Felix checked the trucks out, and the lieutenant whose name I still don’t know (and pretty soon, it won’t matter) said, if it was up to him, he’d put a bullet in Felix’s head, but not while they had Mason. Felix told him to have the trucks backed up, and when he saw the lieutenant again, he’d kill him. Felix went back to Leo, who said the CRM thought they were all leaving, but as long as they had Mason, the CRM wouldn’t try anything. Felix, Percy, Iris, and Hope were staying behind to find the gas the CRM was going to use on Portland. Iris said, if it worked, they’d be right behind Leo. Mason asked Iris and Hope where they were going that was better than there, and Iris told him that he didn’t know sh*t about the place.

Silas and Elton set off firecrackers on the road as they drove. Silas asked if Elton still had the map to the research place. Elton said he did, and Silas said, they’d be making a stop first. The dead began to block the road behind them. Iris asked if Percy ever thought about what comes next, and he said, as long as he could remember, it had been him and his uncle; finding their own way, making their own luck, and making a sh*tty world a little less sh*tty. Just him and Iris would be nice when it was over. She asked where he wanted to go, and he said he’d always wanted to go to the Getty museum. It wasn’t the Louvre, but they had a good collection. She said they could grow their own crops on the lawn, and I wondered what kind of crops she wanted to grow, since that was just weird.

Felix and Hope snuck around downstairs, and came across some still frozen zombies, which made head stabbing more difficult. Hope had to tangle with zombie Lyla, and ended up slamming her head in a door until there was nothing left. Hope said, f*** this place, and I was like, we can say that on this station now?

Not happy when she saw the trucks, Jadis was even less happy when a soldier said there were 1000 incoming dead. They were minutes away from a full breach. Jadis told her to have a team distract them with charges, and send the others to the western gates. Felix told Hope, Iris, and Percy that the CRM knew they were still there; they were scrapping the plan. Hope asked if they were giving up on Portland, and Felix said, the gas had been moved and they didn’t have time. He radioed the others about the change in plans, and Iris asked Mason – who they had left behind, tied up where he was – where the gas was. He said he didn’t have anything to do with that, and if they’d done what she was saying, it was for a reason. Percy said he thought Mason was telling the truth. Felix said they were leaving now. Huck volunteered to help with the dead breach, but Jadis told her to stay there. Huck has a perpetually worried look, so it’s hard to tell if she really is.

Silas and Elton got to the CRM, and Silas thanked Elton for helping, since he could have gone with the others. Elton said, so much had worked out; this would too. Silas headed for the medical supplies, but was caught by a soldier, who said the friends Silas had been looking for where the ones causing all this grief. He had orders to shoot on sight. Silas said he was there for Dennis, who’d gotten hurt, but the soldier said, sorry; he had orders. Elton came up behind him, cracking him in the head, and told Silas, he’d said it would work out. They snuck into the medical supply room and grabbed antibiotics. There was banging on the door, but they heard the soldier being overpowered by zombies, and blood seeped under the door. Silas didn’t think they’d make it back to the jeep, but Elton looked outside and thought he knew a way.

They got inside the globe sculpture Indira had designed, and rolled over the zombies like that big cheese wheel in Z Nation. Then they conveniently came to a stop right at the edge of the road, and ran. Felix and his group went to the truck, and Jadis radioed her troops, saying, they had them where they wanted them. She told the rest of the soldiers to back off, and Felix said, once they were out, they’d let Mason go, but Jadis said, they’d shown nothing to make her trust them. It was Felix’s group, them, and a giant column of the dead coming. They’d see who blinked first.

Jadis said they were in a no win situation, and Felix said if they tried anything, he’d kill Mason. Then they’d be out of luck. Jadis said, so would they. Without Mason, there was nothing to stop them. They blamed the CRM for the outcome of their own actions. She asked if they were pleased with the result, and Iris said, they’d had no choice. The CRM covered up a genocide. Jadis said, it was the only world Iris knew, and she was too young to appreciate what had been lost. Iris said, they’d murdered a hundred thousand people, but Jadis said, they were going to die anyway. The CRM had made hard choices, so the civilians didn’t have to. The Campus Colony, Omaha, and Portland had become a drain on the CRM’s resources. They were too reliant, and would have never become self-sustaining. It was only a matter of time before famine struck. At best, they would have died slowly from starvation, and at worst, disease and conflict would spread to the Civic Republic, the light of the world setting forever. They ended it quickly, so a chance for humanity survived. It was mercy. The greatest minds were sent there to contribute to scientific progress. Their legacy would be stopping the dead from walking. Hope asked why they had a right to decide who lived or died, and Jadis said their work made her existence possible. Huck could see a sniper getting into place, and Jadis went on and on and on. She said they’d be cute if they weren’t so pathetic. A couple of zombies toddled up behind Felix and company, and while they were distracted, Mason head-butted Felix and ran. Everyone went in different directions, and Huck shot some CRM soldier, then told Jadis to drop her weapon.

Percy got shot in the melee, and Iris ran to him. Hope went after Mason, whose hands were still tied. He fell and she said, he did this. She said her and her goddam family did this. Everything would have been okay, and it’s what they deserved. Hope said her sister was right. He was the same as the rest of them, and never gave a sh*t. She got ready to shoot him, but Iris told her not to. Poor Felix was the only one busy shooting at zombies, and Iris told Hope that if she did this to Mason, she’d be doing something to herself all over again. Hope flashed back to shooting Elton’s mother, and dropped the gun. Felix pulled up, and Huck told them to go. Steam was coming out of Jadis’s ears, and she said she guessed Huck’s mother was right. If Huck spared her life, she’d give Huck a five minute head start. She might stand a Mason yelled for help, as the zombies advanced, and I had to laugh. Jadis took off, and Huck shot zombies until she was out of bullets. She grabbed a jeep, and got the hell out of there.  

On the phone with the colonel, Jadis said they were compromised. In a CYA move, she said she wished she’d been brought in sooner to prevent this, but she’d fix it. She thanked them for placing their trust in her. Felix, Iris, and Hope went to the rendezvous point, and radioed Leo, who’d gotten a flat tire about two miles away. He’d sent the others ahead, and could patch the tire, but figured whoever left the spikes wasn’t far behind. Felix said the Hummer would be easy to spot, and went to find Leo on foot, leaving Iris and Hope to wait.

Huck ditched her uniform, and went to find Dennis, who was barely conscious. She asked what happened, and he said he got too friendly with a bullet. Elton and Silas saw Hope and Iris, and there was hugging and tears. Silas asked where Percy was, and Iris started crying. Hope said the gas was probably on its way to Portland, and the CRM had won. They were going to destroy another city, and there wasn’t sh*t they could do about it. They had a group hug, which isn’t too smart in a forest where there are zombies loose.

Huck did her own crying, and looked at her wedding ring, making us assume Dennis had died. She radioed Hope, and said she thought she’d found something. Hope asked where she was, and we saw her in a lot containing tons of storage units with the gas in them.  

Next time – the show finale – Fighting! Zombies! Hope says, it’s not about them; it’s about the future.

🍗 The Food Party’s Over…

News of the Dead on the morrow, along with the usual. Hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving if you celebrated, or the day if you didn’t. Whether you’re starting a new week, ending an old one, or refuse to bow to labeling days, stay safe, stay serene, and stay making a sh*tty world a little less sh*tty.