Tag Archives: horror

Aug27

August 26, 2018 – Morgan Has a Busy Day & a National Day for Dogs

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

The storm continues. Morgan calls for Alicia. He pikes a zombie and checks the cab of a truck, but it’s locked. He opens the back, ready for anything, but nothing comes screeching out. He goes in through the back, and sees the take what you need boxes ready to go. He looks through one and finds a pocket knife. He sits with some water and a protein bar. Best. Protein. Bar. Ever. By the look on his face.

The next day, there’s less of a storm noise, but more of a zombie noise. Morgan cracks open the back door, and a zombie looks in. He kills it, and walks out to a new morning. It looks like the storm has passed. He sees he’s at a truck stop. He bangs on the mini-mart door and cautiously steps inside. He calls, hello, but hears nothing.

Morgan sees coffee pots ready to go, and everything is clean, neat, and well-stocked. He flips the light switch, and lights come on. He hears a woman’s voice over the radio asking, that you papa bear do you copy? Over. Then, do you copy? Over. Morgan answers, hello? She asks who this is, and says he hitched a ride accidentally in the back of a semi, and found himself there She asks which location he’s at. He thinks Mississippi. She tells him to make himself at home. Take what you need, and leave what you don’t. He asks what this place is, but she’s gone.

Morgan goes through the aisles, taking a few things. He looks at a map, and sees how far he is from Virginia. He loads up a thermos with coffee. Next, he checks out the bathroom, which is the first place I’d have gone. He looks in the mirror, and marvels at the faucet, which has running water. There’s real toilet paper, and even a magazine by the toilet. While he’s making use of that, a man tries the door. This would be my luck. Even in the apocalypse, with only a handful of people around, there’s a line for the bathroom. The man tells Morgan to get out. Morgan asks for a minute.

When he opens the door, there’s a man in a wheelchair holding a gun. The man says, all his life, people like Morgan have been using stalls for people like him. He’s never asked the question, but he’s asking now – why? Morgan says it seemed like little apartment. The man says, it is, especially with the sink. Everyone likes it a little homey. He asks Morgan what’s in the bag, and Morgan says someone told him to take it. A woman on the radio. Morgan asks if the man could lower his gun. He says, sure could, and points it lower. Morgan says, take what you need, and leave what you don’t. He thought that’s what it was here for. A woman walks in, and says, it is. She asks Morgan to excuse her brother. He’s a little jumpy. The man is African American, and the woman is Caucasian. Morgan says, brother? and she says they’re twins. Morgan asks what they do there. We find out their names are Wendell and Sarah.

Outside, Sarah tells Morgan that they pack, drive, and deliver. They keep doing what they always did. They’d been living on the fringes, and now all that’s left are the fringes. When the road gets bumpy, just keep going. Wen tells Morgan they have everything there, even satellite TV, if anyone was still broadcasting. Morgan asks if there are more of them, and more places like this, and then says, they don’t have to tell him; it’s not his business. Wen asks where he’s heading, and Morgan says he’s heading back east; Virginia. There’s a place where people are trying to start over; build something better. Sarah says they just saved his ass from a hurricane. The worst she’s ever seen; levees broken, roads washed out. Morgan says he has people back there. Wen says he lost his Nelly, and knows Morgan’s pain. Morgan asks if he can convince Sarah to drive him. Wen says they’re not much without the truck. Morgan says he understands, but he’s going to have to try.

Wen gives him directions, and says if Morgan is lucky, they’re still standing. Morgan says there aren’t a lot of people doing things like this. Wen says people used to look down on them, and told them the boxes wouldn’t do any good, but they have a code. They’re keeping it alive. You gotta help people when they need help, then keep on truckin’.

Morgan drives until there’s a downed tree with a downed zombie under it. He kills the zombie, and looks around. Another zombie is flailing around in quicksand. Morgan sees one of the boxes, looks inside, and smiles. He continues on foot.

He starts to cross a bridge, but it’s out,* and he runs back. He runs for a while, like something is chasing him. He uses the radio to call Wen, asking if he knows which roads are clear. Wendell asks why, and Morgan tells him the bridge is out; he’s coming back. Wen asks, what about his friends? Morgan gets choked up, and repeats the bridge is out, and he’s coming back.

He must be traveling as the crow flies. There’s one pecking at a zombie now.

Wen tells Sarah, half a point. She almost hit that bird. Morgan radios the truck stop, saying he ran into trouble. He asks if there are more places like where they are, but Sarah says they’re the last outpost on the frontier. She calls Morgan MoMo, and says, sorry. She knows helping those people meant a lot.

Morgan drives for a while. He sees a man running across a field, yelling for help. He has a hood over his head, and his hands are bound behind his back. And he’s being chased by five or six zombies. Morgan tells him to hang on. The hooded dude starts smacking into the zombies, and all of them fall. Morgan runs across the field, and pikes them one by one. He tells the guy (we find out later his name is Jim) he’ll be all right, and takes the hood off of him. Jim asks, how long does it take to run across a field? Morgan picks him up, and cuts him free, He tells Morgan that he was kidnapped. Morgan asks what they wanted, and Jim says, recipes. He brews beer – the goddam staff of life. I beg to differ, but it’s good to have a passion.

In the car, Morgan asks if Jim is part of group, or is it just him? Jim says, just him and the brewery; Auggie’s Ale. He grows hops, and whatever he can manage on his roof. Morgan asks who he’s making it for, and Jim asks if Morgan has a point to his life or is he looking for one? Morgan says he’s just trying to get back home. Jim says he’s got something. He’s got the future. They’re going to infest the planet again one day. Everything they lost, they’re going to rebuild. So he makes beer. Does Morgan think he’s nuts? Morgan says, actually, no. He’s going someplace where people are trying to rebuild; in Virginia. He’s meeting some folks who are going to give him a lift. He asks Jim if he wants to come.

The truck is stopped in the middle of the road. Morgan and Jim get out of the car. I have a bad feeling about this, Beavis. Jim wonders where they are, and Morgan says, in back. Jim sees them, and starts to run. Wen cocks his gun, and says he’s not going to lower it. Sarah says Morgan found him; thanks.

Jim and Morgan ride in the back of the truck, hands bound behind them. Wen asks Morgan if the place he’s going to in Virginia is close to DC. Morgan asks who the truck belongs to, and what happened? Sarah says they left him by the side of the road, where he’d been dropping a box. They figured out he always dropped them by a road marker ending in four; It was easy to snag his rig. If you can’t protect what’s yours, it ain’t yours. Morgan says they could be helping people, and Wen says the universe gave him a reason not to. Sarah asks where the place in Virginia is. Jim wonders what all this has to do with him, and Sarah says she likes beer, calling him Jimbo. Wen thinks he should try a new twist on his name.  Wen says they have the truck, the maps, and journal the guy kept. He wants to get there as much as they do. Where is it? Morgan says nothing, and Wen says he has a thousand miles to change his mind.

In the back of truck, Jim says he could make this work on a small scale, The chick said she’s a fan of his work. She came to see if there was any stock left, and finding him was a bonus, but he can make it work. He asks Morgan to tell them where he’s going, and Morgan says he can’t be serious. They kidnapped him, and the tied-up Morgan for trying to stop them. Now he wants to throw in with them? He’s as bad as they are. Jim says where Morgan is going, there has to be a bargaining system. Morgan says he’s not taking them anywhere near there. Jim explains that he was supposed to be rich and about to cash in on his microbrew, when those dead things started stumbling around. They took it away from him, and he wants to get it back. He says all civilizations had beer. They need him. If they want the world to come back together again, they need beer,

The truck stops short. They’re stuck. Sarah opens the back, and says they’re too heavy. She has to start unloading. She starts tossing stuff out of the truck. Jim thinks if the place is Virginia is all Morgan says it is, they can come to a mutually beneficial arrangement, with Sarah getting all the beer she can drink. Sarah unties him. She says, what about you, MoMo? Want to stay tied? A group of zombies comes ambling through the woods, and Wen says he doesn’t like it; there could be more nearby.

The start to get back to the truck, and when Jim tries to help Morgan, he knocks Morgan over. Morgan tumbles down the hill, and lands in front of the zombies. He tries to scramble back up, but his hands are still tied, and he slides back down. He manages to jump onto a convenient car roof. He sees Jim on the bridge, and asks if he can get some help. Jim, Sarah, and Wen watch him. Sarah turns on the radio, and says Jimbo is boned him help him. Is he going to tell them where he’s going? The zombies surround the car. Morgan gives her some directions, and says once they get there, he’ll give them the rest. Sarah asks how she knows he’s telling the truth, and Morgan asks how does he know she’ll get him off this thing? She says, the whole way, and he finishes the directions. Sarah asks, who’s going first? Jim says he’s been living in a brewery since this started. Sarah says, sorry. He made it this long without them. He’s got this. Morgan says they can’t just walk away. Sarah says, sure they can. Morgan did. On the bridge. He said he was going to help his friends, but he’s not the only one pretending to be something they’re not. They leave him with zombies clamoring at his feet.

Night falls. Morgan is sitting now, and the zombies scrabble around him. He talks into the radio, saying they don’t have to do this. He knows they can hear them, so he’s just going to say it – he could have crossed the bridge. He could be on his way back to Texas, but he’s not. He’s had time to think, and he’s a coward. He helped people back there – thought he did – but it wasn’t enough. He can see that. They needed something he couldn’t give them; or didn’t think he could. He got scared. Scared if he went back, he’d just make things worse. He says, so don’t come back. Not for him. He can’t ask that, but maybe come back so he can do the right thing. Hands reach up around him.

Morgan gets up, and kicks a zombie away. He slips and goes down onto the car roof, and they grab at him. Dammit, did he lose a shoe? Yes, he did. He paces, as much as you can on a car roof. He suddenly leaps over them, back onto the hill, but slides down again. They grab for him. He sees the remains of a take what you need box, and a metal street sign. Morgan kicks at the zombies, and gets to the box. He cuts himself loose with a knife, grabs the sign, and starts picking them off.

As he walks, Morgan radios the truck. He asks if they’re still listening. There’s something he wants them to know. What they said about the boxes not doing any good, and rotting in the road – they were wrong. Excellent story writing.

Morgan walks. I hope he gave the them directions to hell. He sees the truck. Wen says there is no Exit 77. Morgan asks how long it took for them to figure it out. Wen says, a couple hundred miles. Morgan asks where Jim is, and Sarah says, in the back, sleeping it off. Morgan says they’re going to let him pass, and Sarah wants the right exit. He says he’ll tell them, but they’re going to be his ride, but they’re picking up some people first. Or he can just continue on foot. It won’t be first time.

Morgan tells Wen that he said the universe gave him a reason not to help, but he thinks it’s trying to tell him something different now. Wen asks if they’re going to pick up some people. Morgan tells him to take the rig straight back to Virginia, and they’re going to make stops along the way.

The truck rolls on. Sarah puts a box by the side of the road. Morgan talks into the radio. He says he doesn’t know their name, and doesn’t know where they are. He doesn’t know if can they can hear him, but he talked to a friend at a truck stop. Wen puts out the next box. Morgan says now he’s with some people, and they have his truck. Jim puts out a box, and adds a beer to it. Morgan says he’s headed to Texas, and they’re giving the truck back. Wherever they are, keep looking. Hang on because they’re coming.

A large African American woman shuts off a radio, and laughs. She says they’re on the road again after all, talking to a zombie impaled on the wall of another truck stop. She writes on his face with a felt tip pen – take what you need, leave what don’t – and says it looks like they’re going to Texas.

*Note: I thought Morgan was seeing something I wasn’t, but it turned out the bridge was not really out. He just said that because he was a-scared. Also, I thought I recognized the crazy lady at the end. It was Tonya Pinkins who played Livia on All My Children back in the day.

Next time, Morgan climbs a water tower, Al’s truck gets stolen, and the weird lady tells Morgan that things are tough and he should be careful.

🐕🐶🐩 Calling It a Three Dog Night…

It’s been a ruff week. My husband has been working his tail off, so I’ve been on my own with both dog duty and dog doody. And today being National Dog Day, I was at their bark and call, bur I wouldn’t have it any other way.

DogLifeCartoon

Juliet'sBabies-GroupShot3 (2)

PekesGroupShot3 (2)

HappyNationalDogDay

Aug25

August 24, 2018 – Mike is Surrounded, Dissecting 90 Days, Return of the Zs, QuadQuotle & Sprockets

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Mike and Sonny watch a baseball game on TV. Sonny asks if Mike knows the new rules, but Mike says baseball is baseball. He goes upstairs, and Felix tells Sonny that they sounded like a son and his dad. Sonny guesses they did.

Jason tells Carly, one more game. They can have more time to decompress. Carly says there’s a lot going on, especially with Michael. He needs all the support he can get. It’s the worst pain a parent can experience, and he’s still dealing with the Nelle fallout. And then there’s Mike. Seeing his fear and confusion is killing Sonny, but there’s no fixing him. Jason says, not in the long run, but it helps Sonny to use the time left to be with his father. Carly says he feels like he’s getting a new shot. He has so few precious memories from when he was young.

Margaux and Drew walk into The Floating Rib. She wonders if it’s considered a second date if it’s on the same day in the same place. They sit, and she tells him, bring on the wings. Carly says, it looks like someone else is making new memories. Maybe the picture was legit – and the kiss. She tells Jason about their photo in The Invader.

On the phone, Robert tells someone to extend the search radius, and he wants an hourly report. Chase thinks they might have crossed border to Canada. He’s in touch with a local in Niagara Falls. Robert asks if he thinks they got married. Chase says he knows Robert is concerned about Anna, but Finn is his brother, and he’s just as invested. Let him help before it’s too late.

Anna asks Cassandra if she thinks it’s a bluff. One injection brought her out of a coma; one could easily close her eyes again. Cassandra says, Finn is a doctor; he took an oath. Finn says the Hippocratic Oath got a little fuzzy when she drugged him on New Year’s Eve. Anna says, is she going to cooperate, or go back to dreamland?

In the park, Julian instructs Leo on butterfly hunting, telling him that he has to let them go once he catches them. He tells Ava that he’s grateful for the brief time he gets with Leo. Who, I might add, has made an age jump. He’s like, four or five now. Ava says it’s terrible to have to be grateful, and take what you can get. Julian says think about what Brad and Lucas are going through. Ava says if the birth mother wants her son back, what can they do? Maybe she should be asking, what has he done?

Griff jogs by, shirtless, and looks at Ava. He says he didn’t mean to interrupt. Oddly enough, he didn’t interrupt until he said that. Julian says he never does. People just cross his path, and he falls into bed with them, like his niece. Ava says, sooner or later, what you’ve done catches up with you, and Griff says, what makes her think that it hasn’t? Ava suggests Julian go with Leo. She tells Griff that she thought he ran in the morning. He says he used to, before Monica suspended him for violating a patient’s rights by giving them an unauthorized DNA test. He doesn’t’ have to ask who turned him in, does he?

Chase tells Robert he doesn’t want to offend him, but he doesn’t want to be left out. Robert says they have the airports surrounded. There’s no way they can board a plane. Chase says what about smaller airports? They could get a private plane anywhere, and puddle jump to Canada. Robert says, maybe, but Finn was abducted to treat Cassandra. Chase says, and she’s in no condition to travel far. Someone went to a lot of trouble. He asks if there’s been any progress on the ID, and Robert says, no, but maybe they’re going in the wrong direction. Who has an investment in Cassandra staying in a coma. He hangs a picture of the Cassadine family crest on the bulletin board.

Cassandra says Valentin put them up to this. Anna says Valentin’s objectives are a mystery to everyone except him. Is she going to play along or does Finn take her out of the equation altogether? Finn says, goodnight, and starts to put something in her tube.

Sonny tells Felix that he spoke to Stella, and got the same message; to have a talk with his dad. He asks Felix if Mike looks like a man who should live in a facility. Felix is sure Stella meant Sonny should talk with him while he can still understand. Sonny says when he brings it up, Mike thinks he wants to get rid of him. It’s the last thing he wants to do. He loves these moments. He never had them when he was a kid. It felt good. Felix thinks it’s good for the both of them. Sonny says he’s been making the place safe and secure, and Felix says he noticed the Mike’s room sign. He can orient Mike without being obvious. Sonny says he got Mike a tracker. It has a GPS, and if he walks off the grounds, it alerts the guards. Mike comes down with a baseball glove. Felix and Sonny pretend they’re taking about a game. Mike wants to play baseball old school.

Jason asks Carly why she cares what Drew does? She says it seems like he’s getting over Sam. She hopes he knows what he’s doing. Jason says, the DA does.

Margaux asks Drew if it’s weird seeing Jason. He says it’s not like they’re best friends. She says, but he knows Jason better than anyone. It must be strange to have his memories. He says Jason told her he’s not going to turn against Sonny. Next subject. She says it’s just hard to believe. She’s interested in getting to know him, and he says she knows as much about Drew Caine as he does. He fires a bunch of questions at her, like, what’s her favorite color. She asks when a getting to know each other date turned into an interrogation. Margaux says her life reads like a resume, but Drew says, every life has a story. She says, Jersey girl, given a full ride at NYU, married the wrong guy in college. He came from a wealthy family, and had a tragic lack of imagination. She learned after they were married that all he wanted to do was maintain the status quo. She wanted more. He ended up married to a country club girl, and she went to Stanford law, and paid her dues as a DA. His turn. He says it’s hard tell her anything. His memories before 2014 are Jason’s. She says it’s hard to believe. He says since he decided he’s not getting his memories back, he accepts it. Changing the subject, he says she could have taken a job at a big firm. She asks if they really make the best margaritas here. He says they’re amazing, and goes to the bar.

Carly has a bad feeling. Jason says, that makes two of us. Margaux made it clear she’s going after Sonny, and she doesn’t care how or who she uses. Supposedly Drew remembers every job Jason did for Sonny. Carly asks if Margaux is looking for evidence against him.

Coming back inside, Sonny says it’s been a while since he played catch. He used to sit on the stoop and watch the fathers come home and grab the mitts. He stops, and Mike tells him to go on. Sonny says, then they’d go in for dinner. Mike thinks they should head to the city, and see a game at Yankee Stadium. Sonny says he used to promise that all the time. Mike says now they can do it, and Sonny says, it’s a deal.

Ava tells Griff, yeah, she told Monica, and showed her proof. She shows him her phone, and says she took a picture of the results when he was in the shower. Something told her to keep a record. He says he told her in confidence. She says she was going to delete it a dozen times, but didn’t. Something in her didn’t trust his loving words and their tender moments. She suspected it couldn’t last; that she was fooling herself. It turned out, she was right.

Cassandra tells Finn to stop. She’ll do what they want. Anna tells her to pretend she’s unconscious, and steal a look to see if she knows or recognizes them. They hear someone coming, and Cassandra closes her eyes. It’s Carson and his number two. He’s got the medication Finn wanted. Finn asks, what took so long? If it isn’t administered in time, they’ll all be dead.

Jason tells Drew that the DA is after Sonny, and she’ll use anybody – Carly, Josslyn, even him – to do it. Drew says what she wants is for Jason to flip on Sonny. She’s working hard at it. He’s sure Jason has seen the cover of The Invader.

Margaux approaches Carly. She says it’s nice to see her out and about. She’s sorry about Carly’s grandchild. It must be a comfort to have her back. Carly asks if she’s expecting a thank you, and Margaux says, not unless it’s sincere. She tells Carly that she hates injustice. That’s why she didn’t fight the judge about letting her go. She also hates defendants using bogus pleas to circumvent the law. Carly says she hates when women use sex to get information. It sends the wrong message. Or is it just a coincidence that she’s hot and heavy with Drew? Jason and Drew are both there, and Margaux asks if they should all just grab table – or not.

Sonny says it’s nice to throw the ball like they used to. Mike says it was fun, but he’s tired. He thinks he’ll lie down before dinner. They’ll do it again tomorrow. Sonny says, sounds good. Mike goes up the creakiest stairs I’ve ever heard. Felix says maybe Sonny is right, and Mike belongs at home after all. He’s holding on to the memories of them playing ball; that’s great. Sonny says, although it never happened.

Griff tells Ava that she’s fooling herself. What they had, was real. He doesn’t care that she reported him; he deserves suspension. He violated his oath. Ava tells him not to try putting the halo back on his head. She didn’t do it to protect a patient’s privacy. She figured he’d get suspended, and he’d lose something he cares about. It’s the Ava he never understood. She doesn’t want forgiveness. She wants him to hurt like she does.

Julian asks if Leo is ready to go. He asks what’s wrong, and Leo whispers something in his ear. He says his mom must have told him about his cousin in heaven. He imagines there are special toys in heaven. That’s why they picked out some of Leo’s stuff for other babies enjoy. Julian tells Leo, as special a place as heaven might be, don’t worry. He won’t go there for a long time. Neither will Julian. He hugs Leo.

Chase says, it’s the Cassadine crest, and Robert says Valentin has ties to Cassandra. Somebody thought they’d liberate her from the Bureau, but when Valentin was questioned, he seemed surprised. Maybe even worried that she’d gone missing. Chase gets a text, and says they might have a breakthrough. Whoever broke Cassandra out wants Finn to cure her. He’ll require drugs, so Chase ran a check. Someone just used Finn’s pharmacy code, north of Canada. Two cameras got shots of the car and license plates. Robert says, well done. Let’s go.

Finn says he did guess work on the dosage, but it should minimize any damage done by exposure. He holds a tray with four paper cups of liquid on it. He explains that Cassandra will get a concentrated dose, and hands out the cups, Carson says, ladies first; drink up. Anna and Finn drink, and Carson and dude follow. Carson says, that’s it? and Finn says, it’s fast acting; they should be all set. Carson and other guy keel over. Finn asks, did he happened to mention the side effects?

Finn tells Anna that they both got water. Cassandra asks if they’re dead. She says she doesn’t know them. Finn tells Anna that they need to go. Cassandra asks if they’re leaving her, and Anna says she’s better off waiting while they get help. Cassandra doesn’t want to be sent back to the WSB, and Anna says they’ll treat with the same amount of compassion that she treated them.

Felix gets a text from his relief nurse, Hugo. There’s been an accident, and he’s going to be late. Felix says he can stay, but Sonny says he’s done enough. If needs help, his people are just a phone call away. Felix says, when the time comes, he’ll know what do for his dad. Sonny hopes so. Felix leaves, and Sonny says he really hopes so.

Carly says Drew can take care of himself. Jason wonders if he’s a potential liability. Carly says, maybe not. As well as having Jason’s memories, he can draw on his abilities and skills. Jason says, knowing and using are two different things.

Margaux admits the wings pack a punch. Drew loads on hot sauce, and she accuses him of showing off. It’s in a squeezy bottle, and no surprise, he gets some on her blouse. She wonders if it’s payback, but he says it’s a slippery bottle. He says he’ll pay for the cleaning, but she thinks it’s a lost cause. She says it’s a novel way to get her out of her clothes, but he insists he’s a gentleman. They leave.

Sonny gets a call from Diane. He says he has the papers, but they haven’t been signed. The shipping rate is higher than what they settled on. He says he’ll get the papers right now. He leaves the room, and Mike comes down those creaky stairs. He asks if someone is there, and looks confused.

Griff tells Ava if it’s any consolation, he’s hurting like hell. For what he did to her and Kiki, and for the patients he cares about; the ones he’s treating and the ones he won’t get chance to help. Ava never said he wasn’t a good doctor. He says, just not a good boyfriend. She doesn’t have to worry. He’s not going to bother her anymore. Julian runs up with Leo in his arms. He thinks Leo must have fallen from a tree while chasing a butterfly, but he’s unresponsive to Julian. He asks Griff to do something.

Griff tells Leo to look at him, saying it’s scary, falling out of a tree. Julian babbles, but Griff continues talking to Leo, asking if he can breathe, and to show him. He asks Leo to hold his water bottle. I guess to make sure his grip is okay. He checks out Leo’s knee, and says it looks like it hurts, but it’s not deep. He asks Leo about the butterfly he was chasing, and suggests he stick to the ground from now on. He tells Julian that the fall gave Leo a scare, but he’ll be all right. Julian asks if Leo is really okay, and Griff says he’s currently not a licensed physician. Julian should get him checked out, but he doesn’t think Leo hit his head; he’s just shaken up. Ava says it was lucky he was there, and Julian thanks him. He says they should get Leo a security blanket, and Leo says, like the yellow one he put in Jonah’s room?

Carly tells Jason that she called Margaux out. She can’t believe it. Never mind, it could get Margaux disbarred, but it’s demeaning. Jason says, really? Carly knows she’s guilty of using sex to get what she wants, but that was before she was a mother. Jason says, it’s their business, and Carly says, what if she gets Drew to flip on him? Jason says he would need to have a really good memory. He doesn’t think Drew would help Margaux anyway. Besides, Diane is the best, and can always get him off. Carly says she’s not worried, but she’s keeping an eye on Drew. They leave.

Anna and Finn sneak around. Finn says, they’re going to be cranky when they wake up. Anna tries a door, and it’s locked. He says she’s with the WSB; can’t she use a bobby pin or something? She asks if he’s serious.

Back at the hotel, Margaux tells Drew the laundry service has pulled off miracles before. He doesn’t want the night to end like this, and asks if she wants to go for a drink. They can see who has the better margaritas. She thinks that’s a good idea, and goes to change. He looks through her papers on the table, and finds the flash drive.

Mike says, this isn’t right. He thought he heard… He looks outside and sees someone, probably a guard, walk past. He asks, who’s there? and says, they’re trying to break in. He can’t let them do that. He presses a button on the device he’s carrying, and an alarm goes off. It’s loud, and seems to be coming from everywhere. He yells, nooo!

Anna gets the door open. Robert and Chase are on the other side. Robert has his gun drawn, and says, don’t shoot. He can’t believe it’s Anna, and hugs her. Chase and Finn nod at each other. Anna asks how he found them, and he says Chase gave them luck. Finn thanks him. They all go back to the examining room. The guys on the floor are still out, but Cassandra is gone.

Cassandra sits in the back seat of a car. Someone gets in and she asks what they want from her. They place a hand on her knee, and they’re wearing a Cassadine crest ring.

Griff asks what blanket Leo is talking about, and Julian says he told Leo about packing Jonah’s things. Julian tell Griff that he owes him one, and leaves with Leo to get him checked out. Ava says sorry to keep Griff from his run, and starts to leave, but Griff stops her. He asks if the yellow blanket is the one that didn’t exist. The one Nelle and Carly were fighting over on the stairs.

Drew picks up the flash drive. Margaux comes back in, and says, don’t touch that. Drew says, why? Is it important?

Jason and Carly run into Sonny’s house. Jason’s gun is drawn. a guy from outside runs in with his gun drawn. Sonny pops out from upstairs with his gun drawn. Mike is surrounded.

On Monday, Curtis, Jordan, and Stella go to family counseling, Margaux says she’ll tell Drew everything, and Griff asks if Ava helped send Carly to Ferncliff.

💍 Keeping Up with the K-1s…

Just a quickie regarding 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days, or as I like to call it, the K-1 visa, where the worst people meet. This show is so awful/good that I have to do a once-a-season dissertation about it rather than recap, but now and then I can’t help but comment. In last week’s episode, Jesse came to the US to visit the woman he’s stringing along the love of his life, Darcy, and to meet her two teenage daughters. Who, no doubt, he has more in common with, considering the huge age gap. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but he keeps bringing up that he’s only twenty-four. These two boggle my mind. They’ve been on again/off again for a couple of seasons now, and at this point, I can’t see what they get out of it. After being sorely disappointed when Jesse gave her a promise ring at the end of her trip to Amsterdam – yes, a promise ring, like middle-schoolers exchange – Darcy is still expecting a real proposal. He got down on one knee to give it to her, which turned my stomach. As much as I think Darcy is a drama queen, no woman deserves that embarrassment.

Jesse has made it clear that he doesn’t want her daughters getting too attached at this point in the relationship, and that he balks at being a stepfather at his age. Yet Darcy still pulled him in for a family hug. I get that she’s delusional and thinks he’s hot, but couldn’t he find someone to control a little closer to home? I did feel marginally sorry for him at the beginning of the trip. Deciding to stay in NYC and have her girls visit there on her birthday, Darcy and Jesse took a limo from the airport. Since it was his first time visiting the US, Jesse was naturally interested in his surroundings during the ride. There is no other way to put it other than Darcy was jealous of that interest. She did not want to play tour guide, and couldn’t understand why he wasn’t focused totally on her. She also left him sitting in a restaurant, during one of their nonsensical arguments, where she flailed around while he did his Data imitation. Or the guy from SNL’s Sprockets skit. On the other hand, he’s such a control freak, maybe he deserves what he gets. Which, according to the previews, is a lot of drama. Are they still together? Who knows? And if you wait five minutes, it will be who knows again.

https://www.newsweek.com/are-jesse-darcey-still-together-where-now-90-day-fiance-1064766

👹 So When is This Happening Already???

The highlight of my week was when the Sy-we-can’t-spell-Fy channel aired reruns of Z Nation. Which tells you how my week went. Although it’s been renewed for a fifth season, all we keep hearing is in the fall.  So is that Labor Day fall or Thanksgiving fall?

http://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/z-nation/269724/z-nation-season-5-release-date-trailer-cast-news

📢 Quotes of the Week

When something — no matter what it is — takes more from us than it gives, we are wise to put it down. – Suzie Eller

On trains, I am held hostage, disconnected, suspended in time. It forces me to slow down. This is what I crave: Give me a long, slow ride and I am happy. – Matthieu Paley, photographer and author

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways it won’t work. – Thomas Edison

Stella is 90 now. All she wants back is her mobility. – Max (Kat Dennings), 2 Broke Girls

💃 To Start Your Weekend Off Right…

 

Aug20

August 19, 2018 – The Dead & Nothing But the Dead, Plus Kveðja Helgi

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

The storm continues to rage. Alicia enters a house, walking cautiously forward. She calls out, asking if anybody is home. A zombie toddles out, and she dispatches it, dragging it out of the way, only to deal with another one. A third zombie comes out, and she does a double stab with a weapon in each hand. She kills one more, and puts the bodies outside in the same formation that’s in a family photo on the mantel. She cleans her pokey-thing-with-the-holes weapon.

Alicia washes herself up. She takes down the family photos, puts them in a basket, and tosses it next to the bodies. She can’t get the front door to stay closed, and looks around in the basement. Water is pouring in. She gets some nails, and boards the door shut. She goes to the kitchen, and finds some cans. While she’s looking around for a can opener, she hears something upstairs. She goes up and looks around. It’s hard to tell whether noises are zombie noises or wind. Both. There’s a zombie hanging around outside. She says whoever’s in there, get the hell out or I’ll kill you. They have one chance. She says she just wanted to be left alone.

She opens a closet. Charlie pops out and takes off. Alicia asks why she’s there. Did she follow her? She says Charlie can’t be there. Alicia throws a bunch of stuff in a bag, pries the boards off the door, and goes for the family’s car. She can’t get the car door open, and pulls so hard she falls back and gets knocked out.

She wakes up indoors, in candlelight. She grabs her weapon, and asks why Charlie brought her back. She sees a bedroom with the door closed. She knows Charlie is in there; why doesn’t she say something? She says, if Charlie isn’t going to talk, then she needs to listen. Alicia’s mom died saving her – saving Nick, saving everyone – because Charlie led Mel to the place they built; because she lied to them. Then she shot Alicia’s brother. Alicia watched him bleed to death. She couldn’t do anything except watch him die, and realize he was going to die. It didn’t happen fast. He was aware and in pain, and knew Charlie did it. He tried to save her, and she killed him. She made him feel like his life didn’t mean anything. She can’t send Charlie out there, but will probably kill her. She doesn’t know if she wants to, but she probably will. On the other side of the door, Charlie takes out a gun. Alicia says she’s trying to believe like her mom; it’s the only thing keeps her mom alive. If she kills Charlie, she won’t let her take it away again. She may be a kid, but she knows what she did, and that makes her garbage; a waste of a person, and worse than the zombies. She hopes Charlie lives to a ripe old age, and has to remember what she did; what she is, and how she can never ever make up for it. Charlie cries.

Alicia tries to nail a shutter from the outside, but the wind is too strong. She uncovers one of the bodies. Question mark over my head.

Charlie has brought the basket of family photos inside. I guess Alicia must have noticed it was missing. She takes them out of the frames, and dries them. I would think it was her family, but she’s not in any pictures. Alicia comes in, and asks why she wouldn’t say anything. Did she know these people? She put the photos out there for a reason. She tells Charlie to come downstairs, and put on her coat. Charlie follows her.

Alicia makes Charlie hold the shutter closed while she nails it. They do the next one. Alicia sees zombies starting to gather, and she says they’re making too much noise. She shoves Charlie inside, and boards the door. She says they’ll try again later.

Zombies clamor at the window. Alicia asks for Charlie’s coat, telling her that she’s trying to do the right thing. Charlie heads upstairs, and Alicia ask for her coat again, startling Charlie when she gets in her face. Alicia takes out the gun, and asks if it’s the same gun. She holds it to Charlie’s head. She told Charlie that she couldn’t be here, and asks if Charlie came to kill her; to get her before she got Charlie. Charlie shakes her head, and Alicia tells her to go. She runs upstairs.

Alicia builds a fire. She tells Charlie that she’s sorry; she’s trying. Upstairs, Charlie goes through the photos. She hears zombies, and pulls the curtain on the deck door aside. She opens the door. Alicia gets the fire going, but hears noises from upstairs. A zombie is hanging from a tree right off the deck. Charlie goes to edge of the deck, and it grabs her, but Alicia pulls her back.

Alicia realizes the gun wasn’t for her; it was for Charlie. Alicia thinks they both know there are no good reasons to keep going. She might have had the right idea, but that doesn’t mean Alicia is letting her do it. Charlie asks why Alicia saved her. Was it because Alicia wanted her to live with what she did? Alicia doesn’t know, but Charlie doesn’t get off the hook. She thinks Alicia saved her because she sees something in her, and forgives her. That’s not true. Alicia can’t help her. Whatever she’s looking for, Charlie isn’t getting it from her. She has to live with what she’s done, just like Alicia has. All that’s waiting for her is to be out on the porch like them. Charlie asks how long Alicia thinks the storm will last? Alicia says, how would she know? She’s from California. So it really doesn’t rain there?

Alicia heats up a can of something; not pudding. It looks like beans. Why is it always beans? They eat in silence. Charlie asks if Alicia lived near a beach, but Alicia says, no. Charlie says, Alicia told her that she’s from California, and Alicia says, it’s a big state. Charlie asks what it was like, and Alicia says, what does it matter? Charlie says, It doesn’t. Alicia says, Charlie has never been to the beach, has she? Charlie says he was supposed to go to Galveston with her parents. They were going to spend the day on the beach, go to the boardwalk at night, and maybe ride the roller coaster. Then everything changed, and… Alicia says they all missed. Charlie says sometimes when she’s reading, she likes to close her eyes, and see hat she read about. She can’t find any books about Galveston. Alicia says the last time she was at a beach, it was like everywhere else, overrun with the dead. Just another place to run from. She tells Charlie to get some sleep, and Charlie lies on the couch.

Alicia wakes to the sounds of the storm, and looks for Charlie. Zombie dude is still hanging from the tree. Charlie is in the room, messing with the photographs. Alicia tells Charlie that she can’t be in there, and Charlie says she has to arrange the photos because someone might come back. Alicia says everyone who gave a sh*t is dead. Charlie says she doesn’t know that. Charlie knows she’s garbage, and she can’t make up what she’s done, but she’s doing this. Alicia tells her to do what she wants, but she won’t feel better about any of it.

Alicia tries making a fire again. Lightning strikes outside, and the wind is getting stronger. Alicia says she knows what Charlie is trying to do, and trying to believe it, but she can’t. Sometimes when you’re gone, you’re just gone. These people are definitely gone and nothing is going to change that. Charlie asks why she cares. A window blows in, and zombies are blowing all over the place.

They go downstairs, but the basement is flooding fast. The ceiling partially caves in, and they both end up in the water. Alicia tries the cellar door that leads outside, but it’s padlocked. She tries a window, but the panes of glass are too thick. She says they’ll have to wait it out, but they’ll get out. They stand on trunks, as the water rises. Charlie doesn’t want to die. Alicia knows. Charlie says she doesn’t want to be one of them. She saw her parents after they turned. She didn’t think it was real, and they came back – like that. Alicia says she’s sorry. Charlie says she tried to remember what they looked like before, but she can’t. She wishes she had a picture. She asks if Alicia still has the gun. Alicia says she can’t. Charlie cries, saying she can’t end up like them. Alicia’s mom and brother; they’re all gone. Alicia says she’s not doing it. Charlie says she won’t make it, but Alicia says they will. Charlie asks her, please, just do it. Charlie knows she wants to. Alicia holds the gun to Charlie’s forehead. She she thinks of her mother and brother, and the stadium at the end. She starts to cry, and says she can’t, She takes Charlie’s hand.

They hear a sound. The cellar door has miraculously opened enough for them to get out. They scramble outside. Somehow hanging-by-a-limb zombie has fallen and broke the door open. Alicia shoots him in the head.

Alicia buries the family. The storm is over. She tells Charlie that she did it for herself, for Charlie, and for the people who could come back. Charlie gives Alicia her weapon, saying she found it in the house. Alicia tells Charlie to keep it. She asks if Charlie is good at finding things, and Charlie says, yeah. Alicia puts the pictures in a jar, and puts it next to the graves. Charlie says she can see Madison in her, even if Alicia can’t; she’s there. Alicia says she left Morgan alone in the storm. She walked away from him; all of them. Charlie says she’s good at finding things, and smiles. Alicia almost smiles back.

Alicia drives. She tells Charlie to close her eyes. She’s going to take her to the beach. It’s one of her favorite places to go. She’s in a car, and the windows are down. She can feel the air. It’s soft, and smells like salt. That’s how you know you’re close. You can hear the waves. Then you see the beach. You take off your shoes, and feel the sand in between your toes, walking to the water. When you go in, it’s cold at first, but the longer stay in, the more you don’t want to get out. And you float. Charlie imagines looking back at all the people on the beach. Alicia asks if she’s there. Charlie says she’s in the water. It’s really blue. She’s walking back… She can see them. Her mom and dad. She can see them again. Alicia smiles, a little more this time.

They go back to Victor’s house. Alicia calls for Victor and Luci. It’s a mess; I guess from the storm. They look around outside. Charlie calls to Alicia. There’s a bus overturned on the bridge leading away from the house. Charlie says they have to find them and help them. Alicia says they don’t know if they’re alive. She thinks they’re gone. She tells Charlie, things don’t get better. They’re not going to; they’ll only get worse. Hopefully, they’re not around to see how bad they can get. A zombie toddles out from behind the bus. We’re all grateful that it’s no one we know. Alicia takes her pokey weapon from Charlie and kills it.

She tells Charlie to come, and they walk away from the bridge.

Next time, Morgan finds a new place and new people.

🌠 Another One Bites the Dust…

WeekendMinions3

WeekendOver4

WeekendOver5

BunnyFall

 

Aug13

August 12, 2018 – The Return of Fear, Upcoming Fear, Chris Returns, Movies, and Two Born This Ways

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

As much as I hate being torn away from 90 Day Fiancé, Fear the Walking Dead is back, and I love this show. It’s like Walking Dead’s baby whose generation finally got it right.

Fear the Walking Dead

A nasty storm has come up. Zombies feed near the road, and a few get blown away by the wind.

A zombie falls. Someone ransacks his backpack. It’s Morgan. Piking zombies and taking booty. He gets a radio and lines up all the things he’s nabbed. It’s not a very exciting haul, but there are some protein bars and water.

Al does some soldering. Morgan radios her, and she asks if John is okay. He is, and Morgan asks if she remembers when she interviewed him. She asked questions about where he came from. She asks if he’s going to tell her what she wants to know. He says, no, but he’ll show her. He’s going home, and wants her to drive.

Naomi, now June, guts a fish. Morgan comes looking for John, who’s inside the bus. John says Virginia is a long way. Morgan thinks he shouldn’t have left. It’s where he belongs and where he should be. John says if that’s what he thinks, that’s where he should go. Morgan says they could all come. Alexandria is a good place with good people. John doesn’t think he can make it in his current state, and Morgan doesn’t know what’s out there. He, June, and Charlie are going back to his cabin, if he can make it safer. It’s far, but not Virginia far. He asks when Morgan is going, and Morgan says, tomorrow. John asks if Morgan wants to stay for dinner, but he has more stops to make. He’ll come by before he leaves; maybe John will change his mind. They’ve been through harder things. John appreciates it, but – he looks at June – he thinks he has everything he needs right there.

Morgan goes through a gate into a massive estate. A zombie toddles out, and says, ueeeh yaeh, and Morgan pikes it. Victor calls from an upstairs window of the house, saying, there’s a breach in the fence, and his aim is off. He tells Morgan the door’s unlocked.

Inside, Morgan looks at the art on the walls. Victor, wearing a smoking jacket, asks what Morgan thinks; he’s been rotating the collection. He tells Morgan the wine cellar is quite extensive. Morgan asks where everyone is, and looks around. The house itself is quite extensive. Luci lounges in the music room, while listening to country music. Morgan turns it off, and says he was hoping they could talk. He’s headed back to Virginia. They have room for everyone, even Victor. Victor laughs, and says, road trip. He’s had his fair share of those. Luci doesn’t want to set foot in Al’s tank again. She can’t go out there. Victor says he’s retired from scraping by to survive. He found the best the world has to offer. Luci says there’s nothing for her there – or anywhere. Victor tells Morgan to enjoy his trip, and Luci says, be safe. Morgan asks where Alicia is, and Victor says she moved out of the main house, although she never really moved in. Luci thinks she’s by the garden.

Morgan goes to an enviable greenhouse, and calls for Alicia. He’s met with silence, but looks around. He sees notes that say, HELP.

Alicia is banging on the fence to attract zombies. She stabs them one by one. Morgan needs to talk, and she says she can’t right now. He says she’s been through a lot. It doesn’t seem get better, but he can help. She says she doesn’t need it. He asks, what are these? and shows her the notes. Alicia says she didn’t write them. Someone is tacking them onto the dead. She’s checking them, thinking one has to have something. Morgan tells her it’s not safe, but she says someone needs help. He says there’s no way to tell when they were written or if the person is still alive. There are other ways to do what she’s trying to do. Victor and Luci haven’t seen her for weeks. He thinks it would be good for her, and she could do a lot of good if she goes back with him. She says someone needs help here and now. He says she doesn’t know that. He’s leaving in the morning; she knows where to find him. She bangs on the fence again.

June tells John in a couple more weeks, he can fish again. He says she’s caught more wide mouth bass in these last few days, than he has in his entire life. She asks if she heard right when he told Morgan they were going back to the cabin. He says if it’s still there, but he was just batting around the idea. Given his condition, and the condition of everything… Zombie noises come from outside. Charlie is reading by the creek, and a zombie comes at her. She backs up in silence. Al intervenes, and kills the zombie.

Victor wakes to a bunch of noise. He looks out, and sees blood on the front storm door. A zombie is inside, but Luci has her back to it, and the music is so loud, she doesn’t hear it. Victor gets the zombie before it gets to her, and she doesn’t even know what’s going on. He kicks the boombox, and says, these grapes were not meant for wrath. They have to find the breach.

Al is glad she came to check. John says Charlie will be all right. June asks what happened, and Charlie doesn’t say anything. Al says she didn’t call for help. John tells her that Charlie doesn’t say much. June thanks her, and they look over the bridge to zombies floating down the creek. John says, dead washing up usually means something is amiss up river. He wants to see what’s going on, but he’s not up for it alone. Al says she’ll go with June, and gives him a radio, saying, if anything goes wrong, she’ll call. She just tuned up her gun; they’ll be fine. She and June leave.

Morgan packs. He looks at his book The Art of Peace. Alicia says she knows where they are. There’s a lumber mill up the road. They passed it on their way there, but it’s overrun. Whoever has been writing needs more help. Morgan says he’ll check it out, but Alicia insists on going. They walk down the road. The wind picks up.

There are downed trees I the road, and June tells Al, they have to backtrack. Al thinks can clear them with the cable. She sees a box by the side of the road, with a sign that says, take what you need – leave what don’t – see you further up the road. Al wants to grab her camera, but June says they have to keep moving. She tells Al to be quick, and asks what John said about her when Al interviewed him. Al says he told her a lot about Laura, and the others told her about Naomi. No one said anything about June. Anything June wants to tell her? It wasn’t her motive – she just came here to help – but maybe it would help June to talk. June says she’ll think about it.

Morgan wonders what happens after Alicia helps them, and she says it won’t matter; he’ll be on his way. He says she’s not in a rush. He didn’t say goodbye, and no one knows where he went or what happened. He thought he was doing what he had to do. Alicia says they might not be there anymore, but Morgan says, they will. They’re strong, like her. He has a friend back there, the one who said he’d find his way back to the world and people. He left to get away, and prove his friend was wrong, so he wants to look him in the eye and say he was right. He deserves to know. He doesn’t want her to find out the hard way. A zombie toddles out. She kills it, and sees another note on it. They keep walking.

Victor fixes the fence. He tells Luci that should keep wolves out of the henhouse. He asks if she wants to adjourn to the cellar. She asks what they’re doing here, and he says, enjoying the bounty of their discovery. She doesn’t know what’s left, where to be, or what to fight for. He says they’ve been asking themselves the same questions. He’s going to at least enjoy himself while he’s asking.

Alicia finds another note asking for help. Morgan says there’s a reason for asking. Maybe they should find out why before they rush in. Alicia says, no time, and he follows her into the lumber yard.

John makes a Scrabble game out of cereal box letters, Charlie is reading in the bus, and he wants to ask her a favor; to play a game. He holds out a coffee can, and she takes letters from it. He says there was time he didn’t talk much either. He’d done something he wasn’t proud of. He says you keep thinking on it, and it starts to eat away at you, until you start thinking there will be nothing left; nothing worth keeping anyway. Then something happened. He found someone to talk to. Telling her brought him back to the world, and allowed him to forgive himself. He’s sorry if he overstepped. He tells her he’ll be right back. When he’s gone, Charlie puts her books in her bag, and gets out of the bus. She opens the gate and leaves.

Victor hauls a zombie outside, and sees John. Victor says it’s nice to see him ambulatory, and John says he has a good nurse. Victor tells John that he caught him doing a little light housekeeping. John needs his help. Charlie took off, and she’s out there somewhere. He thinks if he looks by himself, she’ll remain that way. Victor wonders if John knows who he’s coming to. What makes him think Victor would help? She shot his friend. John says he took a bullet because of them; Victor owes him. Victor advises him to leave Luci out of it. John will have to drive. Victor has been drinking heavily.

Morgan and Alicia walk through the lumber yard. Alicia sees more notes on a pile of wood planks. She points to a building and says, that’s where they’re coming from. They hear zombie noises from inside, and go in. There are a load of zombies gathered together near a door, and Alicia says, they have him trapped. Morgan says he’ll help her. He lures the zombies outside, and underneath a crane holding a load of logs. Alicia cuts the cable, and it lands on them.

Alicia goes into the room, and there’s a lone zombie inside. Morgan says he’s been like that for days; she couldn’t have saved him. She sees notes that say, help, come quickly. She says if her mom had found him, she would have saved him. She did whatever she had to do; she was good at that. Morgan says, like her mom used to be before the stadium? She changed, so Alicia can change. Alicia says she has a lot to make up for, and Morgan says, he does too. He asks why she’s sleeping in the greenhouse. She says it gave her a reason to run away, and he says Victor and Luci think they need her. She can save them, like her mom did, if she was just there for them. Alicia says Morgan could be there for them too, so why is he here? She walks out.

Al videos the creek. June thinks they should check upriver; they have to be coming from somewhere. She asks Al to turn the camera off. She wants to talk without being filmed. She says John fell in love with Laura. She’s not Laura. She’s a woman who got sacred and ran away. Not just from him, from everyone. That’s who she is. He wants to go back to the cabin. If they do, she’s afraid he’ll realize she’s not Laura; she never was. If he realizes that… Al says she doesn’t have any advice. She doesn’t know what she’d do, but since they’re just talking off the record, June is with John, helping him. That’s who she is now. Yesterday is yesterday, and today is today, and God knows if they have tomorrow. Al says she sounds like her mom. That’s why she doesn’t do this. June hears something, and birds come flying out from the forest. Al suggests the tide is washing out, but June says not from a bridge that’s out. She thinks they better get out of there.

John waits in the car. It’s beginning to rain. Victor runs back to the car from the library. He thinks they should check the middle school in the next town. Victor drinks as John drives. John says he used to be a cop, and Victor says he used to be a millionaire. Everybody used to be something. John tells him that when this is dealt with, June and Charlie are coming to his cabin. Victor asks, what happens after that? but John says he’s still sorting that part out. Victor says, aren’t we all?

It’s pouring now, and Morgan tells Alicia that they need to find a place to hole up in. She says she’ll be fine on her own. He says, it’s getting bad, and watches as she walks away.

Luci listens to Roy Orbison on the phonograph. She hears the door open, and asks if it’s Victor. There’s no answer, so she takes her gun and quietly goes toward the front of the house. She sees Charlie, and chases after her. She asks what Charlie wants, and grabs Charlie’s coat. Charlie shrugs out of it, and runs. Luci asks if she hasn’t done enough. Back inside, Luci sees a copy of The Little Prince on the table in the hallway. She runs outside, and calls for Charlie. Luci decides to run after her.

June radios John, saying there’s a storm coming their way. John says, it’s there. He asks, where are they? All he gets is static.

In Al’s tank, June says she lost John. Al loses control of the tank, but it doesn’t crash. June says they need to get back, but Al says, not in this. One of the compromises she made when modifying the vehicle, is that she can’t drive in 100 mph winds. A zombie hits the tank, and the hits keep on coming.

Next time, Alicia finds Charlie.

😱 Fear’s Upcoming Season…

In the trailer, it looks like Morgan got drunk at a frat party and someone wrote on his face.

https://www.amc.com/shows/fear-the-walking-dead/video-extras/fear-the-walking-dead-season-4-comic-con-trailer?utm_source=blast&utm_medium=email&utm_content=cci-trailer&utm_campaign=fear-the-walking-dead

📣 It was nice to see Chris Hardwick back at work. I wanted to see my 90 Day obsession, so I didn’t watch Talking Dead. I’m hoping to catch it later, but I did see his re-entry speech. Without saying why he hadn’t been at work, Chris said how much he appreciated the fans’ support, and his job, saying they were a community. I thought it was heartfelt and sincere. Yvette Nicole Brown was one of the guests, and he thanked her for being his friend and pinch hitting. He had tears in his eyes the whole time, and I nearly cried.

🎥 👀 The Other Things I Watched…

I saw a few movies this weekend – my capsule viewpoints. The Witches of Eastwick – ever see a movie you thought wasn’t that great, and then see it again years later and change your mind? Me too, but this wasn’t one of them. Cabin in the Woods – my umpteenth viewing. I read the book first, and thought, no way could they make a movie that captured the end of this thing. I was wrong. They did, and it never gets old. Dude got to meet his merman too. The Gods of Egypt – I love Jaime Lannister just as much as any red-blooded woman on earth, and the only way I can tolerate Gerard Butler is when he’s wielding a sword, but they might have spent a little more on the background. I found it incredibly distracting to watch them fight, while none of the people in the far background moved, and it looked suspiciously like the backdrop in a high school play. So, I switched to Justice League – a special effects extravaganza, Jason Momoa as Aquaman, the Flash having phobias about almost everything and understandably fearing for his life whenever they did something stupid, and the usual amusing one-liners – what’s not to like? But I could have done with a little less Clark Kent angst. After that, Identity – a little gem of a thriller from 2003 with a twist ending. I don’t know how I missed this, but it also had a great cast, including two of my favorites, Alfred Molina and Rebecca De Mornay, I liked this film too, because it took place within a small radius – in this case, a seedy roadside motel – making it seem almost like a play.

🌞 I also watched a few episodes of Born This Way on the FYI channel. This is a really sweet reality show about a group of young adults who have Down syndrome. One of the few reality shows that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to say I watched. In one of the episodes, an expert was brought in to give the group a talk about relationships and sex. Like many kids, some of their parents couldn’t handle “the talk,” so misinformation abounded. One young lady asked if it was possible to be allergic to penises. The expert wasn’t too sure how to answer that one, until it was explained further that her mother had told her they contained gluten. I gotta say, that’s a good one.

🎶 And In a Song By the Same Title…

Don’t be a drag, just be a queen.

RIP Rick Genest.

Jun18

June 17, 2018 – What’s Not on TV, a Visit from the 70s, NOLA Split, Father’s Day & My Dad

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

There was no Fear the Walking Dead tonight, and how will they ever top last week anyway? I was able to watch 90 Day Fiancé: Happily, Ever After? fresh (dissection of it coming soon), and Westworld on the first rerun encore performance. I also checked out The Real Housewives of Potomac, but I’m just not feeling these girls. I’m not sure I ever did. I think if you look up the definition of boushetto in the urban dictionary, their pictures are there. Although Karen did give up a good quote – You don’t know me to be a liar, but we do know you to be a fool.

And of course there’s the elephant in the room, Talking with Chris Hardwick, that was supposed to premiere tonight, but didn’t. That whole thing has bummed me out. I find it sad that, as beautiful a thing as the internet can be, it seems to create an easy judge and jury for just about everything. Maybe it’s just me, but I like getting all the facts first. The only fact I have so far is that he was possibly a d-bag and took advantage in a previous relationship. If people start losing their jobs over that, there will be precious few people working. Especially in the entertainment business where egos are humongous. In other words, I fail to see how this situation is anything close to that of a Harvey Weinstein or Bill Cosby, or even a Louis C.K. Yet this guy has already been hung out to dry. And the internet makes it way too easy. The Wicked Witch of the West said it best – what a world… what a world.

That being said, moving on…

🚀 Recommendations from the Wayback Machine…

Last week, I stepped back to the 70s with The Warriors, a surprisingly well-crafted film for its time, 1979. The scene symmetry and use of place are sophisticated, and the costumes alone make it worth watching, although the dialogue is often unintentionally funny. While completely unbelievable, the plot is simple. All the gangs in NYC are called to a meeting. One of the leaders suggests all the gangs band together, making them a force to be reckoned with. He’s shot and killed at the big rally, and the wrong gang, the Warriors, are blamed. They have to make it from Coney Island to the Bronx, various gangs coming after them along the way. One of my favorites were the Furies, who wore baseball uniforms and Kiss/Rocky Horror-ish make-up. It was also fun seeing Deborah Van Valkanburgh (Too Close for Comfort) acting like she was in a high school production of Grease. I’m endlessly glad they did not remake this film.

Check out the costumes: http://mentalfloss.com/article/55223/21-street-gangs-featured-warriors

Sadly, The Hills Have Eyes – the 1977 gem I followed The Warriors with – did get remade. It was horrifying all right, but not in a good way. And as far as I’m concerned, it’s just not the same without Michael Berryman. Forget Hills Have Eyes II, which is basically clips from the first film, strung together in a barely cohesive way. Stick with the original. Another straightforward plot. A family from Cleveland (which has never ceased to amuse me, since I’m originally from the area) get lost in the desert, and become the unfortunate victims of a feral family living in a cave. A true B-picture, a lot of it is over-the-top fake, but there are a few chills, a few laughs, and like I said, Michael Berryman.

🍹 I was sad to hear that Reagan and Jeff from Southern Charm New Orleans were splitting up. Who gets the little dogs??? http://extratv.com/2018/06/07/reality-stars-reagan-and-jeff-charleston-split/?adid=extra_eme_26606_2018-06-07_rightnow1

👔 Last But Not Least…

A heartfelt, albeit late, Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there. No matter who or what you are the father of, be it blood relation or a chosen role. Here are some quotes for you:

https://parade.com/303081/viannguyen/fathers-day-2018-50-funny-and-inspiring-quotes-about-dads/?utm_source=paradenewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=homepage_newsletter_June%2017,%202018_08_44_15

🏆 It Takes Someone Special…

Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad, and that’s why I call you dad, because you are so special to me. You taught me the game and you taught me how to play it right. – Wade Boggs

I was raised by my father most of my life. I’m part sailor, part farmer, part craftsman. I was taught I could be anything I wanted to be, but that I needed to work for it. Although he worked an eight to ten hour a day job, he never missed an awards ceremony or a school assembly where parents were invited. He always took time to listen, and was never less than fair. As he said about his own father, the older I got, the smarter my father got. I also realized that, even though it embarrassed me how we opened the refrigerator door with a screwdriver, everyone loved to gather at my house. They knew that no matter who they were, if they were my friends, they’d be welcomed with open arms and an open heart. He passed away shortly before I got married, and I’ll miss him until we meet again.

👑 My Dad…

 

Jun11

June 10, 2018 – The Final Stadium Showdown & Weekend Time

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

[Then] Madison is out in the woods. She slips under a zombie alarm. She tells someone not to turn around, and hands where she can see them. She doesn’t know them, but saw their vehicle, and has a good idea  of what they’re capable of. They don’t know her either, and they’re not going to. She tells them to toss the keys, but they drop them, saying they’re not tossing sh*t. It’s Al, and Madison shoots the cup she’s holding. Al says that was her dinner. Madison says it wasn’t an accident. She’s lost everything, and has nothing else to lose. Al says she thinks she’s been through a lot? She has no idea.

[Now] Zombies scrabble at Al’s truck. The camera pans out, and there’s an unbelievable number. John is still breathing, but Naomi has to get the bullet out. Everything she needs is inside. Morgan asks if Al can get closer. Al asks Charlie to keep filming. One day someone will want to know what happened.

[Then] Madison is holding a gun on Al, who’s tied up in the back of her truck. She says the sooner Al gives her the keys, the sooner she can get out. Al asks if Madison knows how many times she’s been zip tied? If Madison wants something, she has to give Al something. Madison sees a box of Al’s tapes, and asks what they are. Al says that’s not how it works. Madison says there are people out there who need her; the truck will make it easier. Al says she interviews people she comes across, and Madison thinks maybe she talked to them. Al tells Madison to cut her loose, and they’ll talk about a deal. Madison wants the keys and the tapes. Al says she tried to do it the nice way. She’s freed herself, and grabs Madison. Al wakes up on the floor of the truck, and says, sh*t. Madison is driving.

[Now] In the stadium parking lot, Al says she can’t get much closer. The zombies will get jammed in the wheel well, and they won’t be able to get them out. Morgan says he’ll move fast, and Al says it’s going to be loud. John tells him not to go; he got Morgan into this. Morgan says John got him out of something; now he’s getting John out of this. Naomi says she’ll be right back, and kisses John’s forehead. Al opens the gun window, and guns down a good number of zombies. Naomi and Morgan make a run for it. They’re barely inside, when the entrance blows up.

Al radios, asking if they’re all right. Morgan says they’re good in here. Charlie calls to Al from the front seat. We see Alicia in the stadium, with a gun trained on them. Al tells Morgan they need to hurry. They’re here. They found us.

[Then] Parked under a bridge, Madison looks through the interviews, hoping to see Nick and Alicia. She gets frustrated, and pounds the dashboard. A zombie comes to the window. She rolls it down, and pikes the zombie in the head. The zombie falls to the ground, and Al is there with a gun, saying, remember me? Madison gets out, and Al tells her, everything better be there and working. Madison says it is, and Al says Madison is going to tell her a story, starting with who she’s looking for.

[Now] Alicia, Victor, and Luci shoot at Al, who shoots back. Victor tells Alicia to radio Al, and she does, saying it’s not going her way. She knows how much ammo Al has, and it won’t last forever. She thought Al just wanted a story, and Al says she thought she’d mix it up today.

Morgan and Naomi go through the zombies in half-darkness, killing them as they go. The shooting continues outside. John falls unconscious, and I freak, thinking he’s dead. On the radio, Naomi tells them to keep applying pressure; he can’t lose more blood. Al tells John it’s not going to end like this, and he says it’s okay. Charlie films everything. John tells Al that when it’s all over, to stop running from people, and Morgan should do the same – or not. Morgan knows what he means.

Naomi grabs supplies. Morgan radios that they’re coming back now. The truck rocks with a blast, and Alicia asks how Al likes it. Al says, nice try, bitch. Her truck is built like a tank in a tank. The door falls off, and Alicia is standing there with a gun. Al asks if she’s going to help with the door, or what?

[Then] Al asks if Madison always uses a gun to get what she wants, and Madison says, if that’s what it takes. Al wonders what makes it okay, and Madison assumes she hasn’t lost anyone she’s cared about yet. Al asks who was it, and what happened to her? Al guesses it was her kids, and asks if someone did something to them or did they do something to her? Madison wonders why any of it matters, and Al says, because it’s the truth, facts, reality. Just admitting that there is one reality, and they share it. That they’re connected by a single, screwed up world. That’s the truth, and it can change things. Madison asks, how? Al say she’s been doing this a long time; since before things went bad. It was always bad, but it got worse. She was in a village on the other side of the world, and there was a warlord who called himself Twisted Round, who thought he owned the place. He was shaking people down for things they didn’t have enough of to start with. No one talked because they were too scared, but she talked someone into talking about it. In the end, they found out he didn’t have an army or guns, and didn’t last much longer. The only thing he had going on was that the truth wasn’t coming out – until it did. She knows she doesn’t have the story Madison is looking for, but someone might be interested in hers one day. What happened to her kids? Madison says she made them a promise they’d be safe, and she wasn’t able to keep it.

[Now] Al asks Alicia not to hurt Charlie. Alicia asks, why not? Charlie hurt her. On the radio, Naomi asks if Al copies her. Alicia tell Al to say it’s safe to come out or Charlie dies. Charlie killed her brother, and she’ll do it. At the stadium, Luci and Victor aim. Al tells Naomi it’s safe. Al looks at John, and asks if she can get her camera. John secretly turns the radio on, so Morgan and Naomi hear what’s going on in the truck. Victor says they’re not coming out. Alicia and Al struggle in the truck.

[Then] Al tells Madison that she doesn’t have to give the details; just the truth. Madison says she promised to find a place to live. Something that wasn’t just walls; they’d had those. What she was looking for was different. She was looking for a place where her kids wouldn’t have to do what she did to Al today. Al asks if she found it, and Madison says she thought she did. Al asks, what happened?

[Now] Alicia pushes Al down, and her head hangs out the door into the crowd of zombies, who grab at her. Charlie gets the radio, and tells them to hurry. Naomi says she’ll go, but Morgan tells her that they don’t want to kill him, and hands her the radio. He tells her to let him know what to do to keep John going. In the truck, Charlie grabs Alicia, and they end up on the floor. Al gets the gun, and Alicia sees the cup o’ noodles soup. She asks where Al got them, and Al says there was a semi with a bunch of them; she traded with them for an interview. Alicia grabs the tapes, and sees one that says Amina. Al asks if she knew her.

[Then] Madison tells Al it doesn’t matter; what she was looking for might not even be possible. She says for certain things, you don’t need a camera; it just sticks. She talks about renting a house in the mountains one summer. It had big windows and one morning, a bird flew into one. It was injured, and the kids kept it in a shoebox, naming it Willomina, Amina for short. They nursed it for weeks, taking turns staying up all night. Whatever they did, it just seemed to get worse, but her son was a sensitive boy, and her daughter decided it would live. Every morning, Madison dreaded what she might find, but one day she heard chirping, and Amina was flying around the living room. She lived because her kids didn’t give up on her; they gave her a chance when no one else would. There’s not a whole lot of that left. Al says, no, there’s not. Madison says that’s why she needed a different place, where things were different. We see Alicia watching her interview on the camera. Madison can’t imagine that part of them dying, and says you do what it takes to keep it alive. Alicia tells Al, eff you. Al looks at her and says, Madison never tolf her their names. She asks if the stadium was the place Madison was looking for.

[Now] Alicia goes into the stadium, and sees Morgan. She points the gun at him. He says he’s just trying to help his friend, and she says he can, after he steps aside. He doesn’t understand, and Naomi says she does. Alicia’s mom is dead because of what she did.

I’m getting all the feels, and realizing that I’m one with Al.

Morgan says she’s been doing this a long time. She’s thinking this is who she is, and what she’s got to do. He says let her save John. Alicia says she doesn’t get to; she doesn’t get anything. Naomi says, Alicia brought her there; she helped her. Alicia says she’s not that person anymore. Morgan says she can be. She just has to decide to get out. He says he tried to get away from people; everything and everybody. He thought he had to. Someone told him that he’d end up with people again, and he didn’t want to believe it, so ran halfway across the country to prove them wrong. Now, he’s standing between a gun and someone he just met. Things can change. They did for him, and can for her too. Alicia starts crying. Morgan says they already have; he’s not dead. He asks her to step aside for her brother, but she says she won’t step aside for Naomi. Naomi says no matter what Alicia thinks she lost, what her mother wanted for her is still in her, and she sees it. Alicia puts the gun down, and Morgan holds her. He tells Naomi to go to John, and gives her the gun.

[Then] Al writes Amina on Madison’s tape. She says, deal, and cuts Madison loose. She asks where Madison is heading; where her kids might be. She doesn’t need details, but wants to figure out how far it is when she gives Madison food. Madison says they got separated outside of El Paso. Her kids escaped, and she barely got out. Naomi gives her some noodle cups, and Madison asks what she owes her. Al says, nothing. She gave Al a down-payment, and can tell the rest of the story when she finds them. Al says she moves around a lot.

Madison drives. She sees a station wagon, and stops. She puts the radio on, and hears Alicia say, mom. She finds Alicia, Victor, and Luci at the motel. She tells them that she’s been to every motel between here and El Paso; they had to be at one of them. She sees Nick and hugs him. Victor asks where she got the MSG jackpot. She says from someone up the road, and he tosses Alicia a cup o’ noodles.

Madison shows them the stadium. Victor says it’s a little big, but she says she’s not just of them; they’ve been thinking too small. Nick asks if she wants to bring people in. She says someone helped her when they didn’t have to. She thinks it’s time to do the same.

[Now] Al drives in silence with Alicia in the passenger seat. Naomi has John hooked to an IV. Victor asks why Madison didn’t tell them about her. Al doesn’t think she was proud of how they met. She quietly asks what happened to Madison. Alicia says if she wants the rest of the story, pull over.

Naomi tells John it’s going to be okay. She tells him that her name is June. Now he knows. He says it’s his favorite month.

Al films, as Alicia, Victor, and Luci contribute to the story, while sitting around a fire. She asks them to tell her about that night. What she did. What they remember. Alicia says she and her brother were in the parking lot – surrounded.

We see the zombies around their car. Victor says they’re not leaving them out there. Madison, Luci, and Victor try to get to them. Alicia says, they cleared a path, but they had to get to the stadium. Victor says it was easier said than done. Madison told them to stay inside. She said the walls would hold, but they didn’t believe her. They didn’t have the same faith that she had in the place. Luci say she doesn’t think anyone did. Not when they saw what they were up against. We see zombies on fire, zombies getting shot, and Cole shooting at them. Alicia says they decided to run. Victor says, Madison tried to stop them. Alicia says they couldn’t get back Mel took their car. We see him driving, with Charlie in the passenger seat. Charlie says he found her in parking lot. They were closing in on her, and he saved her. Al asks what happened. Victor says the people were trying to get away. They didn’t. All the people she brought in were going to die. Naomi says she tried to talk them out of it. She believed the walls would hold, but she couldn’t change their minds. She was going to stay, and when she went to get supplies, she got back too late. The caravan was overrun, and the dead came at her. She ran until she couldn’t anymore. Alicia says, she joined the Vultures. They thought she was still inside; they thought she died. Naomi says she thought they all died. When the Vultures found her, she didn’t think she had anywhere else to go. Victor says she did what she thought she had to. Alicia says, none of them could get out of the parking lot. She couldn’t get beck to the stadium; there were too many dead. Victor says, Madison had another idea.

We see Madison standing with a flare, drawing the zombies away from them. Alicia says when they realized what she was trying to do, they tried to go back, but there were too may dead between them and Madison. Victor kept Alicia from running after Madison, saving her life. They’d reinforced the walls to keep the dead out, and Madison knew they were strong enough to keep them in. They followed her inside. Luci says it was more than they could count. We see them, and it’s a lot. Victor says she led the dead inside, so they could get away. She tried to go through tunnels, but there were still too many outside the gates to escape. So she locked herself in.

We see Madison run out of bullets. Alicia radios. Madison says she was afraid to lose this place. She thought they needed it to stay who they are right now. She tells Alicia, no one is gone until they’re gone. She faces the dead, and throws the flare. It starts a fire. Nick and Alicia watch from the car in horror.

Alicia says it was never about the stadium. Victor says it was about the people. Luci says, it was about them.

They drive away. Victor says she gave up her life, so they could live. Al turns off the camera. She writes Madison on the tape. Victor passes out cup o’ noodles to each of them. A new group is formed.

A folk song plays as the noodles are passed out. I find out later, it’s called *Love, Love, Love by The Mountain Goats.

Next time, zombies in a hella wicked storm, and Alicia wants to be left alone.

*Some things you do for money; some you do for fun, but the things you do for love, come back to you one by one.

😵 Why Does Weekend Time Go Faster?

SupermanTime

Ferris

 

 

Jun4

June 3, 2018 – The Stadium is Under Attack, a Few TV Tidbits & Not Done

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

John isn’t looking too good, but Naomi tells him to stay with her. He says he got her note. She and Morgan drag John behind a car, and away from the shooting. Morgan tells Naomi he’s john’s friend. She says she’ll get medical supplies, and promises to be back. He says he knows she will.

Mel says they have to get out of there. Alicia hits one of the Vultures. Mel starts the ambulance he’s driving, but Naomi says she needs the field kit from the back. He’s like, too bad, and keeps driving. She runs after the ambulance. As the distance becomes longer between them, the back of it blows up. Alicia is standing there with a grenade lancher, and tells Naomi that they took her in. Naomi says it’s not what she thinks. Naomi runs back to John, and tells Morgan they have to get him out of there.

Luci sees Charlie. Charlie says she’s sorry. Luci has gun pointed at her, but shoots some other guy. Al keeps filming. Morgan tells her they need to get John out. She says she’s not part of story, and Morgan says if she hides, a good man dies. The story is almost finished, and it doesn’t have to be that way for John. Al pulls her mega truck next to John, and opens the gun portal. Alicia puts her hands up, and Naomi and Morgan get John inside. Al says, gotta move.

Morgan tells Charlie they won’t hurt her. Charlie wants to make sure Mel is okay. Morgan says Mel is gone. She needs to come with him, or she’ll die. She gets in Al’s truck. Alicia, Victor and Luci shoot at the back as it’s driving away. Naomi tells Al to go to the stadium. Al says it’s supposed to be gone, and Naomi says, it’s not. Al says Naomi is supposed to be dead, and asks if she wants to tell them what else they got wrong.

[Before] Planting is happening at the stadium, and everyone pitches in. Nick says it won’t be ready for months. Madison says rations will get them through. He asks if she’s ever thought they wouldn’t make it, and she says, plenty of times. He asks what got her through, and she tells him, thinking she didn’t want to be out there; it’s way better in here. Douglas radios, saying they have a visitor. It’s Charlie. Nick asks why she’s there, and she says she needs their help.

[Forward] Morgan tells Al that they don’t have much time, and she says she’ll get him there. Charlie realizes he’s Nick’s friend. He knows what she did. Why did he save her? He says, because this has to stop some place.

Naomi tells John again to stay with her. She finds a tin of Scrabble letters on him. Morgan says he’s been looking for her, and never gave up all this time. Naomi says if you try to protect someone, you wind up hurting them. Al asks what happened; what did she do to them? Charlie says what happened wasn’t Naomi’s fault. It was hers.

[Before] Outside the stadium, a zombie pounds at the car Mel has crashed. Alicia says he’s breathing, but to be careful. He might have lung damage. Charlie insists Mel was trying to avoid the accident. There’s an argument as to whether they should just leave him there. Alicia says, if they leave him, will he make it? Nick says the Vultures lost and know it, and now they have supplies. Charlie says she lied before, but she’s not lying now. She asks Madison to please bring him back with them. Nick says they just started replanting. Madison says, If it’s a trick – Charlie says, it’s not – they’ll handle it. She says Naomi put a gun to her head when they first met; now they’re replanting thanks to her.

[Forward] Alicia sees a Vulture zombie and cuts him down. She tells Victor to wait. She sees someone crawling toward her. She squats down, and Mel reaches out. She asks how long Charlie was with him, and he gurgles something unintelligible. She says, you know what? It doesn’t matter, and smashes him in the head with the butt of her weapon. She should have left him for the zombies

[Before] Mel is handcuffed to a bed at the stadium. He asks what he’s doing there, and Naomi tells him that he has broken ribs. He asks where Charlie is, and Madison says she asked them to help her; she’s fine. He says she needs to let them go. Naomi says he has a serious injury. He says they’re not safe. Madison tells him that he’s said that before, and they’ll make it. If his brother and their crew try something, they’ll handle them. Mel says he and his brother are the ones they need to worry about.

We see a bus load of zombies, trying to get their hands out of the boarded-up windows.

Victor shows the Vultures’ numbered flags to Madison, saying that’s all that’s left. She says maybe Mel is telling the truth. Nick asks Charlie if she thinks Ennis is leading them there, and she says he wouldn’t do that. Madison asks if she’s sure. She tells Victor it will be tough, but they can do it. He says they have cars running the length of the railway. Madison asks if they’re full of dead, and Victor says, they were. She asks how many, and they go through the flags; the highest number is 735. Madison says no one goes in or out without them knowing. She tells Nick to take Charlie to her room.

Mel nearly coughs up a lung. Naomi tells him take the deepest breaths he can. When she gets close to help him, he pulls a knife on her, and tells her to take him to Charlie. Naomi pooches him in his broken ribs, takes the knife, and says not to make her break his cracked rib. He’s here to keep him breathing. He says they won’t listen to him. She’s new; maybe she’s been out there for a while. Maybe she was at another place that went down. Maybe knows what he does; what happens to people who stay. They die, and everything they’re fighting for dies with them. It doesn’t need to be that way for her. This place isn’t worth her life. He asks her to come with them. If she helps them, they’ll help her. He has the feeling she knows he’s right.

Madison pries the boards off of a concession stand. Naomi approaches. Madison says she needs the needs the lumber to reinforce the walls. Naomi says, it’s not safe here, and Madison says it will be. Naomi thinks they should consider what Mel is saying and think about leaving. Madison says that’s what the Vultures have wanted since they showed up. Out there, things don’t get better. She built this place for her kids; so they can have something close to a real life. Naomi says if she wants to protect them, she has to disappoint them. Madison says she thought about walking away. She told Alicia to prep a car just in case. She saw it on Alicia’s face, like she was chipping away at what they built. She told herself she wouldn’t use it. Naomi thinks she should reconsider. Madison asks what he said to her, and Naomi says he didn’t have to say anything. She’s been on the wrong side of where Madison is. Naomi doesn’t want to see it happen to her. What she built for her kids isn’t worth risking their lives – or hers.

Madison continues to accumulate boards off of various structures. Mel coughs some more. Madison says if he wants to go; go. He asks why, and she says while he’s here, he’s going to try to turn the others against her. He asks where Charlie is, but Madison says she’s not going. She can’t let him risk Charlie’s life.

Everyone is helping to reinforce the walls. Madison tells them to open the gate, and get the Land Rover. Mel wants to go. Victor says he might die out there. He’s there because she didn’t give up on him; what’s different? Madison says, open the gate, or she will. Mel gets in the car, saying they won’t make it. Madison says, if Charlie goes with him, whoever Charlie turns into won’t be Charlie anymore. He tells her the walls won’t hold, and Madison says she’ll keep Charlie safe. Mel tells her that’s what her parents said, and died in front of her. Don’t make her go through that again. Madison says she wasn’t there; it wasn’t them. He says they’re trying to be the type of people who are extinct. She draws her gun, and says, no one’s gone until they’re gone, and he drives away, wounds and all. The gates close again. Madison tells them not to think about what Mel said.

Nick tells Madison that she should have made him stay; He wouldn’t have taken Charlie, since he can’t get far. Madison says he’s not getting far without Nick and his sister protecting him. Nick asks if she remembers when he said he was afraid of who he was out there? He was really afraid of being away from her; she showed him the way. She finds him when he’s gotten lost. He felt found here, like he’d finally starting to get it. Letting a guy kill himself because they’re afraid of him. doesn’t sound like what she wanted them to find out.

Charlie says, he’s gone, but he’s hurt? He’s not going to make it, and he’s her friend. Alicia says she put a radio in the car, and it’s on. They should let Charlie see if he’ okay. They call, and Madison asks if Mel can hear her. He coughs, and she asks where he is and if he’s all right. He coughs some more. The signal is lost, and everyone looks grim and sad. Charlie says they have to help him.

More reinforcing goes on, and Cole hopes it holds whatever is coming his way. Alicia says they have to go out. Victor asks Nick if Madison knows they’re leaving. Nick asks, is he letting them out, or what? Victor knows they’re going after Mel, and says their mother did the same thing for him. Who is he to stop them? He lets them out. As they get on the road, Nick says they’re going to find Mel, and help Madison remember why she built this place.

One of the Vultures starts a truck full of zombies. A woman says, you know what to do, and he drives off. Behind him is a whole caravan of trucks.

Naomi finds Madison to tell her that she’s not going. Madison says, in that case, they’ll find her a new bedroom. Naomi says if she starts pulling boards off the showers, she’s chaining herself to the pipes. Madison says she forgot how it was for her kids to look at her like that, but it would it be worse if they didn’t. She guesses she taught them something after all. Naomi says whatever is going to happen, will happen soon. She’s prepping the infirmary.

Nick sees the Land Rover, and radios Victor, says they found him. Victor tells him to get back with due haste. Nick nails a zombie. Alicia says Mel is in rough shape. Nick hears something, and tells her to kill the headlights. They see the trucks coming toward the stadium. The trucks drive past without noticing them. Nick radios Victor, telling him a convoy is coming his way.

Victor tells Madison to sound the alarm. Madison is surprised Victor didn’t try to stop Nick and Alicia. He says they needed to do it, and she says that doesn’t mean she has to like it. Cole says, that’s not a convoy. We see only two headlights. Madison radios Nick and asks if he’s there, but he’s still a half-mile off. It’s an ice cream trail, leaving a trail of… blood? Gas? Something. Nick radios Madison, who tells him to just in get inside. Alicia says maybe it’s a trap, and here come the trucks. Ha-ha! My heart is beating faster.

The trucks line up in the parking lot. Luci asks what’s happening. Madison explains that Nick and Alicia are out there. Lots of zombie rumbling is coming from the trucks. The Vultures set up ramps. Ennis whistles, and signals for the trucks to be opened. Zombies stagger down the ramps. I think it must be gas. Someone is going to get these zombies lit.

Madison radios Nick and Alicia to come inside. and here we go, the gas is set on fire. The zombies crowd Nick’s car. Madison runs down. Victor tells her she can’t go out there. She says her kids in the parking lot. Is he going to stop her? He says, no. He’s coming with her. Luci says she’s coming too. In the car, Alicia asks how much ammo the have, and Nick says, not enough, reminding me of Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn) in Planet Terror. Madison says there are too many zombies for them to drive through, and Nick says they can’t last much longer. Douglas says they have to get the fire out before anyone can leave. Victor tells him to shut up and open the gate. Alicia radios Madison, saying she’s sorry they had to come out to try and save him, but they couldn’t just hide. They didn’t mean to do this to her, but it was the right thing to do. Zombies grapple at the car. We see the flames reflected on Madison’s face.

[Forward] Al drives past a burned ice cream truck. Naomi says don’t stop; there’s no time. Morgan asks if she’s sure she’ll find what they need. She says she set up the infirmary herself. Any supplies that were taken, were taken from the outside; no one would go in there. Morgan says he thinks he knows who Al is; he’s seen it. She says he doesn’t know who she is. She’s a chick with layers. Me too. I am so one with this show right now. Al tells them to hold on, and she drives through the closed gate into the stadium. The dust clears, and there are a million zombies scattered all around. They grasp at the truck.

Next time, the mid-season finale (sigh) – Madison has nothing else to lose, Al thinks someone will want to know what happened, Naomi tries to save John, and Al machine guns the crap out of some zombies.

Excellent episode!

💍 I only saw pieces of 90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? and will be watching it in its entirety at a later time. However, I saw enough to wonder what the blip is with Chantel’s family? Are they bad actors? Are they on something? Like a high dose of Valium? Even Chantel has inherited their strange, wooden monotone – in two languages! No wonder Pedro is looking to book back to the DR, but I still think there’s something crooked about the mother/sister grifter team. And note to Molly – all men call watching the kids babysitting. Even when the kids are their own.

🎭 Sadly, Imposters has been canceled:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/imposters-canceled-as-bravo-refines-scripted-approach-1116494?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=THR%27s%20Today%20in%20Entertainment_now_2018-06-02%2006:47:37_ehayden&utm_term=hollywoodreporter_tie

🙏 In happier news, Preacher will be back on Sunday, June 24th.

WeekendMinions2

 

 

May22

May 20, 2018 – The Ball Comes To a Close, VanderReunion Wraps, a Mention of Terror & Sherry Trifle

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Robert drags Valentin off the stage. Valentin suggests they discuss it like adults. Robert says they’ll do that, and cuffs him. Robin asks if Robert is okay; he looks terrible. He says he’s fine, and throws Valentin up against the wall in the hallway. Valentin says there’s an explanation, but Robert says he wants justice. He asks about Henrik.

Spinelli goes to Peter’s office. Sam tells Spinelli that Peter is Henrik.

Anna goes to the pier. She calls out for Henrik, but we know he’s busy delivering a baby. She asks where he is.

Maxie tells Peter there’s no time to go to the hospital. The baby is coming now. Peter calls for an ambulance, and takes her hand. He tells them it’s not an accident; it’s a baby.

At the Ball, Lucy says to give a hearty welcome to Port Charles’s own man of mystery, Robert Scorpio. Then says she’ll be right back. Mike remembers the Nurses’ Ball being crazy, but what was that? Sonny says Valentin just got arrested. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Robert says first Valentin poisons him, and then imprisons him. Valentin says it was just a diversion. Robert tells Valentin that he knows Valentin took Anna’s child and gave it to Faison.

Lying by the side of the road, Maxie asks Peter if he’s okay. He says he’s fine, and she asks him to help her breathe.

Spinelli types furiously, and says, voila! Henrik’s inbox. He looks for any emails regarding the manuscript.

Felix tells Kiki that her couture is liberating her bosom. Kiki thinks someone backstage can fix it.

Sonny asks Dante what’s going on with Robert. Dante tells him that Robert said he had it under control.

Stella asks if Sonny has seen his father. Mike gets up on stage, and takes the mic. (Mike takes the mic.) He says a lot of people know him, but he might not remember them. He’s Mike Corbin, and has Alzheimer’s. That’s one thing he can’t forget. Sonny starts to get up, but Stella stops him. Mike says he might not remember much, but he remembers that the event means a lot to his son. He tells everyone that the show must go on, and starts to sing Frank Sinatra’s Summer Wind, as a random pianist accompanies him. He puts on a fedora, and an orchestra appears behind him. He suddenly forgets the lyrics, and begins to cry. He was ripping my heart out with just the song, and now he’s stomping on it.

Sonny goes to the stage, and tell the accompanist to continue playing. Sonny help Mike through the rest of the song, and they receive a standing ovation.

Ava says, great, she has to follow that, but Griff says she’ll be wonderful. She tells him from his lips to God’s ears. She leaves to change. Bobbie tells Sonny and Mike that they make a great team. Mike says they should take their act on the road, and Sonny says, maybe they will. Drew tells Sonny it was a helluva thing to do for his dad. Sonny appreciates that.

Maxie tells Peter that she’s reminding herself of the things she loves while she’s in excruciating pain. She tells him that he has to look at the baby, and tell her what he sees – go! He looks, and says the head is coming. She says she’s going to push the baby, and asks if he’s ready. He says, as he’ll ever be. He tells her it’s coming, and she can do this.

Backstage, Kiki gives Amy her dress and thanks her. Amy says it will just take a second. David walks in while Kiki is in her underwear. She asks what he’s doing there. Griff follows him in.

Olivia gives Cook 2 a bouquet of roses, saying she saved the Nurses’ Ball. Cook wouldn’t go that far, but Olivia says she would. The guests were raving about the food; it was nothing short of a miracle. Cook says the staff was competent, and the kitchen was well-stocked, but she should tell the chef to have more seasonal offerings. Olivia says she’ll pass it along, unless… Cook says, unless what? Olivia says unless she’s interested in taking over as house chef of the MetroCourt.

Sam reads an email from Henrik’s mother, saying they should meet. Jason says Anna cut him off. She planned on posing as Henrik’s mother, and Lulu was going to orchestrate something to draw him out, with Jason as back-up. Spinelli wonders why Anna wouldn’t want protection, and Jason says Anna refuses to believe Henrik is a threat.

Anna thinks about Robert telling her that she can’t tell Henrik that she’s his mother. At worst, he could destroy everything they love. Robert says he must never know, and she promises not to tell him. Anna walks around the pier.

Maxie howls and pushes. Peter says, that’s it, and we hear a baby cry, Maxie says, we did it. Peter says, she did it; she was amazing. He wraps his jacket around the baby, saying he’s dressing him for his debut, and hands him to Maxie, telling her, Maxie Jones, meet your son. They laugh, and I think, that baby is pretty big for a newborn.

Olivia says she loves Chef David; he’s done fantastic work, but she thinks Cook is a true artist. Her talent is wasted working in a private home, even if it’s the Quartermaines. Cook says, and with her gone, Olivia will get to have the kitchen all to herself. Olivia swears she wasn’t thinking of that. Cook asks if she’s going to keep her end of the bargain, and never set foot in the Quartermaine kitchen again. Olivia says she took an oath on her favorite skillet, and she’s not breaking that. She just thinks Cook has more to offer the world. Cook says Olivia is right. She does.

David tells Griff that he was looking for the men’s room. Really? He couldn’t do better than that? Griff says it’s down hall; there’s a sign on the door. David says he’s obliged, and leaves. Griff asks if Kiki is okay. She says she’s fine, but starts crying. She tell him that she’s stressed, but don’t tell anyone. Griff holds her while she cries, and Ava sees them.

Robert says Valentin knows all about Henrik; who he is and where to find him. Valentin says he has Anna walking into a trap. They have to find her before it’s too late. Nina has walked in, and listens.

Mike says it’s Sonny’s first time on stage since the Christmas pageant. Sonny says his dad is the star; he’s just the backup. Lucy comes back in another fabulous dress, red satin, with one shoulder, and tied at the waist on the opposite side. She introduces a woman of mystery – the less you know, the better. Ava sings You Don’t Own Me, with male backup dancers in tuxes. She looks pointedly at Griff and Sonny throughout the song. Nice. Bobbie and Sonny scowl. Scotty claps wildly. Griff looks serious.

Bobbie tells Scotty that she’s not sitting with him after he got on his feet to applaud the woman who destroyed her grandson. She’s not ignoring what Ava has inflicted on her family. Scotty says, it’s the Nurses’ Ball. They’re not supposed to be holding grudges. Bobbie says it doesn’t count with this one.

Lucy tells Sonny the only reason she let Ava perform was because she made a substantial donation, and it wasn’t the number she rehearsed. Sonny says the night is too important to let someone like Ava ruin it. Ava asks if Griff enjoyed her performance. Kiki tells her the audience loved it. Griff says it wasn’t the song she rehearsed. Ava says she had some last minute inspiration, and she owes it to them.

Kim gets a text that Maxie is on her way to the hospital. She has to go, but the nearest car is twenty minutes away. Drew offers her a ride.

Valentin swears on his family that he’s telling the truth. Robin comes out, and asks if everything is okay. Robert says everything is fine. She looks at Valentin, and says, there’s that, and Robert looks like he was run over by a steamroller; so forgive her if she doesn’t believe him. Robert asks where her mother is. Robin says she got a message, and she took off. She asks if Anna is in trouble, and Robert says, not if he can help it. He leaves with Robin. Valentin is cuffed and sitting in a chair. Nina says she can’t stress the importance of honesty right now. How long has he known who Henrik is?

Olivia says, the Hotel Elysium? In Rome? Cook asks if she can believe it, and Olivia says, no. What are the odds a recruiter was here on the one night she filled in? Cook says, crazy, right? But she couldn’t have done it without Olivia. She tells Olivia to keep the flowers; she has to pack and write her resignation letter. Olivia says Monica is going to kill her. Cook says, probably, but the bright side is she gets to have the kitchen all to herself.

The EMTs come, and Peter tells her that he’ll see her at the hospital. Maxie says her parents are out of town, and asks Peter to call Spinelli from her phone in the car. He tells her to take care of the baby, and he’ll take care of everything else.

Jason says there’s no way Anna would leave the Ball unless it was important. She’s meeting with Henrik. Sam says they have to tell her that he’s Peter. Spinelli’s phone rings. The call is coming from Maxie’s phone, and Spinelli asks if everything is okay. Peter says it’s him; Maxie asked him to call. She’s fine, and so is the baby. She’s on her way to GH, and she asked him to tell Spinelli to reach out to her parents. Spinelli says, on her way? He asks if she didn’t have the baby there. Peter says it’s a long story, and she’ll want to tell him herself; he’s got to go. Spinelli asks how is it that Peter is spreading the glad tidings? Peter says he delivered the baby, adding, goodnight, Mr. Spinelli. He hangs up, and Spinelli says, unbeknownst to Maxie, Nathan’s brother delivered her baby.

Peter takes a gun out of the glove compartment.

Anna waits. She thinks about Jason telling her it’s too dangerous. She’s way too close to this.

Nina tells Valentin, yes or no. If he’d spoken up sooner, would her brother still be alive? He knew who Henrik was, but tells her it’s impossible to say if his silence changed anything. Faison was on a collision course with both of his sons. He doesn’t think anything would have stopped it. Nina says she believes him. He says they have to get to the airport. Nina says he wanted to take them away, so when things blew up, no one would know his part in it.

Anna says it’s past midnight; he’s not coming. She hears someone, and says, Henrik? When she sees Peter come down the stairs, she says, Peter, but he says she was right the first time, calling her mom.

Maxie asks Kim how the baby is. Kim says a little underweight, but it’s to be expected. Otherwise, he’s in great shape. Maxie wants to be with her baby. Kim has an idea.

Sam wonders what the hell the deal is with Maxie’s baby. Jason needs Spinelli to look at the email again. He tells him to look for anything indicating a meeting with Anna.

Lucy says another fab, wonderful Nurses’ Ball is coming to an end. She thanks Olay, and I appreciate the product placement not being as heavy as other years. She thanks the performers, support staff, and crew who made magic happen. She thanks the guests, saying they broke the record; they’ve raised more money than ever. Since it’s the nurses’ night, they wanted to end it the way they started. Deanna, Epiphany, Bobbie, Felix, and Amy sing I’ll Be Your Champion. The other nurses join them. Nice harmony.

Ava thanks Kiki, who has an early day at the hospital. Ava says Griff has a room there, which is convenient. She leaves with Griff, and David tells Kiki that he’ll see her bright and early.

Valentin tells Nina that whatever she thinks is going on, there’s more to the story. She knows. He says he’ll explain, but she doesn’t know if she’ll believe him. Robert takes him away.

Kim tells Maxie that she can’t bring the baby in, but she has the next best thing. She shows Maxie her tablet, and says they have a webcam set up for virtual visits. Maxie says, he’s so wrinkly and tiny. Kim says she did great, and Maxie says, except for her water breaking in Peter’s car.

Spinelli tells Jason and Sam that the message was sent at 9:57 pm this evening. Midnight. Pier 55. Come alone. Jason wonders if he was going to the hospital, but Spinelli says Peter told him that Maxie was on her way. Sam says she’ll go to the hospital, and Jason says he’ll go to the pier.

Peter tells Anna so this is what the WSB has resorted to; posing as an abandoned boy’s mother to flush him out. He doesn’t know whether to be offended or embarrassed. Anna says there’s something he needs to understand, but he says no, he doesn’t. He takes out a gun.

Tomorrow, Nelle wants to go home, Nina talks to Lulu, and Anna tells Jason to put the gun down.

Today’s episode was dedicated to Rick Pessagno. You can find out who he was here:

https://www.abc.soapsindepth.com/posts/rick-passagno-general-hospital-dead-160450

Vanderpump Rules

Andy wants to talk about the surprising friendship of Jax and James. He asks how Jax went from wanting to punch James in the face to finding him amusing. We see a clip from the last reunion with James making fun of Jax, and Jax laughing. Lisa says they’re similar in the choices they make, and Tom says they’re both needy and compulsive. We see clips of them together, and Andy asks if Jax is a role model for James. Jax admits he shouldn’t be a role model for anyone, and James says they have fun. Lala says she was skeptical; they all know what happened with Jax saying James hooked up with Kristen. She didn’t see how they could be bros after all this time. Andy says she’s done it with a lot of people. James tells Lala to shut up, but Lala isn’t having it. Scheana says Lala is friends with everyone now, but wasn’t for a long time.

Andy asks Stassi about how the event planning started. Stassi says she wanted to be like Lisa, a boss-ass bitch. She wants to be well-rounded, and Lisa knows how to do everything. Andy asks if she was being bossy, but Stassi says she was scared to piss people off, and tried to treat everyone with as much respect as possible. Tom says it’s frustrating because Stassi quit, and then was handed a position of power. He thinks she should have been forced to be a server again. This is just about the stupidest argument for anything I’ve heard from one of them. Lisa didn’t need her as a server; she needed and event planner and had worked with Stassi as a stylist before. Stassi says they should be a team, and wonders why it affects Tom. Lisa says it’s what Stassi wanted to do, and she had a position to fill. Thank you, and thank you. Andy asks about Lala’s event, and Lala says Stassi was her bitch. Scheana tries to interrupt, and Lala asks if she can get a word out. Lala says, this chick, meaning Stassi, shows up an hour before she needed to, and she’s going to give credit where credit is due. Stassi made her job easy, and made the ambiance killer. We flash back to that.

Andy switches gears, and asks if it was about the pasta. We flash back to James using the catch phrase of the season. James says it was partly about the pasta. He was pissed off about it, and drank too quickly. We see a clip of him toasting to getting drunk. Lala says they were all drinking, and he and Logan started having a conversation that went south. He was her boy, and she defended him through thick and thin. James sneezes without covering his mouth, and everyone is like, wtf? Lala says she was joking, and it turned into him calling her man names and discrediting him; it was disgusting. We flash back. Lisa says James shouldn’t drink, and suggests he not even have a sniff of a sherry trifle. Lala suddenly jets off the stage, and Andy asks what’s wrong. Brittany says she could tell Lala was getting mad. James calls Lala dramatic.

Lala goes to the bathroom. Lisa starts talking, and Kristen interrupts. Lisa tells her to shut up, and I laugh. Lisa says James needs to understand Lala was loyal to him. She’d even said if he went down, she would too. She tells him that he needs to go out on a limb and apologize. Kristen follows Lala into bathroom. Lala says it’s not okay for James to say stuff like that. On stage, Tom says, dude… and James gets up. Tom tells James not to roll his eyes, and Andy says he just did. James says it’s just a nervous reaction, and Tom tells him to try harder. Ariana decides to get the other girls, and tosses her heels, since she can’t really walk in them. Lisa says they can’t all just leave, but then she goes too. Scheana pulls out her phone and gets sucked into the iVoid.

Lisa tells Lala to come back; James is going to apologize. She tells Lala that she’s a strong girl. Lisa asks if she’s upset because of everything or is it the place where she’s at? Lala says it’s what he did to her, and Lisa says tell him then. They come back out, and Lisa tells James and Lala to figure it out. Andy asks why Lala left, and Lala dabs at her eyes. Lisa changes places with Stassi, so she can sit next to Lala, and tells her to say it. Lala says James was her best friend. She would never tear him down, or his girl, and it felt like he really came for her. We flash back to James being nasty. She says she’s always been supportive of James and Raquel. Lisa asks why stick by him, and Lala says he’s a hurt person. Lisa thinks it’s coming from a place of jealousy; he’s always had feelings for her. Kristen says this is how he treats the people he cares about. Andy points out that Kristen and James were together for years. Jax thinks James is like a little boy, pushing a girl he secretly likes.

The trip to Big Bear is discussed, and James flirting with Lala in front of Raquel. We flash back to that. James says he loves Raquel, and Lala says he should have been flirting with her. In the past, James made her feel comfortable and confident, but things changed. She was sitting with her man – henceforth known as Randall, since they’re out now – praying that it wasn’t going to air. She doesn’t feel safe around him anymore. Andy asks James if he would get with Lala if she was available, and James says he’d still be with Raquel. Lala seconds that. Andy asks what it would take for them to be friends again. They’re in agreement on time. Lala reminds James of when they went for people about their physical appearance last year, and says she was mortified to see it. We flash back to them body shaming castmates in their interviews. Lala was hoping he’d learn from that with her, and he didn’t. She says the reason she stuck around is that he didn’t have the upbringing. He took on burdens someone his age shouldn’t have had to. But someone she adores might not shake it off as easily. James gets it and apologizes, promising to never say anything like that again. Lala forgives him, and Andy says, nice.

Andy asks Jax about the marketing position in Florida. Jax says it was marketing and social media. Andy points out Jax had said there was nothing holding him back from taking it. Jax says it’s not like he had an amazing job. Andy is like, um, you have a girlfriend who moved to LA for you. Brittany says he didn’t think about her. Lisa says he didn’t even ask her. Jax says he wouldn’t have gone without her, and it was misread. Lisa thinks he has a deeper appreciation for Brittany now. Andy asks him if he can say what Brittany’s professional passion is, and he stumbles around until he kinda, sorta gets that she wants to work with special needs children. He makes excuses for why he didn’t know this information about the person who is supposed to be closest to him that he lives with. Andy suggests that him wanting such a big change might have had to do with Schwartz and Tom moving on. Stassi says she can’t believe they took him seriously about the Florida job, and asks if anyone else saw it. Jax says he’s not making up, and Brittany says she heard him talking on the phone. Yeah, but did she hear anyone on the other end? Stassi says he’s always been the boy who cried wolf. Schwartz says it’s an annual thing with Jax. Andy asks why he didn’t take it, even though it was his dream job> Jax says he was scared, and Schwartz tells him to admit he loves LA as much as he’s said he hates it.

The finale party with Patrick is brought up. Stassi says she couldn’t sleep; she was so shook from the party energy. Andy asks Lisa how surprised she was when Patrick continually talked about her backside. Lisa says it was wrong on so many levels. They’d just met, and he was saying it in front of someone who works for her and is his girlfriend. We flash back to this obnoxious twit, calling Lisa girl several times, which irritated me the most of all of his detestable ranting. Stassi says she felt so bad, and reminds everyone that she was on Xanax and alcohol. Lisa said Stassi was apologizing to him, and was trying to make him feel welcome. She thinks Stassi finally had enough.

Andy asks if Scheana lost herself in the relationship with Rob even more than Stassi did with Patrick. Scheana says she hasn’t seen all the episodes, and admits to fast-forwarding through her castmates’ scenes. She claims she’s just behind in watching. Jax says watching it back, he wanted to punch Patrick, and Stassi should forget him. He says new boyfriend Beau is cool, and we see pictures. Everyone agrees they like him. Stassi says he’s fun, and not screwing up. Lisa tells her to just be herself.

Next up is the trip to Mexico. Andy asks Lala about her baby bottle. She says she’s on a low dose of anti-anxiety medication, and there are various things you can do, like snapping a rubber band on your wrist. She finds it comforting to have a bubba. It helps her not think about her anxiety.

Andy follows that with the rumor about James and Kristen hooking up. James says they were hanging out, and it turned into they fooled around and hooked up. Jax admits they didn’t, but says he didn’t say anything. We flash back to him saying something. He claims he only said the pillows were evidence. Lisa says he went all Secret Squirrel, and claimed they were banging. Kristen says James’s words were on the screen. Tom says there was a reason for that, but Andy says he heard it clearly without the subtitles. He says Schwartz had no idea what was going on, since he blacked out and went to another resort. Schwartz asks who doesn’t black out in Mexico? That would be Andy and everyone else. Andy asks if Jax doesn’t owe Kristen and James an apology, and in keeping with his tradition of being the worst human being on earth, Jax asks why? Lisa says he nearly ruined two relationships. Kirsten says she had to tell Carter before he saw it on TV. Brittany tells him he should apologize, and he does – for misinterpreting what was said. Tom apologizes too, since he thought the same thing. Andy talks about James telling Kristen that he never said it, and her throwing a drink in his face. She says her brain exploded, and she apologized to James. She says for Tom to go to her boyfriend was wrong. Tom says her boyfriend came to him. Kristen says Tom told him about what happened during their time together. He says he wasn’t trying to ruin the relationship; Carter came to him. Something I noticed from James’s unintelligible answer on the golf course, was that he said, a little bit, but not really, when he thought Tom asked if he and Kristen were hanging out. If they’d hooked up, that would be a pretty odd thing to say, even for James.

Andy says Jax lost it when he found out Scheana was trying to hook Brittany up with Adam – in his home. His rant at SUR is discussed. Jax says he decided to flip everyone off, and just then, Lisa and Ken walk in. He says Lisa’s eyes were bulging, and she says he was absolutely out of order. She had to get him out of there. Andy asks what he was thinking as he was storming down the street. Tom says it was like something got knocked loose. He exploded. Tom says he went back out, and Jax adds that the people across the street were watching. Tom says Jax was unstoppable, and Brittany says, like a bull seeing red. Jax says he was embarrassed, and went on a super apology tour the next day. Lisa says what about her? He says she and Ken have been nothing but amazing. She says she’s kept him in his job for years, and he says it’s a helluva thing to do.

Andy wants to talk about the break-up. Jax says he thought about it for a while, and went back and forth. Brittany says he’d bragged about them having sex that morning. The girls concur that it was hard to watch. Brittany was blindsided. Stassi says the sex thing made it really, really bad. Ugh! I agree. Jax says he honestly thought he was doing the right thing, and someone asks, why hook up then. We flash back to Jax saying why does anybody hook up? And answering his own question by saying, to get off. Andy says it’s kind of a mind f**k, and Brittany says it literally came out of nowhere. She couldn’t believe it, after she’d planned Mexico, his birthday at Hooters, and his birthday some other damn where. Jax thought it was the mature, adult thing to do, and Brittany says, beg her to stay with him, then throw it away? He says he thought he couldn’t be good for her. I wonder if his so-called Reiki master put that idea in his head, or just confirmed it? Lisa thinks those in unpredictable relationships should use contraception, and offers to buy Jax a condom. Andy asks how Brittany feels, when even Jennifer Lawrence is telling her to break up with him? Brittany says the first thing in her mind was to get out, since Jax wouldn’t leave. She told the Uber driver to pick a hotel. She’d put up with so much, and then for everyone to see that it was hard and effed up. She wouldn’t talk to Jax for a month. The girls all say she’s a badass. Andy says Jax wouldn’t leave the apartment? Tom said he was like, wtf? Brittany says she never hooked up with anyone, but seems a little vague about dating. She talks about staying in a hotel, and going back when Jax wasn’t there. She also did some traveling. Jax didn’t give up, and the feeling didn’t go away. She realized he’s the person she wants to be with. The pressure of fans wanting more for her was the hardest part. She’s tried to be a good person and live a positive life. She would never say mean things to someone she didn’t know. But in the end, she did what she thought was right, and put her heart first. Not that she thinks it’s okay to be treated the way she was. Andy asks other girls about that, and it’s unanimous that Brittany deserves a prince. I think Brittany should do Brittany, but I also still think Jax is vile. We’ll see if his father’s death changes him. Possible, but not probable.

Andy says what brought everyone together was the untimely, unfortunate passing of Jax’s dad. Kristen says he had to be vulnerable and honest, and stop fronting. Jax says he was tired of himself. Andy asks if he treats Brittany better. Jax doesn’t think he would do wrong again, and he’s been putting her first. Brittany says everything is better. Jax tells her that he loves her. She says he’s more calm, and not talking down to her. Andy thinks his papa would be happy that Jax has found peace and happiness, and hopes it sticks.

Andy asks Lisa why she wouldn’t fire Jax. She says he would have taken on the victim role, saying he deserved it. The only decent thing was for him to resign. Andy asks if she can imagine him working at SUR. Jax quickly interjects that he’d pick up a shift if she really needed him. Lisa says she isn’t that desperate right now. Jax insists he wasn’t a bad person at work. He says maybe he can get a job at TomTom. Andy asks Schwartz when TomTom is going to have its first blackout and panic attack. Schwartz says he’s like a caterpillar who is going to emerge as a beautiful business butterfly.

The question of kids for Schwartz and Katie comes up, and Katie asks, who would want that? That would be everyone, and Katie says, soonish. Andy can’t wait to find out what Stassi’s new boyfriend thinks about Lisa’s ass, and asks if we’ll be seeing him next season. That’s a yes, but not so much Lala’s boyfriend. Jax hopes he and Brittany are together the rest of their lives, and Brittany ays it just keeps getting better. Kristen is happy with two dogs and boyfriend. Scheana claims she’s having fun being single, and is staying that way for a year. Andy says it’s been a big year for Lala, including stepping out in public with her man. He asks what the goal is, and she hopes to be together forever. Andy asks if Ariana has softened toward marriage, but that’s a no. However, that’s not stopping them from also wanting to be together forever. Andy asks what about kids, and Ariana votes no, while Tom is all thumbs up.

Andy asks again if it’s about the pasta, and says, yes, it is. He asks Lisa who’s next in line to get married, and she says, him. Lisa says she loves all of them. Being on a reality show is like looking in a mirror. They might not always like the reflection, but she hopes they grow from it. Andy says usually Ken and Peter bring out celebratory shots at the end, but this time, it’s not about the shots. Giggy! Ken totes the Gigster in, while Peter passes out “shots” of pasta. With no forks. It’s interesting to see the different ways they try to eat it. James suggests they chase the pasta with vodka, and they all say, cheers! Giggy!

Next time – Vanderpump Rules: Secrets Revealed.

😱 The Terror wrapped its first season up tonight. The highlight was when Mr. Hickey offered his cut-off tongue to the spirit bear, and it ate his arm and ripped him in half. That didn’t work. I only half-assed watched this show, and hope to pay more attention if there’s a season two. The scenery was a standout, and I would think the desolation alone would be enough to make anyone go mad. Although I found it intriguing, it did remind me of seeing Jaws 2, or Jaws 3, or whatever installment it was, with my father. He leaned over and said, where’s the music and the shark?

🍨 Following Up On What James Shouldn’t Sniff…

http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/traditional-english-sherry-trifle-strictly-for-the-grown-ups-264327

Trifle

May21

May 20, 2018 – Before & Now Get Closer, Here Comes the Givenchy, & Back to Work

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Zombies clamor to get into a store while a dude shops. He leaves the back way, because zombies aren’t the brightest things. He stops suddenly, and we hear John tell him, that’s right. John has a gun pointed at him. John says he saw his flag and knows who he is, and they have a particular person in common. John holsters his weapon, but says he’s quicker than dude on his worst day. He’ll attempt to shoot him in the hand, but there are no guarantees he’ll walk away – or walk away alive. He can keep his hands raised, answer one question, and live. He keeps hands raised and turns. John shows him a Vulture flag. Morgan tells dude not to be stupid; John will beat him. He tries to draw his gun anyway, and John shoots his pinky finger off. John throws him the flag to wrap his hand in. Dude asks what he wants. John says, answers.

Alicia asks if Al rigged her truck herself. Al knows where she’s going, and says her guns aren’t for hire and her bullets aren’t for sale. Alicia asks, why not? Al says she stays behind the camera. How about if they stick to their deal; a ride for their story. She’s heard some of it, but she wants it all. Alicia tells her to ask what she wants, as long as gets them there.

John wants to know where dude and the Vultures are meeting up. Dude says he’s not with whoever John thinks. John pats him down and finds a map. He says he’s seen before, from a guy in an El Camino. John asks, what happened to her? He says dude is carrying Naomi’s gun. Dude says he doesn’t know, and John shoves his gun in dude’s face. Morgan tells John to let him go. Morgan tells dude there are people headed there who want to kill him, and to steer clear. John tells Morgan to hold on to the pistols for the time being –  just in case. Morgan says he knows it’s hard. Does he know where they’re taking them? Morgan says they’ll find them, stop them, and ask what he needs to know abut Naomi. He wants to know she didn’t suffer.

Before

Naomi picks shards of something out of Alicia’s arm, and asks what she found. Alicia says a few canned hams and a lot of dead. She goes to cleaned up, and Madison thanks Naomi. Naomi asks if they’re going out tomorrow, and Madison says there’s not much choice – no matter how dangerous it is.

Victor asks Nick what new and exciting locale are they going to? Nick says they’re going to find a place with seeds and fertilizer. Lucy asks where the truck with the food came from, and Victor says, in a garage. Someone must have loaded it to make an escape, but never made it. Cole says he’s going to get ammo, and Victor follows him, thanking him for the cover. Cole says Victor saved him time by showing him who he really was before he thought Victor was someone else. Victor asks why not tell them, but Cole says he’s just not sure what Victor would do if he did. Cole leaves, and Madison asks if everything is okay. Victor says people are getting irritable because there isn’t enough food. Madison shows him a liquor bottle, and says she found it in the back of the pantry. Does he want to – he doesn’t let her finish before he says, yes.

The Vultures hang in the parking lot, while Richard Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung plays over their loudspeakers. Victor says, they don’t give up easy, and Madison says, no, they don’t. Victor asks why she saved him after what he did. She says she wasn’t going to leave him drown. He says she didn’t just pull him out. She nursed him back to health. She could have saved him and left, but she waited for him after everything; why? She says she knows who he is, and she likes drinking with him.

Madison finds Viv holding a gun on Naomi, who was trying to drive out. Naomi says she can explain, and Madison tells her that she doesn’t need to sneak out. She says she wasn’t leaving; she was going here. She hands Madison a pamphlet. She says they might have seeds and food, military rations. She used to be there. Victor asks if there are still people; people who know her. She shakes her head, and Madison asks why she didn’t tell them. Naomi says it’s dangerous. She didn’t want anyone to get hurt. Madison and Victor decide to go with her. Luci tells Nick that they’ll be back.

Naomi speeds along the highway. A sign says, food – gas – lodging, and Madison suggests they park for the night. Victor says they need all three things. They park at a motel, and Madison says, let’s clear it. They go into the office. It’s dark, but we hear zombie noises, and Madison knifes a couple in the head. She sees some guns and canned beans. She says, they killed each other over some cans of beans. Victor shows up with some vending machine food, and they take a break to eat. I wonder why the bean killers didn’t raid the vending machine.

Naomi says Madison and Victor have been a lot of places together, and Madison says it was a long trip from Mexico. She’d started from LA, and it seems like a lifetime ago. Victor asks where they’re going tomorrow, and Naomi says, an abandoned FEMA shelter. Madison asks what happened, and Victor wonders how she knows supplies are still there. Naomi says it was abandoned a long time ago, and no one knows about it. Victor says, except for her. Naomi confesses that she was going to go on her own, but she intended on leaving the map after the gate was closed. Madison asks, why? and Victor says, because she’s a coward. Naomi says, he’s right; she’s a coward. He tells her to hand over the keys. Now she won’t leave because she can’t. Naomi says she didn’t have to tell them, and Victor thanks her for showing them who she is. Madison says it does count for something, and suggests they get some rest.

Madison wakes. Naomi isn’t there, and she tells Victor to wake up.

Naomi is on the road again. She stops at a school. She heads inside, stepping on the FEMA Checkpoint sign. The door is locked, and she knocks on the glass to get the zombies’ attention. She sneaks inside behind them. This is about as much help as you get from FEMA when there isn’t an apocalypse.

Madison thinks maybe they can catch up with Naomi. She wonders why not tell the truth if she wanted to leave. They all have things to be ashamed of, but can take the opportunity to make up for it. Victor admits that the truck with the food was his contingency plan; he’d been stocking it for weeks. People don’t change, and when they’re pressed and cornered, the artifice falls and the curtain flops. They show you who they really are. Madison asks if she should have left him to drown, and Victor says that’s what he would have done. She tells him, lucky for him she’s not him.

Naomi looks around. She comes to a room for children. She sees a crib, small furniture, and kids’ artwork. She tries to keep a grip. She goes to a storage bin, and opens the combination lock on it. There are guns and medical supplies inside. She looks through a notebook that has planting information in it. She finds keys with a tag that says JIC on them. She packs some stuff in her knapsack, and quietly walks behind the throng of zombies at the front. If just one sees her, she’s screwed. She sees a closed door, and freaks a little. She sits down on the floor, even though now is not the time. Uh-oh, here they come. She jumps up, and jets right past them. Good thing they don’t move like those guys in 28 Days Later. She runs smack into an impaled zombie, and now there are zombies on either side of her. By her reactions, I think she knows them. She starts to climb some scaffolding, kicking them away. Now she’s stuck, the crowd beneath her, reaching up. She cries.

Madison and Victor come into the school. Naomi says the truck is at the loading dock. It has what they need. She tosses the keys to Madison, and says Victor was right. Victor says they can’t get to her. He uncovers some rope, while kicking back a zombie. Madison pikes the zombies at the bottom of the scaffolding. Victor says he’s got her; she can do it. Naomi pulls herself back up, and grabs onto the rope. She pulls herself across toward Victor. He slips, and there’s suddenly too much slack in the rope, but he recovers quickly. Madison comes to help him. It’s pretty creepy looking down from Naomi’s vantage point, with all the zombies reaching toward her and moving underneath. She makes it to the other platform, and the three of them run out. Victor padlocks the door.

Naomi tells them that she needed try to make up for what she did. It needed to be her in there; not anyone else. They’re good people. She thought she could be safe there with her daughter. Madison says she doesn’t have to tell them. She owes them nothing. Naomi says her name was Rose. When Rose’s father died, Naomi wore it wouldn’t happen to them. She found a place with food, water, and people who knew how to survive. A woman named Ellen taught her how to make it. She gave JIC classes to be prepared – just in case.

One night, Rose’s cough turned into pneumonia. They didn’t have the antibiotics needed, so Naomi hid Rose in the pantry and locked the door. The antibiotic run took three days. She didn’t eat or sleep, but she found the amoxicillin. By time got back… Naomi breaks down. Madison says it wasn’t her fault. They wouldn’t have been able to keep that many out, even if she was there. Naomi tells Madison that she didn’t tell anyone the truth. She was afraid they’d get kicked out; she’d seen it happen at other places. Rose died before she got back, and turned. Then, everyone else did too. She did this. Madison says she didn’t have to come back, but Naomi says it had to be her. She couldn’t run from it any longer. Maybe some can find way to live with it, but she needs to keep what they have going.

They leave. Naomi says the truck is prepped, in case anything went wrong. They were prepared for everything, just not this. A zombie is flailing around in the truck, and I wonder if it’s Ellen. Madison knocks on the driver’s window, and while the zombie is preoccupied with that, Naomi stabs it in the head from behind. Victor says she did what she had to do; what life seemed to be telling her to do. He did too, but Madison taught him something else; that they can start over. They all can. We see a plant growing out of one of the fertilizer bags.

Alicia, Luci, and Nick walks out to where Mel is. He asks if there’s a problem, but they just want him to listen. He might want to make room. They have food, supplies, and fertilizer; they’re going to rebuild and replant. The Vultures have picked over a fifty-mile radius; they must be running low too. Mel tells the group to pack up, and let’s go. They’re going to take longer than they can wait. Madison drives up with truck full of stuff, and Naomi in the car behind her. Mel tells her to be careful. In his experience, the really the really bad stuff, you never see it coming. They drive in, and the Vultures leave.

Luci asks if it’s enough, and Nick says it is. Madison looks at the JIC keys, and puts them on the dashboard. Cole says he didn’t think they’d pull it off, and Victor says, neither did he. Madison knows him better than he knows himself. He might have been premature in telling Cole who he is.

Victor thanks Madison. She says they won today, and he was a big part of it. He suggests they leave it at that. Madison looks out with the binoculars. It’s all clear in the parking lot. Alicia comes out, and Madison wants her to do something, no questions asked. She tells her to park a truck out back with supplies in it, and keep it quiet. No one needs to know. Alicia asks why, and Madison says, just in case. She gives her the keys, and I wonder who’s highlighting Alicia’s hair.

Now

Standing next to the road, Alicia sees a truck with the binoculars. Victor and Luci arm themselves. Alicia says, they’re coming. Victor asks, how many, and Alicia says, one. Morgan and John get out of the truck. Morgan says they came to talk, and Alicia tells them to get on the ground.  Victor asks what they’re doing there, and Morgan says they came to help. He says, they’re not coming. They found them, and told them to stay away. Alicia says, bad idea, and Morgan says, they still have time. They don’t have to do this. He should have told Nick; what they’re doing is only going to make things worse. Victor says, perhaps they didn’t heed his warning after all. Here come the Vultures.

The caravan stops in front of them. Alicia and the others draw their guns. The Vultures get out, guns drawn. Mel says, hey, who told them to be there, and thanks the guy in the blue shirt, meaning Morgan. Mel tells Alicia, sorry about her brother, and she says, really? She’s not sorry about his. Mel makes some interesting, twitchy faces. Morgan says it doesn’t have to go this way, and Mel says, yes it does, but he doesn’t have to be in middle. He stands between Alicia and Mel, and Mel tells him to get out of the way. Madison radios, asking, where is everyone? Mel says, they didn’t tell her? and Morgan says, no. Mel says they aren’t going to like this. A Land Rover drives up. John asks where they got it, and Naomi gets out. John says, Laura? He moves toward her, and Alicia says, no!

Mel is confused, and shoots John. Morgan runs to him, and Naomi drops to her knees.

Next time, Naomi says, it’s not safe: Morgan says, this has to stop: Madison says, no one is gone until they’re gone; and Luci meets Charlie.

👰 I confess, I watched the Royal Wedding. I didn’t get up before the crack of dawn to watch it live, but checked it out later. I’ll never get up before the crack of dawn for a wedding again after Prince Charles and Diana Spencer. I did it for them, and we all know how that turned out. It must be weird for Meghan Markle, suddenly going from making movies to having movies made about her. Like a skabillion other women, of course I wanted to see all the fashions, but most important, the dress. Meghan Markle’s, now Duchess of Sussex’s, dress. It wasn’t a wow. It was from Givenchy, but very plain, long sleeves and a boat neck. Although I do love a boat neck. While Princess Diana floated in a cloud only she could carry off, Kate Middleton’s gown has been my favorite of more recent royal brides so far. That being said, I reasoned that she might have wanted the focus to be on Queen Mary’s tiara (which was stunning), and the sixteen-foot veil, which had the individual flowers of the fifty-plus commonwealths embroidered on it. Along with Meghan’s state flower, which I suppose was nice of them. I would have loved to have gotten a better view of the veil. It was hard to see the detail on most of the time. Anyway, it was fun to see what all the guests wore as well, including the always adorable Queen Elizabeth, and the grandeur of the whole thing. I especially loved the fairytale carriage ride at the end. Probably the best thing about it, is how the young royals have kept the beautiful traditions, yet bucked some archaic ones. Meghan is an American actress, half African American, and divorced – even one of those things would have been unheard of not that long ago. Too bad it comes a little late for King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson.

😔 Sigh…

BackToWork-Office

BackToWork-GetOut

BackToWork-Cry

 

 

May14

May 13, 2018 – The Story of John & Naomi, Extra Useless Information, Talking About Fear & Mom’s Day

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

John opens the box with the matching pistols, and cleans and loads them. He sees a zombie wading through the creek. He puts a board over his ditch moat, and whacks it with an ax. Smart move to save bullets.

He lies in bed listening to Billy Bass, who I guess is his alarm clock. He washes up, makes the bed, and plays Scrabble with himself. He says, people, as he washes the breakfast dishes. He runs down a list of various words as he has coffee on the porch. He continues as he does chores. He says platypus, and uses it in his next Scrabble game.  As night falls, he watches DVDs.

There’s a sound outside. John says, not another one, and asks himself where they’re coming from. He finds Naomi in a canoe on the shore, barely conscious, and brings her in. She says she has to get back, and he tells her she’s safe, but injured. He looks at a gash in her side. The good news is, it’s not a bite. He tells her he’ll take care of it as best he can.

The next morning, he finds Naomi looking in the truck for his keys. He tells her they’re on the top of the visor, and she might want to avoid reverse. He says she has a pretty bad cut. She gets in the truck and closes the door. It won’t start, and he says it needs a new battery. He tells her if she wants to go, he might as well set her up with food and water. She should get some rest, and change the bandage on her wound too.

Inside, Naomi looks at her wound. She starts to stitch it up herself, and says she can’t. She asks John to do it, and gives him instructions, saying, just do it.

John makes fish stew for dinner. He tells Naomi, the French call it bouillabaisse, presenting her with a bowl, saying, soup is the blanket of food. He tells her to enjoy, and introduces himself. She thanks him. He says she looks like a Laura, and asks if it’s an acceptable substitute. He tells her about a job he once had, teaching kids at a pea shooting range, and says she can stay as long as she likes. She says she’ll be moving on, and he offers her food and shelter until she’s ready, but the next time she wants something, ask. He wonders if she’s a doctor or nurse, and tells her to take the bed; he only sleeps an hour or two if he’s lucky. She asks how he knew she was a nurse. He says he doesn’t know many people who could stick a needle in their side. He asks if she was a nurse until… and she says, yeah. He says it seems like forever ago, and she agrees.

Naomi is restless. She sees the couch is empty and gets up. John is cleaning the pistols. He hears her but when he turns around, she’s gone.

John whacks some more zombies in the creek area. Naomi comes out, and asks if they wash up. He says, there’s something amiss up river. He tells her that he goes to the store on Tuesday, and she says she’ll come. He thinks she should rest, but Naomi is insistent. He supposes he wouldn’t mind he company, and gives her a pair of boots, telling her there are snakes. She declines, saying she won’t be able to run in them. He leaves them on the porch in case she changes her mind.

They take the canoe down the river. She asks if he’s been there long, and he says, a good while. She asks what he did before, and he tells her that he was a police officer. She wonders why he didn’t bring his guns; she thought all cops have them, but he says they cause more problems than they solve. She asks if he liked being a cop, and he says, at one time. Zombies walk the bridge, and one falls in. Naomi takes out her knife, but John pushes it into the water with his oar, and they go past. He notes that a broken part of the bridge railing needs tending to.

John docks the boat, and they head for the store. He says it’s been in Bill’s family for sixty years. Naomi asks where Bill is now, but John doesn’t know. They closed the road for repair before things went south, and he hasn’t seen him since. They walk into a fully-stocked store, and John tells Naomi to help herself. She gets a knapsack. and fills it, while he gets supplies. Naomi moves some merchandise around, and John asks if she’s rearranging things. She explains that people need splints and dressings, and aren’t always thinking. She’s just doing her part. He tells her how his name is Dorie, like the fish, except ie. 

Outside, he says they’re going to need a ladder. They fix the bridge, and John asks if he can call her Laura. She says that’s fine, but she won’t be staying long. A zombie toddles toward them, and she stabs it in the head.

While lying in bed, Laura hears a movie playing, and comes out. John says sorry for disturbing her (which my autocorrect wanted to change to disrobing her – ha-ha!). It’s usually his movie night, although every night is getting to be movie night. She gets some water, and he says he’ll turn the volume down. He asks if she wants some popcorn. She doesn’t, but she sits on the couch. I’m trying to figure out what the movie is from the dialogue we can hear, but I can’t. He tells her about the snacks he makes on movie night, and suggests concocting something.

John snoozes, and Laura looks at him. He opens his eyes, and she says she lost her child. She gets up, and goes back to bed.

Laura wants John to teach her to fish. It’s a resource, so she should know how. They go out on the river, and he instructs her. She hooks a fish, and gets all excited. He teaches her how to clean and gut it. They have it for dinner, and she thanks him. They play Scrabble.

There’s more fishing the next day, and Laura prepares it herself. That afternoon, John clips her stitches. He says she might have a scar, but nothing too bad. She thinks she should be going, since she’s healed up, but she’ll take a couple days to pack some things. John goes outside, and chops a zombie’s head in half. Laura says they need something stronger to block the opening; a car at Bill’s might still have a charge. She helped him, and it’s the least she can do. He gets wheel barrow, and loads up the zombie he downed.

At the bridge, John asks how Laura learned to hot wire a car, and she asks if he’s going to arrest her. He sees she’s got one of his pistols, and says he asked her not to go through his things. She tells him that they might need protection, but he says she’s good with a knife; the noise from the gun just brings more zombies. She says they’re no good in a box, but he wants them in a box, not out there. He gets out of the truck.

John walks through the zombies, whacking them. Laura gets the ones he doesn’t, and it’s a chopfest. They drive a truck to the opening, blocking it. Laura is on the truck, but outside of the cab, guiding John. The zombies begin to gather, and Laura tells John to shoot them. They’re pushing at the car, and one zombie breaks the window with the machete that’s poking through him, and is now six inches from John’s face. He stabs at it, while Laura keeps yelling for him to shoot. John finally deals a fatal blow, but then won’t stop stabbing once it’s over. He and Laura are both covered in the blood that has sprayed everywhere.

Back at the cabin, Laura scrubs at their clothing. John says he didn’t get bit, but she says she’s seen people get sick from being exposed. He tells her that he didn’t mean for it to happen. She says he had a gun. He says that’s not how he does things, and she says it nearly got him killed. He says, better him than someone else. She asks if what he’s talking about has to do with why he doesn’t want to talk about being a cop. She asks what happened; did he take it or fire it? He says he fired. She says, good guy or bad guy? He says that’s not the way he looks at things, but she’d call him bad. She asks if it was a mistake or intentional, and he says, intentional. It was an intentional mistake. He stopped at the gas station, and a guy was robbing the place. John told him that he was a police officer, and to put his weapon down, but he would not. He tried to clip the guy in the leg. John starts to choke up, and Laura tells him it’s okay. John says, the guy turned, and he hit him dead center in the leg, and he bled out. Laura asks if that’s why he moved up there, but he says, no. People thought he was a hero. She says, it doesn’t matter how many people say it’s not your fault; what matters is if you believe it.

On the bridge, the zombies clamor at the truck. It starts to roll, and they start falling into the river.

Laura and John are sleeping, when John hears a lot of zombie noises. That’s because there are a sh*tload of them coming toward his house. He calls to Laura, and starts to whack them as they come out of the creek. Laura whacks and chops at them with a shovel, but they’re all falling into the moat, creating a bridge for the ones still coming. They’re surrounded, and Laura tumbles into the moat. John suddenly has the guns, one in each hand, and shoots with both at once, doing that twirling-the-guns thing. The last one is inches from Laura’s face and it’s hard to aim, but he does it, and kills the zombie. Holy! Even though we know both of them make it, I was holding my breath.

John surveys the mess. Laura sits next to him on the steps. She thanks him. She says he might not think he’s a hero, but she does. He’s an honorable person, and she’s very, very lucky to have washed up in his front yard. He gives her one of the pistols, telling her, if she’s going, she’ll need it, and he needs her to take it.

They sit on the couch. John gets up, and Laura asks what it is; why won’t he look at her? He says he loves her, but he didn’t want her to know. She asks why, and he says because she’s leaving, and he doesn’t want her to. He says if she wants the cabin, he’ll go. He tells her that he needs her alive. If she’s alive, the whole world feels alive. They kiss. At this point, I’m liking him too.

John wakes up to Billy Bass – alone. He looks around, and calls Laura’s name. He sees her shoes where the boots were on the porch. On the table is, I love you too Im sorry, in Scrabble letters.

Morgan and John sit by the side of the road. Morgan says, she loved you, and John says, yes. John says, maybe if he’d waited to tell her… but Morgan says, no waiting; not in this world. Waiting is how you lose people. John says he believed he had a second chance; it was stupid. Morgan says they still do. Madison, Victor, Luci; they’re still here. They think the only thing left is to fight, kill, or die. John says, maybe they’re right. Morgan tells John to look him in the eye, and tell him that’s what he believes. If he can do that, they’ll go their separate ways. John says he doesn’t believe it. Morgan says, they’re alive. They’re part of the world. Let’s not waste another second.

Morgan gets up, and gathers his stuff. John puts the other pistol in his holster. They walk down the road.

Nice episode.

Next time, John uses the pistols some more, Mel tells Madison to be careful, and Naomi says it’s dangerous.

🐟 Apparently, there’s more than one Dory with a y who’s a fish, and is a John. A white-fleshed sea fish found in European waters, John Dory (also known as St Peter’s fish), is an odd-looking creature with an oval, flat body and a large, spiny head. The white, boneless, meaty flesh is firm and flavoursome and can be cooked in a variety of ways: grill, sauté or poach it. – from BBC.co.uk  – Food.

💀 🔊 Talking Dead was a good one too, the guests being Yvette Nicole Brown and Jenna Elfman. The artistry of the episode was discussed, and it really was beautifully filmed. The scenery was gorgeous, but John’s cabin was also an amazing setting. Yvette talked about how she has an investment in the characters after knowing the backstory. I was with her there, but I’ve always had more investment in the characters from Fear than those in The Walking Dead. From the jump, they were more multi-faceted. TWD needs a charming rogue like Victor, trading barbs and sexual tension with Maggie. I was surprised nobody brought up Naomi/Laura having lost her child, but Jenna Elfman was very cagey about where the story was going next. I wondered if her child was Charlie. Also surprising was the gift an audience member went home with – a canoe. A clip of Garrett Dillahunt (John) talking about filming the episode, gave me a quote that I not only couldn’t resist adding, but could relate to: It’s only been six days but I feel twenty-seven days tired.

🍀 Speaking of Quotes…

👵 Favorite Irish Mammy Sayings for Mother’s Day

https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/craic/top-ten-irish-mammy-isms-according-to-poll?utm_campaign=Best+of+IrishCentral+-+2018-05-13&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=Mailjet

This did not include my own mother’s favorite, this is not a restaurant, which I actually heard come out of my own mouth while babysitting my neighbor’s twins. Although my mom wasn’t Irish, that list looks pretty mom universal.

💖 Speaking of Mother’s Day…

HappyMothersDayAll

💕 And My Best Girl Forever Mom…

Juliet&HerBabies