Tag Archives: science fiction

May2

May 1, 2022 – Daniel Looks For Ofelia, Backstory, Daniel Talk, Good For Each Other, Popular, Minus One Carol & First

Posted on May 2, 2022 by theresakp

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

Daniel plays a matching game with Luci. He says she’s letting him win, but she says she wouldn’t do that. He picks up a card, and says he’s seen this before. Luci says, they’ve played a bunch of times before, but he says, that’s not it. Wes comes in, and says he’s going to leave without them. Luci tells Daniel to keep at it; it’s helping him. Daniel says he should be the one helping her, and calls her Ofelia. She says she’s Luciana. Ofelia is no longer here, and Daniel says, she left. He tells Luci, you be careful out there too.

On the USS Pennsylvania, Sarah says, hoofing it, they could make it in two days, maybe one. Morgan asks what they’re up against, and she says, there are a hundred dead outside; maybe more. Luci comes in, and Morgan asks how Daniel is doing. She Luci says, he’s making progress, but it’s slow. Morgan thinks it’s best she stay there, and work some on the memory exercises with Daniel. They need him to get into the tower. He knows how Victor thinks, and why he’s doing this. He’s gone up against Victor in ways none of them have. They have to make sure they get in. Wes tells Luci that Daniel’s not on the sub. The front hatch is open, and a suit is gone. Luci says she’ll look; she’s got this. Wes says, not alone, and Morgan says, they’ll both go. If they have any trouble, send up a mayday.

Out in the nuclear semi-wasteland, a masked Daniel speaks in Spanish. He asks if she can hear him. A merry-go-round in a nearby playground squeaks, and Daniel sees a zombie stuck in it. Another grabs him, and his mask falls off. It gets him down, but he stabs it in the head. He gets back up, and asks, is that you? He knows he’s close. Tell him where she is. He hears footsteps, and gets all excited. He sees two people emerge, and asks if that’s Luci. He tells them to take their masks off, and fires a warning shot. The pair take off their masks, and it’s Luci and Wes. Daniel says, he knows who they are, and Luci asks what he’s doing out here? He shows her the card with the boat, and says, she needs me. Luci says, who? and he says, Ofelia The last time he saw her, she was on a boat. She’s trying to send him a message. She says, he’s out here because of the card? and he says, because of what she told him in the submarine. She said, Ofelia’s not here, which means she’s out there. Luci says, that’s not what it means. His daughter is dead. She died in Mexico years ago. He says, no, she’s alive, but Luci says, that’s impossible. They all know what they saw. Wes says, Daniel is confused, and Daniel says, Luci told him that he was doing better. She says, he is, but he’s wrong about Ofelia. He says, Ofelia is alive; Luci is the one who’s wrong. In Spanish, he says he cares about Luci, but Ofelia is his daughter, and he cares more about her than anything. Is Luci trying to help him, or trying to take Ofelia’s place in his life? He’s sorry she’s alone, but she’ll never replace his daughter. Luci says, he doesn’t mean that, but he says, he does. Wes asks what he’s saying, and Luci tells them, let’s go back. Wes says, zombies are coming, and Luci says, the gunshot must have alerted them. Wes says, that’s not the dead, and tells them to run, but a masked Arno steps out and says, boo. They’re surrounded. Time to take a little trip. He puts a mask over Luci’s face.

In a boat graveyard, boats are linked together by walkways, and the nuclear dead hope for someone to fall underneath. Luci wonders where they are, and Daniel says, they wouldn’t be here if she’d just let him look. Wes says, they wouldn’t be here if Daniel had stayed in the damn sub. Daniel says he was a soldier trained by the CIA. He’s not scared of these people. What’s scary is what he’s going to have to do to them. Eli says, we’re screwed, when Arno comes in. He tells them to remove their gear and hang it up. Luci asks how they know it’s safe, and Arno tells them to test for themselves. Wes confirms that it’s safe, and Arno says, they’re lucky the wind hasn’t brought anything nasty their way. They want to keep it as such. Luci tells Wes that she recognizes Arno, and Wes says, they’re the ones who were following Teddy. Luci says, that’s not going to help them make friends.

Outside, Arno says, home sweet home, and tells his people go inside. Their guests aren’t as interesting as they think. Luci asks if they all live here, and he says, thanks to Alicia. They don’t have to remind him who they are. Daniel asks why they don’t use the walls, and Arno says, they tried, but they didn’t hold. At least where they are keeps the living away. Victor got one thing right with the tower. Arno tells Sage he wants to talk to them one at a time, and Daniel tells Luci that he should be looking out there for Ofelia. Luci tells Arno to let them go. Maybe they can help him. Arno says, not likely, and Daniel grabs Arno’s gun and says, he’s going to look for his daughter. Let them out. Sage steps forward, but Arno says, he’s got this. Daniel says he’ll kill Arno, and Arno says, go ahead. Daniel shoots, but the gun just clicks. The men rush Daniel, and Daniel laughs. Wes says, they’re out of bullets? and Arno says, they’re hard to come by. The empty clip works on people; the dead don’t scare. He tells Daniel that he heard their radio chatter from the sub. They might want to stop broadcasting their plans. He knows they found the weapons cache, but doesn’t know the coordinates. Luci says they’re not going to tell him, and he says, then they’ll end up down there. Daniel looks at a boat across the way, and says, The Abigail… Ofelia. Arno tells him, quit daydreaming, and tells Sage, save him for last. He pats Wes’s shoulder, and says, this one first. Lucy says, they’re not telling Arno anything, and Arno says, if they don’t, they’ll up down there.

Daniel and Luci are shoved into a room, and Daniel looks outside, his eyes lighting on Victor’s old yacht. Luci says she knows he thinks he can get them out, and Daniel says, they don’t have to escape; this is perfect. He takes out the card, and says, Ofelia is on the boat. Luci says, it’s not the boat he’s thinking of, but he insists it is, and calls for the guard. Daniel says, all he has to do is tell them where the weapons are, and they’ll return Ofelia. She says, he doesn’t have the coordinates, but he says he knows where Dwight is. The guard tells him, this better be good, and Daniel says, he has information for Arno. The guard says, if he’s playing tricks, they’ll be thrown in with the zombies, but Daniel says, he doesn’t play tricks with his daughters life. Luci says she has to come too. Daniel’s English isn’t as good as it used to be, and she needs to translate. In Spanish, Daniel tells her, don’t try to stop him, and she says, don’t make things difficult. The guard leaves, and Luci says, Daniel is right about her not having anyone. If she’s being honest, she hasn’t been right since she lost Nick. Meeting Daniel made her feel less alone, and she doesn’t want to lose him. When he discovers Ofelia is dead, she worries about what will happen to him. He says, don’t worry. He’ll find her, and none of them will be alone again. The guard comes back, says, let’s move, and they leave.

Arno has put Wes in a cage that hangs over the zombies. He asks where the weapons are. Wes isn’t talking, and Arno says he’ll see if Wes changes his mind down there. It’s his last chance. Wes says he’s not betraying his people, and Arno says, he betrayed Derek. Derek was Arno’s friend and Wes killed him. Wes says, Derek was his brother, and he loved him, but Derek killed some of his friends, and was going to kill more. Arno says, Wes has another choice right now. Answer the question or die ugly. Where are the weapons? Wes says he’s not telling Arno sh*t, and Arno says, he would have done this anyway, when the guard arrives with Daniel. Daniel tells Arno to let Wes out, and they’ll talk. Arno says he’s the one with the leverage, but Daniel says he knows how to make people talk; that won’t do it. Arno says, it’s worked so far, and Daniel says, he probably kills everybody who comes in here. He kills them, he has nothing. Arno asks if he really knows where the guns are, and Luci says, don’t do this, in Spanish. Arno asks what Daniel wants in return, and Daniel says, his daughter. Arno asks where she is, and Daniel says, in that yacht, The Abigail. Arno says he doesn’t know what Daniel is talking about, but Daniel says he thinks Arno does, and grabs him, holding a knife to his throat. He wants his daughter back. Arno tells Daniel to let him go. He’s right. Maybe he does have Daniel’s daughter. Daniel says, now start talking, but Luci says, don’t. Daniel doesn’t even know if what he’s remembering is real. In Spanish, Daniel says, they can’t trust him, but Arno says, not true. Do they think they can get over on him by speaking Spanish? They’re not fooling him. Daniel is right, He has Daniel’s daughter; she’s on the boat. Daniel says, he knew it, like he told Luci. Arno better not have hurt her. He wants to see her. Arno says, tell him where the weapons are first. It’s the least they can do after consigning them to this life. That’s not okay. Wes says, there are worse places, and Arno says, Alicia and Morgan will get them killed. Luci asks him, what’s coming? and Arno asks, where are the weapons? He’s protecting his people, the ones Alicia couldn’t. Daniel asks how he knows Arno has Ofelia, and Arno says, give him the coordinates, and if they’re correct, he’ll get his daughter. Luci says, Arno can’t give her back, but Daniel asks, what choice does he have? He writes the information down, and Arno tells Sage to send a patrol. In Spanish, he tells Daniel, old man, if you lie to me, all of you will end up down there. Daniel tells him to let Wes out, they release Wes, and Arno tells Wes, it’s his lucky day.

Back in the room, Wes says he’d die before he’d give them information, and Daniel says, if he’d died by the hands if that man, he would have been a fool. Wes says, Daniel can’t use whatever is going on in his head as an excuse to hurt people, but Daniel says, he’s done what he needed to do; no one got hurt. Luci says, their people can get killed if Arno’s people get there first, and Daniel says, he just sent half of Arno’s people 20 miles in the wrong direction. Wes says, Arno is going to kill them when they get back, but Daniel says, they won’t be here. It will take them 24 hours to get there and back. Wes says, half as many guards, and Daniel says, without weapons. They can’t stop them. He shows Wes and Luci a knife, and says, he got it from the idiot who shot him. They’re badly trained, these people. Luci says she knows Daniel thinks this will work, and Daniel says he knows it will. He knows his memory’s not improving, but when he thinks of rescuing Ofelia, everything becomes clear. The problem with his memory is because he didn’t tell Ofelia the truth about his past. When she found out, he didn’t give her an explanation or an apology for his lies. His mind has to be clear when he does. Luci says, that’s not going to happen, but he says, it is. He and Ofelia will thank Luci, and she’ll be welcomed into their family. Now let’s get the hell off this boat.

Daniel pretends to be out cold, and Luci yells for the guard. She says she told him that Daniel wasn’t well. He’s not breathing. If he turns. its on him. The guard asks if she checked his pulse, and when he leans over, Daniel grabs him, and holds the knife to his throat. He says, that’s what he gets for calling him old man. He tells the guard to get up and take them to the yacht, and the guard says, his daughter’s not here. Daniel says, then where is she? and the guard says he doesn’t know, but she’s not here. Daniel says, he’s lying, and Wes says, they need to leave. Daniel says he’s not going without Ofelia, and Luci says the guard heard him. Take them to the yacht. She tells Wes that Daniel won’t leave. It’s the only way to get him to understand, so they can get out. On their way to Arno, Luci asks what Arno was talking about. What’s coming? The guard says, the dead. They’re gathering in a crater. After the warhead detonated, they’re more dangerous. Daniel asks why Arno is scared, and the guard says, Arno doesn’t tell any of them very much. Daniel pushes him onto the yacht, and Luci and Wes follow. Daniel asks where she is, and the guard says he told Daniel; she’s not here. Daniel starts pushing him over the side of the deck, and the guard says, don’t do this. She was never here. Arno wanted to know where the weapons were. Daniel says, the card was a message, but Luci says, Daniel needs to accept the truth. Ofelia died in Mexico. Daniel told her that he buried Ofelia himself. She’s sorry, but Ofelia is gone. Daniel says, he has to tell Ofelia who he is, and apologize for his lies. Luci says she knows it’s what he wanted and still wants, and his mind is telling him that he can, but he can’t. Daniel looks at the zombies, and says, that’s why he’s confused. The guard says, this wasn’t his idea. Arno lied. Daniel says, and he went along with it. A mind is a fragile thing. It’s easy to break, but hard to put back together. The guard tells Wes that he knew Derek, and Daniel slits his throat. Wes says that wasn’t Daniel’s call, but Daniel says, Wes is better off not knowing. The truth about people is always disappointing. Daniel walks out on the bridge, but takes out a piece, so they can’t follow. Luci asks where he’s going, and he says, Arno has to pay for what he did. He doesn’t want them to stop him. He knows Luci doesn’t want anything bad to happen to him, and he feels the same about her. He’ll be back. He walks away, and there’s nothing they can do.

Luci asks if Wes is okay, and he asks if she found anything. She says, nothing that will hold, and tells him that she’s sorry. Wes says, he was hoping the guard would tell him that Derek knew he was in Tank Town, but launched the attack anyway. She asks, why? and he says he killed Derek. It’s the only way he can live with that, and not wake up every day feeling like a POS. He knows he deserves to die. Luci says she doesn’t think that will make him feel better, and he says, there’s got to be another way off this thing.

Sabrina spears a zombie climbing up the wall, and Arno says, that’s the third one. She says, they’re building up the gate, and he suggests they think of something to draw them away in the meantime. He thanks her, and she leaves. He watches the zombies, when Daniel says, boo, and holds the knife to Arno’s throat. He makes Arno go into the cage, and Arno says, he’s making a mistake, but Daniel says, Arno’s mistake was lying to him, and Arno says, Daniel will anything to protect his daughter. He as doing same his people. Daniel says, they’re not Arno’s family, and lowers the cage, telling Arno that his Spanish is very good. The zombies reach in, and pull at Arno, and his whines turn into screams as they begin to feed on him. Lucy and Wes run over, and Luci asks what Daniel is doing. Daniel tells her, what Arno said made him do this. Wes brings the cage up (why bother), and Arno tells Luci, there’s no new beginning. They’re going to die because of them. Luci asks, who? and he says, the people Alicia was supposed to take care of… the ones he promised… the ones he…. She says, listen to her. She’ll make sure they’re okay, she promises, but he has to tell her what’s coming so she can help them. He says, the dead in the pit… they’re escaping. Someone’s letting them out. You can’t touch them… you can’t go near them even. She has to get everybody to the tower. There’s nowhere else… nowhere else… He dies, and Wes takes a spear to his head. Daniel says, he’d be alive, but he lied. Things are simple in Daniel’s world. Wes tells Daniel not to lose any sleep over this a-hole. Arno tried the same thing to him. Daniel says, this is the second time he almost got Luci killed. She should leave him. Luci says she understands why he did it, but Arno manipulated him. That’s why he still needs her help. He says, no one knows his background. Ofelia never understood, but Luci does. She’s seen it, but she’s still here. Why? Luci says, they all make mistakes, and in Spanish, he says, even though she’s not of his blood, as of today, they’re family. She thanks him, and Wes asks what they’re going to do about everybody who lives there. Luci says she doesn’t know, but what about the zombies? Wes says, she heard Arno. You can’t touch them or get near them. She says, they need to leave now – all of them.

Luci tells Arno’s people, she knows they’ve been enemies. She knows some of them hurt people they care about, and they did the same to them. They all need to escape the dead and this land, and need each other now more than ever. They need to fight Victor, and take the tower. Only then can they have a new life, a new beginning, together. Who’s with them? Sabrina says, it’s what Teddy would have wanted, and everyone is like, yeah, and put on their masks. Wes asks if Luci thinks they can trust them; they killed their leader. Luci says, Alicia would want it, but he says, she couldn’t convince them and they couldn’t convince Arno. Daniel says, none of it will matter when they find out Luci can’t deliver on what she promised. Luci says, they can take the tower, but Daniel says, the last time, there was a nuclear war. She says, they didn’t have what they do. Someone who knows what Victor is thinking before he does. Daniel can get them there. He says he can’t get simple things straight. He lost his cat before this mess, and almost got them killed leaving the sub. Luci says, he freed them from prison and made it to the yacht. How did he do it? He says, when he wanted to get Ofelia, his mind was clear because his daughter gave him focus. Wes calls Luci over, and says, she’s not thinking what he thinks she is. She says, all of these people and everyone on the sub are depending on them. This is the only way. Victor’s outsmarted everyone else, and Daniel will get himself killed if he goes by himself. Wes says he can’t, and leaves. Daniel asks, what’s wrong with him? and Luci sits next to Daniel. She says, Arno told her something before he died. Ofelia is alive, and he told her where she is. Daniel says, Luci told him that she was dead, and she says, that’s what she thought, but Arno knew where she was. Victor has her in the tower. He asks why she didn’t tell him before, and she says she was afraid he’d go alone and get himself killed. He asks why she’s telling him now, and she says, because of what he did here. If knowing Ofelia is alive gives him clarity, he can lead all these people and take the tower from Victor. Daniel says he wants to believe this, but his mind isn’t clear. Luci must be certain, because if she’s wrong, if this is not true, if this is another lie, it could break him for good. Is she sure? Luci says, it is true, and he says, then we’ll get in the tower. Her, him, and Ofelia. They’ll always be together right? She says, yeah.

They come out, and Wes tells Luci, they’re ready. Luci suggests they head out, and walks with Wes. Wes says, he and Derek had this thing used to say, people are people. She asks what that means, and he says, it means people suck. Victor and Alicia tried to make him see things differently, and they did for a while after they found him, but then they were at each other’s throats. Morgan hasn’t done much better. What she was doing for Daniel made him want believe he might be wrong and there’s hope, but what she just did is proof she’s no better. She says she’s sorry, but that’s not what this is, and he gives her his radio, telling her to take it in case needs to call the sub. He’s not going with them. She says, don’t do this, and he tells her, good luck. She asks where he’s going, and he says he doesn’t know. What does know is, he can’t be around somebody pretending be someone they’re not. Daniel is confused. He’s not right, but he can’t help it. She knows exactly what she’s doing. He leaves, and Daniel asks, what happened? Where is he going? Should they go after him? Luci says, no. She doesn’t think they can change his mind. Wes walks down the road.

On the sub, Sarah looks at the weapons, and says, that’s a lot of heat. Dwight says he’s glad it worked out, and Morgan says, it more than worked out. It might make all the difference. They should take inventory. Dwight says, now they just need the soldiers to carry them. Luci walks in, and Morgan asks if she found Daniel. She says, not just Daniel; Arno’s people. They want to help. He says, no Wes? And she says, he’s not coming. Morgan says, but he’s okay? She says she hopes so. She thinks he needs some time. Daniel says, they found the weapons, and Morgan says, yes, they did. Daniel says, all they need to do now is plan how to overthrow Victor.

Wes goes to the tower callbox, and I say, no… no. He says he needs to talk to Victor. Tell him it’s Wes. Tell Victor that he wants to make a deal. The man who answered asks why Victor would want to deal with him, and Wes says, because he can help save Victor’s tower.

So I guess Wes sucks too?

Next time, John thinks he found the right opportunity, Victor wants to be shown they believe in this place, and someone else is thrown off the roof as Victor laughs, and twirls his metaphorical moustache.

❓ I Forgot Too…

What happened to Ofelia.

https://www.distractify.com/p/how-did-ofelia-die-fear-the-walking-dead

🔬 Dissecting Daniel…

Ruben Blades talks life and Fear.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/walking-dead-ruben-blades-daniel-salazar-end-rcna26436

👩‍👧 Mother/Daughter Act…

More on Madison’s return and how Alicia figures in.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-alicia-leader-madison-return-good/

⚓️ Water Works…

Apparently, viewers are enjoying the sub spin-off, but it’s not like it’s on Netflix.

https://www.cbr.com/ftwd-dead-in-the-water-popular-why/

💔 She’s Out…

Looks like the spin-off of Carol and Daryl is going to be just Daryl. I wonder why they couldn’t be more accommodating here. Or why she agreed in the first place.

‘Walking Dead’s Melissa McBride Exits Spinoff Series

Jeffrey Dean Morgan Slams “Toxic” Fans After Melissa McBride Exits ‘The Walking Dead’ Spinoff; AMC Issues Similar Response

📅 Another Page Off the Calendar…

Join me tomorrow in saluting a brand new month with some soap and Deck shenanigans. Until then, stay safe, stay straightforward, and stay not being a person who sucks.

Apr25

April 24, 2022 – It’s What Victor Would Want, Butterflies, Season Of Fever, Double Dead Duty, They Had a Secret, Origins, Lots To Spin & Skies

Posted on April 25, 2022 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear The Walking Dead

New guy ~~Dev~~ Ali is looking at Victor’s butterfly collection. John tells him, Victor is particular about those, and asks why he’s here. Ali says, Howard sent for him, and John says he’ll see if he can find Howard, but Howard comes in, saying, it’s not necessary. Ali asks what Victor is looking for, and Howard says, that’s between Victor and his rangers. Ali asks when he can join the rangers, and Howard says, when he’s ready. Ali asks when that will be; he thought he was closer. Howard asks how old Ali is, and Ali says, 15. Howard says he admires Ali’s ambition, and he knows Victor does, but everyone has to start somewhere. He points at a picture of a butterfly in a book, and tells Ali, it’s the Mourning Cloak. It’s rare, and only lives for a year. He knows the perfect spot; Ali just has to find one. Ali says he doesn’t know how that proves he’s ranger material, and John says, Ali should have seen what he had to go through. It was no picnic. Howard says he asked John to assist him, not spook the kid. It’s not hazing; it’s showing him how they see the world. Caterpillars started as one thing and became something better. That’s what Victor did, and it’s how they’ve survived. Ali needs to show Victor what he’s capable of, and then he’ll be ready. He can be something greater.

Ali rides into the woods, and immediately spots one of these extremely rare butterflies. A zombie is heading for him, and he puts a jar over the butterfly with one hand, and stabs the zombie in the head with the other. He goes back to where he’s tied his horse, and sees a masked woman there. He takes out his gun, and says, hands up. Turn around. Who the hell are you? While he takes a second to shoot an approaching zombie, she grabs him, but he kicks her away. He says, mask off, and we see it’s Charlie. He says, she’s just a kid, and she asks what that makes him. He asks what she was stealing, and she says she got separated from her group, while they were looking for food and water. He picks up the jar with the butterfly in it, and says she’s lucky the jar didn’t break. John and Howard ride up with a few rangers, and Howard says, they got concerned when Ali wasn’t back when he said he was going to be. John says, howdy, to Charlie, and Howard asks if they know each other. John says, she did a spell with them when they were trying to stop Teddy, and Howard says, she’s one of Morgan’s. A ranger leads Charlie away, and John tells her, it will be okay; stay calm. Ali asks Howard, what’s going on? and Howard says, Charlie is coming with them. Ali needs to show Victor what he’s capable of, and he might get his shot.

Howard asks why Charlie was stealing, and she says she wants to talk to Victor. Howard says, Victor is out assuring the safety of the tower. He needs her to tell him the truth. It’s not a coincidence she ran into Ali, was it? She says, no, and Howard says, Morgan put her up to it, but she says, Morgan doesn’t know she’s here. He asks why she is here, and she says, she’s been looking for a way to sneak in here. John wonders why she didn’t just use the callbox, and Howard says, she knew Victor would say no. He knows everything about his previous allies, and she has a checkered past. Charlie says she wants to have a chance at a normal life, like June. On the sub, they can see what day it is, and she’s turning 13 this week. She was so young when everything changed. Every day has been one fight after another, and she doesn’t want to fight anymore. She just wants a normal life. She can have that here if they give her a chance. Whatever Victor wants her to do, she’ll do it. The house phone rings, and John answers. It’s June, who says, they have a problem. She’s in the infirmary.

Garcia lies on a table, looking pretty sick, and Howard asks, where’s Victor? Garcia says, Victor split off before they got there, and the others didn’t make it. Ali says, Garcia has radiation burns; they see them a lot out there. Garcia says, too many. He wanted to protect the tower. He’d do anything for this place.

Ali tells Charlie to keep moving. Howard wants her in the conference room as soon as possible. Charlie asks how Ali got in here, but he says he’s not sharing information with her. He wonders if she wanted to be here, why she didn’t run away before. She wonders why he’d want to go out there instead of staying in the tower, but he says she wouldn’t understand. They hear a scream, and go to find out what it is.

On the roof, Ali says, Garcia jumped? and John says, he did a triple axel right off the edge. Howard says, it’s what Victor would have wanted. Garcia said he would do anything to protect this place, and couldn’t when he was alive. June says, he probably didn’t want to suffer; he had radiation poisoning. Charlie says she thought this place was safe, and Howard says, they were scouting for elevator parts. Charlie says, what if she gets them? Will they let her live there? June says, it’s too dangerous, and John says, look what happened to the other scouts. Howard tells Charlie, okay, and June says, he can’t be serious. He says, she volunteered, and Charlie says she thinks she can do it. Will she get to live here? Howard says, it’s Victor’s call, but Victor listens to him, and if she does this, she’s in. She says she’ll do it, and he says she’ll leave tomorrow. Howard takes Ali aside, and tells him to go with her. Ali can fill him in on what Charlie is really looking for, and he’ll get the chance to prove himself. Ali says, by getting elevator parts? but Howard says, it’s not about that. It’s about finding out why Charlie is here. They need to consider the possibility she’s lying. Ali says, she could die, and Howard says, if she wants to live there as much as she says she does, she’ll be careful. Ali says, it feels wrong, and Howard says, it’s never easy, but it’s what separates the caterpillars from the butterflies. It’s what rangers do, and Ali said he wanted to be one.

Charlie sits behind Ali, as they ride into the woods on a horse. She wonders why Victor collects butterflies. She thinks it’s a sh*tty thing to do for no reason. He says, they only live for about a year, and she asks if he thinks that makes it okay. Doesn’t he think they should get a chance to live no matter how short? He says, it doesn’t matter what he thinks. As long as he can prove what he can do for Victor. He stops, and sees there are Stalkers ahead. He says, they’ll use the two of them against Victor. He knows a place to hole up.

Ali brings Charlie to a bowling alley, which he unlocks with a key from under the mat. She asks why being a ranger is important to him, and he looks around, telling her, it looks clear. She says she always wanted to play a game, and he says, she never bowled? The Stalkers come to the door, and Ali tells her, don’t move, and gets a gun from behind the desk. He waits near the door, out of the Stalkers’ sight, and a Stalker calls out, is anybody in here? Another says, there’s really nothing, and they leave. Ali tells Charlie, they’re gone. He guesses they were just passing through. Charlie asks how he knew the gun was here, and the key, and he says he used to live nearby. He would come to play a game once in a while. She asks if he’s any good, and says, it can’t be that hard. She bowls a gutter ball, and he says she has to put a spin on it. She says, show her, and he says he will when they get back. She says, what if she doesn’t make it back? What if he doesn’t make it back? He says, one ball, and shows her how to place her hand. He tells her to aim for the center pin, and follow through with a twist in her wrist. He puts his hand over hers to guide her, she gets a strike, and says, that was good, right? He says, they should get going, and looks at a bulletin board where there are pictures of bowlers, including one of him with an older man. Charlie asks, what is it? and he says, let’s get going. They go outside, and he replaces the key. She says she saw his name under one of the photos, and asks if the man was his teammate. He says, it was his dad, and she says, Mohammed and Ali? and laughs. He says, his dad loved boxing, and she asks if he was in the military. He says his dad was an Imam in the Israeli army, and she asks, what happened? He says, the bomb and all the bad sh*t that went with it. It was in his blood; he didn’t make it. She asks if Ali was with him to the end, and he says, yeah.

They arrive at what used to be a town, and Ali says, this is the building. Garcia said there were dead inside. Charlie says, they’re probably at ground level, so she’ll start higher. He asks, how? and she says, she’s done this before. He says he’s coming with her, but she says, it’s better if she goes alone. She asks, what’s wrong? and he asks why she’s really doing this. She says, to live in the tower, and she wants to help him be a ranger. He gives her a walkie and tells her, if anything happens, he’ll be on channel 4. Be fast. She doesn’t want be exposed to what Garcia was. She puts on a mask, climbs onto a dumpster, and gets on the fire escape. As she goes inside, a woman tells Ali, hands up.

Ali says, if the woman tries anything, Victor will kill her, and she asks why they’re sending people to the pit. He says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. He’s not even a ranger. She says, what about his friend? but he says, she doesn’t know anything. She asks why Charlie went in, but he says nothing, so she says, they’ll go in and find out. Move. He tries punching her, but she knocks him down, and another Stalker holds a gun to his head. They go to the door, and he asks if he can please put his mask on; it’s not safe. She says, open the door, and he opens it, stepping aside as zombies scramble out. The Stalkers try to shoot them, but there are too many, and the zombies overtake them. Ali sees a gun on the ground, and grabs it while the zombies are feeding. He puts on his mask, and goes inside.

He calls Charlie, and shoots a couple of zombies who are wandering around. He runs out of bullets before he can kill the last one, and it gets him on the ground. He’s able to keep its mouth at a distance, but he’s getting tired. In the nick (no pun intended) of time, Charlie stabs the zombie in the head from behind. She asks if he’s okay, and he says she was going to ask her the same thing. Where’s her mask? She says she lost it in a fight. They walk to elevator, and there are a bunch of zombies lying all over the floor. He says, she killed all these? and she says, one grabbed her mask as she was closing the door, but she’s not going back to get it. Besides, these are reading clean. Zombies scrabble at the door and window, and she pries open the elevator doors. He tells her, be quick, and she says she saw what he did outside. He says, it was the only way, and she says she feels terrible, but he says, it’s fine; he handled it. She says she doesn’t mean that. She didn’t tell the truth about why she came to the tower. Morgan sent her. She’s supposed to turn off the beacon to clear the way for Morgan to get Grace and the baby out. He says she made them believe she was going to help. Victor is going to be mad when he finds out. Charlie says, he won’t; she’s not going through with it. She wants what she said she wanted, but she still wouldn’t have done it if it puts him in danger. He says, they don’t have much time, and she gets to work. Howard radios, asking what’s taking so long, and Ali says, they were just leaving. He steps away from Charlie, and Howard asks if Ali found out what he asked. Ali says he did, as zombies start to bust through a door that looks like it’s made of balsa wood, and Ali tells Charlie that he’s sorry. He pushes her into the elevator, and pulls the doors shut. She begs him not to do this. If he does, she’ll die, but he says she’ll be safe.

Ali tells Howard that he’s got the board, and he’s coming back, and Howard says, just him? From the elevator, Charlie says, Ali asked why she didn’t run sooner. She didn’t want do this alone. Ali tells Howard, just him, and Howard says he made the right decision for the good of the town. Charlie says, they can do it together, and Howard tells Ali, it’s what Victor would want. Charlie says, they can get away from everyone; away from Morgan and Victor. They don’t have to be stuck in the middle. Zombie hands and arms are starting to come through the small opening between the elevator doors, and there’s suddenly shooting, the zombies dropping to the floor. Ali pries open the doors, and shoots the remaining straggler zombies. He says, he told her that he was with his dad to the end, but that’s not true. When his dad got sick, he left him. Charlie asks, why? and he says he couldn’t handle it; he couldn’t see his dad like that. He was a coward. She asks why he’s telling her this, and he says, he thought becoming a ranger would make everything okay, but he’s just being a coward again. He’s not making the same mistake twice. She said she didn’t want to run away alone. She doesn’t have to. She says, what about Victor and Howard? and he says he’s not afraid of them. Is she? He holds out his hand, and she takes it. He says, all those things she never got to do, she can still do; some of them anyway. There are still a lot things he hasn’t done either. She says, like what? and he kisses her. She says, well, that was a first. He says, and? and she says, it’s so much better than bowling. He says he found some places when he was on patrols where they can hole up until they find something better. She suddenly faints, and he radios John, telling her to stay with him.

Back at the tower, John says, it’s a good thing Ali called. This is where Charlie needs to be. June and Grace come out, and Ali asks how Charlie is. June says, she’s stable, and he asks, what’s wrong? June says, she was exposed to radiation, but he says, no, that’s not possible. She says she should check him too, and he tells her, Charlie said she was careful. Grace says, sometimes that’s not enough. There are things they can’t see. He says, but June can treat her, right? How bad is it? June says, given the amount of exposure, Charlie should make the most of every day. She’s sorry.

Looking at some Polaroids in his office, Howard tells Ali, it’s been a hell of a day. Ali says, the scouts who never came back sort of looked like the ones in the building, and Howard says, he’ll mention it to Victor. Ali asks where Victor is, and Howard says, he’s waiting until tomorrow to journey back given the state of the state. He asks why Charlie is here. What did Morgan send her to do? Ali says, Morgan didn’t send her. She was telling the truth. Howard says, she’ll be escorted out in the morning, but Ali says, she’s sick because of what Howard made her do. Howard says, she’s sick because it’s what the world has to offer. He’ll do everything to protect what they’ve built. They can’t let personal feelings cloud their judgement. Why did Ali bring her back after what they discussed? Can he trust Ali? Ali says, yes, and Howard says, nice work, all things considered. He has to wait for Victor to officially sign off on it, but tomorrow will be Ali’s first official day as a ranger. Congratulations.

Ali goes to Charlie’s room, and asks how she’s feeling, but she says she doesn’t really know. He sits on the bed and holds her, and she says she’s scared; really scared. He asks her to come with him, but she says she’s supposed to rest. He says he knows, but there’s something he wants her to see.

They go to Victor’s butterflyarium, and he tells her to keep her eyes closed, leading her in and closing the door. He says, open them. Happy birthday. The butterflies are all flying around, and she says, they’re beautiful, but when Victor finds out… He says he doesn’t care. She’s right. Something this beautiful deserves to live, no matter how short it’s life is. He wasn’t there for someone who needed him before; this time he will. Music plays, and they lie on the floor and watch the butterflies. They dance, and he says he’ll be right there next to her every second of the way, then kisses her. He asks, what’s wrong? and she says, Morgan. She was supposed to turn off the light. She needs to tell him what’s going on. He says he’ll do it. He’ll take care of everything. He kisses her again, and leaves.

Ali goes to the roof, and is about to flip the switch, when Howard comes out. He says, so this is why Morgan sent her, and a guy comes out with a gun. Ali runs, but there’s nowhere to go, and Howard says, disarm the light, then what? Ali says he doesn’t know. They want this place to change, and that can’t happen with Victor. Howard says, it’s the only way, and Ali rushes him, but the other guy aims his gun at Ali. Howard tells him, no, and he and Ali trade punches, Ali coming out the loser. Ali is backed toward the edge of the roof, and says, please don’t do it, but Howard says, sorry. It’s what Victor would do. Charlie is still enjoying the butterflies, when she hears a scream and sees Ali fall past the window. She screams, no! and runs to June. June asks, what’s wrong? and she says, Ali. He… June says, what is it? when the elevator door opens, and Howard comes out. Charlie says, Howard killed him, and Howard suggests she back off unless she wants to join him. June says, he’s a monster, but Howard says, Ali attacked him, and left him no choice. He’s trying to protect those who would undermine them, and suggests June do the same. John walks in, and says, he’s right, and June asks who’s side John is on. John says, he lost everything to that hospitable world out there, including his son, and she says, his son would be ashamed, and John says, John Jr. saw the need to protect them, and look what happened. Howard says, Ali paid the price; now it’s Charlie’s turn. June says, if Howard lays a hand on Charlie, she’ll kill him herself, and he says, if anything happens to him, she’ll have to face Victor, but she says, no. Victor knows what she knows, that he needs her more than he needs Howard. If anyone gets sick or injured, he’ll have no one to help them, and this place will fall. Charlie stays with her, under her care. That’s the deal. Howard says, fine, but he suggests she tread carefully, and leaves.

June asks John, what the hell was that about? and he tells her that he had to say it. She asks if he believes it, and he says, he needed Howard to believe it. There’s only one way he can change things, and that’s to get in Victor’s ear. Anyone will listen to reason if the right person gets in their ear. June says she thought she had Virginia’s ear, and John says, it’s the only way it works, and it has to work. He leaves, and June says, this is her fault. She never should have let Charlie go. Charlie asks why she did, and June says, ever since she got here, she’s been hiding. Charlie asks, why? and she says, she’s been scared. Until today, it hasn’t hurt anyone but her. She doesn’t expect Charlie to forgive her – she doesn’t deserve it – but she promises Charlie that no matter how much time she has left, she’ll live to see Victor go down. A butterfly lands on the windowsill, and June says she’ll make sure that happens. Charlie thanks her, looks at the butterfly, and smiles.

Next time, the Stalkers neb Luci, who ends up in a cage surrounded by zombies.

🦋 About That Butterfly…

Interesting list. I’ve had almost all of these things happen to me.

https://www.joincake.com/blog/signs-from-deceased-loved-ones/

😷 Sweating It Out…

This season, they’re giving Alicia fever.

https://ew.com/tv/alycia-debnam-carey-fear-the-walking-dead-sweaty/

And bagpipes.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-alycia-debnam-carey-follow-me-bagpipes/

👯‍♀️ Seeing Double…

Alicia’s version of Groundhog Day.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-alicia-episode-repeat-damage/

🤫 A Secret Well Kept…

Good thing they didn’t tell any of the Housewives.

How Fear the Walking Dead’s Madison Return Became a Yearlong Secret

🤿 Spinning Underwater…

Now that I think of it, Dead in the Water isn’t a very promising title for a series.

https://www.cbr.com/walking-dead-zombie-origin-problem-dead-in-the-water/

⚰️ All Of Them…

Everything that’s spinning off Deadwise.

The Walking Dead: Every Spinoff In Development

🌜 If I Can Dream…

Come join me tomorrow for the usual soap and what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay assertive without being aggressive, and stay making the most of every day.

Apr11

April 10, 2022 – The Commonwealth Takes It All, About That Place, Latest Dead, Fear’s Here, a Wedding & Vacation

Posted on April 11, 2022 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Mid-season finale.

A cluster of zombies make a lot of noise. Lance steps in zombie goo, ruining his Pierre Cardin shoes.

19 HOURS AND ONE ACT OF GOD AGO. Maggie leaves Hilltop with Herschel, Elijah, and Marco. She asks if Herschel has everything, and he says he’s not a baby anymore. He doesn’t want to go. Maggie tells him, it’s only temporary, and he says he wants to help. She says she knows, but not this time. She asks, how far? and Elijah says, four miles south. They can get there before dark. Maggie tells Herschel, they’ll be back before he knows it. She takes his hand, and they all walk into the woods.

Lance flips his coin, and tells a trooper to call it. The trooper says, tails, and Lance says, over there, pointing to one of a few groups of soldiers. The trooper asks if they’re going to be given an assignment, and Lance says, you’ll know soon enough.

Max is sitting on the bed reading, when Eugene wakes up. She says she thought he was still asleep, and he says he was. He thought they had a lovely night, and she says, they did. He asks what she’s reading, and she says, stuff on physics. He says, just so she knows, she’s the most remarkable human he’s ever met; beautiful in every way. She thanks him, and kisses him. She says she has to get ready for work, and he asks if she has any hesitation about what he asked her to do. She says, no. She said she’d do it. It’s just… He says, she can tell him, and she says she can’t stop thinking about what happens after. This place pushes everyone to keep it the same, and she’s worried it’s going to push them until they all break.

Daryl breaks down a door, and goes into a house with Gabriel, Aaron, and some troopers. Away from the others, Aaron says, they’re not splitting up, and Gabriel says, they’ll get through and get home. Aaron says, they’re in this until it’s over, and Daryl says, when they get a break, they’ll take it, and head north. A trooper finds them, and asks what all the chit-chat is. Daryl says, they need a break, and Gabriel says, there’s a rumor that a place in Charleston is trading weapons. He asks if they’ve checked there, when zombies suddenly start busting in from the next room. One clings on the trooper, who freaks out. Daryl pokes it through the head, and the trooper smashes it to a pulp, because it’s easy once they’re deactivated. Lance radios, asking where they are, and the trooper tells Lance that they’re 13 miles past the last outpost. They have one more location to clear. He tells the others, let’s move. Gabriel says, Lance is checking on them. They need to watch their backs. Daryl agrees.

Maggie and Herschel walk through the woods, followed by Elijah and Marco. She tells them, sounds like it’s getting closer, and Eli says, it is. Herschel is worried about Maggie, but she tells him that she’s okay. He says, no, she’s not, and she bends down so she can look him in the eye. She says, everything she’s done, and still does, is so they have choices. He might not like the place they’re going to, but she promises it’s the right choice… for now. Lydia meets them with some others, and they follow her.

At the camp, Leah suits up for battle like Mrs. Peel from The Avengers, all in black, leather, and weapons. Lance says, it’s exciting, doesn’t she think? Things are coming together. She’ll get the scalp of the woman who killed her family, and he gets to do his job without interference. Everybody wins. Well… not everybody. The cicadas get crazy loud in the trees, and Lance says, he’ll need to see it when she’s dead, giving Leah a radio. Leah says, when she’s dead, he will, and Lance tells the troopers to come. He smiles.

Lydia leads the others to a tangle of branches on the ground, and signal knocks in the middle of it with a stick. She pulls on one of the branches, and says, this thing is stuck. Elijah helps her, and they open a trap door. Inside are Negan, Annie, and what’s left of the Warlord group. They come out of the hidey hole.

Annie asks if Maggie is sure Lance is coming, and Maggie says she spotted him outside the walls. Negan tells her, they’re grateful for her help. He has no problem watching the kid, but Annie is pregnant. There’s no way he’s going to sit in that Whisperer wormhole so they can save that sh*thole of a home that’s not worth saving. Annie protests, but Maggie says, he’s right. Maybe the place isn’t worth saving, but the people are. She started the fight with Lance, and it won’t end until she ends it. Negan has no doubt she will, but also has no doubt that a-hole Lance has her firmly in his crosshairs, so he’s coming with her. Maggie says she’ll finish it, and Annie says she can help, but Maggie says Annie needs to stay with Herschel and the others; keep them safe until it’s over. Negan says, Herschel doesn’t exactly trust him, but Maggie says, she’s starting to. He saved Herschel at Riverbend, and whatever else happens, and whatever has happened, she’ll never forget that. Negan says, wow. She has big balls. He’s got her and her boy. Maggie tells Annie, when she feels it’s time… Anne says, he’ll be waiting when she gets back; she promises. The cicadas get vocal again, and Negan says, oh sh*t. If that ain’t a sign from the man upstairs. The cicadas form a cloud above the trees.

Over the radio, Lance asks if the troopers have secured the location. Head trooper Romano says, they’re cleaning it, and Lance tells him, finish and head back. Romano copies, and tells Daryl, one last sweep, then home. Daryl says he’ll lead, and they walk out to a clearing, and into an old parking lot full of rusted out cars and buses. Daryl, Gabriel, and Aaron separate from the troopers, and start shooting at them. The troopers shoot back, and Gabriel gets hit. Aaron gets hit in his bad arm, which is really his good arm, since it has a mace for a hand. Daryl hits a trooper with the butt of his gun, grabs another gun, and backs around a bus. Gabriel grabs Romano and kicks his ass but good. He shoots more troopers, and is a surprisingly good shot. Zombies start coming, and everyone shoots at them. You have to pick your battles.

Romano is crawling away, when Daryl comes around the corner, followed by Aaron and Gabriel. Gabriel puts a tourniquet on Aaron’s arm, and Daryl stops Romano with his foot. He flips Romano over, and asks, where’s Lance? Romano says, screw you, and sees zombies coming from out of the woods. Daryl says, his choice, and Romano says, maybe ten miles out. He said he wanted to clear the field. Daryl shoots him, and Gabriel says, clear the field means leave only allies behind. Daryl says, Maggie, and Lance radios Romano, but Daryl picks up and says, he ain’t here anymore. Lance tells his troopers, move now. Daryl, Aaron, and Gabriel head out.

In her office, Pamela reads from what’s probably a speech. When this world fell, they gathered the scattered pieces. It wasn’t easy. They faltered, but found a reason to live when everything outside the walls was dead. Max is sitting at her desk, and Pamela asks if she’s okay; she seems far away. Max says, she’s good; she’s right here. Pamela says, if Max is having a bad day, Max can tell her. It’s hard always having to be strong and not showing emotion. Max says she’s really okay, but before she forgets, the Founders Day budget has a $50k surplus. She’d like to suggest something if Pamela is open to it – a scholarship fund for less fortunate families. She’s made up a proposal. Pamela says she loves Max’s out-of-the-box thinking, but anything extra has to be put back into the event; it’s their biggest day of the year. Max says she understands, and tells Pamela not to forget her 5 o’clock dinner. Pamela says she doesn’t know what she’d do without Max, and asks if she’s coming. Max says she’ll be right behind Pamela, and Pamela leaves. Max goes to work, looking through the files.

Maggie and her group take out their weapons.

Max goes through the files, pulling some out. While she’s looking at the papers in one of them, Sebastian startles her. He apologizes, and she asks if there’s something she can help him with. He asks if his mom is pissed at him. He keeps asking, but gets nothing. Max says, it’s been a hectic afternoon, and he says he needs to talk with his mother. She says, Pamela is at a work dinner, but she can get word to her. Sebastian says, why doesn’t Max get word to her. Her only child. It’s such bullsh*t. Max says she’s sorry, but she was on her way out, and he says she never stops working. She even takes work home. Max drops some of the files, and Sebastian moves to help her, but she scoops them up quickly. She tells him that she’s clumsy after too much coffee, and he says, the poor man’s drug. He leaves, and she puts the files under her coat.

The cicadas get wildly loud, and Leah goes into a house with her men. They look around, going to a closed door, and the house explodes. In the woods, Maggie says, they’ll see if they can recover any weapons, follow their trail back to the camp, and end it. A shot rings out, and Marco falls to the ground. Leah comes out of the still burning house, and they run. Poor Marco. Leah follows, slow and steady like Michael Myers.

LOUD CICADAS. Lance looks pissed as the troopers go through the bombed out house. Outside, he steps in zombie goo. He asks, how many? and a trooper says, three. Leah radios, and Lance asks, what was that? She says she drew them out. She’s doing it her way. He says, his men were killed, and she says, collateral damage. A trooper tells Lance that he’s got the others fanned out. They’ll find them. Lance says, they goddam better.

Walking through the woods, Gabriel says, the troopers must be close. They’ve got walkers too. Daryl sees spikes in a tree, and Gabriel says, they set traps for them, but Daryl says, those ain’t for them. They come to the camp, and Aaron looks through whatever stuff is left. Daryl sees a piece of materiel on a tree, and says, Leah. He thinks they should split up; they’ll cover more ground. Lydia and Elijah fight off a zombie, and Elijah asks Maggie if she’s sure it was Leah. Maggie says, yes, and tells them to go. She’ll lead the others away. She won’t risk them. Lydia says, when it’s safe, they’ll meet up with the others, but Maggie tells them to go.

Maggie is alone, and Leah walks through the woods, gun drawn.

Back at the Commonwealth, Kelly signs, and Connie says, Tyler Davis, and the woman Rosita tried to help were on the list. She counted 200 more. Max looks at one of the papers, and says, it looks like codes or coordinates. Magna says, if they’re hiding it, maybe Connie should write about that, but Connie says, not yet. She needs proof. For something this big, they need the key to crack the code. Until they have that, she’ll have to write about Sebastian’s heist, and hang it around Pamela’s neck. Kelly says, when the people find out Pamela’s not on their side, they’re going to question everything. There’s a knock at the door, startling everyone, and Magna says she thought they could use some help. She told him to come. Ezekiel says he’s sorry he’s late, and Magna says, they needed more people. Ezekiel says he has a whole network ready and willing to ride at dawn. Connie says, we’re doing this? and Max says, let’s ride.

Daryl goes through the woods.

In Maggie’s part of the woods, the zombies make noise, competing with the cicadas. Then it gets quiet. A zombie comes out, and Maggie unsheathes her knife, waiting until it’s right up on her before stabbing it in the head. She sheaths the knife again, and continues on. (The closed captions say, dramatic chord strike – hahaha!) Maggie shoots at Leah, who dodges around the trees. Maggie gets off a couple more shots, and moves slowly forward. Leah gets a bullet in the leg, but still comes up behind Maggie.

Maggie opens her eyes, and she’s tied to a chair, Leah sitting across from her with a gun. Leah says she’s waited for this moment a long time, and Maggie says she knows what Leah wants. She wanted it herself for a long time. Leah can’t kill her; it’s too easy. If Leah had wanted to do that, she’d have done it. She wants Maggie to suffer; to feel everything she felt, all the pain, Somewhere inside, Leah thinks it will take her pain away, but it won’t. Leah says, Maggie is wrong. She doesn’t just want to hurt Maggie. By the time she’s done, everyone Maggie loves will be dead.

In the woods, Lance finds a piece of cloth left by Leah. They keep going.

Maggie guesses that would make her and Leah even. Leah could take her family the way she took Leah’s. Leah says, it’s nature’s way of taking care of things. Maggie says, it’s not nature or fate; it’s us. Maggie killed Leah’s people. That’s what she wanted. This is what Leah wants. Leah draws her gun, and Maggie says, go ahead. She wants to do it. Go on. Leah hesitates, and as Maggie is talking, she’s getting out of the bonds on her wrists. She jumps up, and hits Leah. They struggle over the gun, and Maggie knocks it out of Leah’s hand, and whacks her a few times, but then Leah gets Maggie down. Maggie bounces back up, but Leah slices her in the leg. They throw each other around like a scene from Kill Bill, and Leah gets Maggie down again, punching the sh*t out of her. She starts to strangle Maggie, and there’s a gunshot. Leah falls on top Maggie, and Daryl is there. Woot!

Lance is lurking outside with the troopers, and Daryl shoots at him, grazing his face. Daryl grabs Maggie, and they run. An angry Lance stomps into the house, sees Leah dead, and notices the open window Daryl and Maggie jetted from. He says, now we take it all.

Maggie and Daryl walk through a field, meeting Gabriel and Aaron. Another day at the office. Negan gets everyone aboveground. Max puts the files back, and sits at her desk. Pamela comes in, and tosses the newspaper on Max’s desk. The headline reads: Pamela Milton is Lying to You.

The Welcome to Alexandria sign is draped over by a Commonwealth flag. A trooper closes the gate. The people inside are rounded up, and Lance fingers his coin, then flips it.

Next time, the fight to the finish; the final chapter. Mercer says it’s his job to protect the people, but Negan says he was sent here anyway.

👍🏻 Final Flip…

What’s happening with the Commonwealth.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-midseason-finale-acts-of-god-angela-kang/

And does it coordinate with the CRM?

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-commonwealth-crm-name-list-coordinates/

🌊 Under Water Dead…

This actually looks pretty good. And I did like Das Boot.

https://bleedingcool.com/tv/dead-in-the-water-amc-releases-fear-the-walking-dead-spinoff-trailer/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/how-to-watch-dead-in-the-water-a-fear-the-walking-dead-story-amc-plus/

🐣 In Your Easter Basket…

No break this time around. FWD is back April 17^th.

https://bamsmackpow.com/2022/04/10/fear-the-walking-dead-return-date-april-2022/

👰🏼 Spicing Down the Aisle…

I’ve always been impressed with his parents’ marriage, and wish him well. They’re a beautiful couple.

https://www.eonline.com/news/1325731/brooklyn-beckham-marries-nicola-peltz-in-star-studded-ceremony

🍭 Sweet Dreams…

Meet me here tomorrow for some soap and some Sailing. Until then, stay safe, stay gracious, and stay knowing that making things even won’t take the pain away.

Apr4

April 3, 2022 – Lance Searches Hilltop, Last Day, Confrontation, Still Alpha, Trust Or Not, First Look, Uncensored & April

Posted on April 4, 2022 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Carlson is a bloody mess in a tangle of the dead. Daryl stands there as troopers mark corpses. Daryl goes up to the roof, where, Lance is telling Aaron and Gabriel, this not a good look. It puts him in a tough spot. He wants to run through it again, just to make sure. So they walked into a tense firefight, where a bunch of crazed violent strangers killed all of his trained and armed soldiers, but not the one-armed guy and the priest? They escaped, called him, and here we are. That’s their story? Aaron says, that’s basically it, and Lance asks what Daryl thinks. Daryl says they’ve all been on the road a long time; they can handle themselves. If they say it happened, then it happened. Lance says he has another theory; hear him out. It doesn’t make sense for crazed violent strangers to leave them alive, unless they’re protecting those crazed violent strangers. Aaron asks if he’s calling them liars, and Gabriel says, Lance screwed up, and they barely survived. They’re not taking the fall for this. Lance says he’s not trying to ruffle any feathers. He’s just doing his job. At the end of the day, they want the same thing – justice. Aaron says, of course, and Lance tells the troopers, keep searching. There are still monsters on the loose, and they have to smoke them out… starting with Hilltop. They should at least know dangerous people might be headed their way. He tells Daryl, suit up, soldier, and Daryl looks at Aaron and Gabriel before following Lance back down.

The alarm clock goes off, and Princess tells Mercer that they’re pretty awesome at this sex thing. They’re both adults, and they’ve both had lots of sex. He says he loves listening to her talk, and she tells him, dude, these crack of dawn super soldier wake ups suck ass. He seems like he’s always awake. She thinks he’s part robot. He says, she’s got him. Beep-beep-beep. They kiss, and Princess asks, what’s the deal with his eyes being open all night; is it some kind of meditation thing? He says, maybe he’s basking in the afterglow. He sleeps fine. She says, it didn’t look like basking; more like stewing. He asks if she’s getting at something, and she says she’s just making sure he’s cool. He says he’s fine, and she says, cool, but if he needs to get anything off his chest, contrary to popular opinion, she’s good at listening. He tells her that he said he’s fine, and she says, message received; loud and clear. See? She’s good at listening. The alarm goes off again, and she says he’s going to be late for work. She turns over as he gets up, but she doesn’t go back to sleep.

Eugene lets Kelly and Connie into his apartment, apologizing for the early hour, but the discussion isn’t ready for public broadcast. Connie signs, and Kelly asks if he’s okay. It seemed urgent. He says, Rosita had a harrowing experience on the job. We see Rosita beside him, and he says, Connie being a truth telling newsperson, he thought Rosita should give her the deets. Rosita says, she and Daryl were forced by Sebastian and his cronies to steal some cash. They found a woman there, and found out it had been done before, but no one ever made it out alive. The authorities wanted them to stay quiet, but she thinks about that woman and what she went through. There are good people here, and they need to know the truth. Connie signs, and Kelly hands Rosita the paper that had been slipped under Connie’s door. She says, it’s a list of names, people who are ex-troopers. They tried to investigate it further, but kept hitting dead ends. She points out April Martens on the list, and says, that’s her, right? Rosita says, there are more names than people who were sent. Maybe the two things are related, but they need to know more. Connie signs, and Kelly says, if the Miltons are involved, they could keep those people locked up. They need inside access. Eugene says he might know someone who could provide that.

Carol sends Judith and RJ off to school, and RJ waves to Ezekiel. Ezekiel tells them, drink deep from the cup of knowledge and listen to their teachers. Carol tells him that he’s looking lively, and he says, losing a tumor the size of a grapefruit works wonders. He’s healing well. He’s been thinking about what she said about how he reacted. He never thanked her properly. She says he doesn’t have to, but he says he does. He can’t imagine the lengths she went to. He took her words to heart and he’s been doing something extra with the time he’s been given. He’d like to show her, but she says she can’t today; she’s swamped at work. He says, at the bakery? but she says, no, another job. It’s complicated. It all went sideways, and there are things she needs to figure out to fix it. It’s better he doesn’t know. Just trust her. He says he does trust her, more than anyone. You’d think this place would make life easier, but it feels like there’s more grey instead. Carol says, rain check? and he says, guaranteed. He’s getting healthy again. She’s stuck with him. She says she can live with that, and walks off.

Lance and his troopers come to a zombie conga line going across the road in the woods. Lance holds up his hand, signaling for them to stop, and tells Aaron and Gabriel to take care of it. He heard they can handle themselves. What’s the problem? They walk to the front, and Daryl goes with them. They approach the zombies, who are reforming into a group, and Aaron smashes the head right off of the first one with his mace hand. Gabriel slices the next one’s head in half diagonally, and Daryl shoots two with one bullet. Lance looks like he’s getting off on it, and when all the zombies are downed, Daryl says he saved Lance a bullet, and kicks a head over to him. Lance says, and barely broke a sweat. Nice. He tells the troopers, keep moving, and tells Daryl to put his helmet on. They keep walking, and arrive at Hilltop.

Ezekiel asks Tomi if it’s a bad time, and Tomi says, it’s not the best day, but lets him in. He asks if Ezekiel is feeling okay, but Ezekiel says, it’s about a friend who’s sick and can’t afford treatment. She needs a small procedure, and he was wondering if they could take care of it outside the system. Tomi asks what the procedure is, and Ezekiel says, an appendectomy. He has the necessary equipment, and has secured a sterile area, but they need some supplies. Tomi says, it’s risky, not just for the patient, but for everyone involved. Ezekiel says, she won’t change her mind, and they both understand the risks. He wouldn’t be approaching Tomi if this wasn’t their best option. Tomi says he lost a patient this morning, and that was here in a hospital, but Ezekiel says Tomi is the only one who can do this. Please.

At the town center, or whatever it is, loudspeakers tell everyone to do their part. If you see something, say something. Max sees Eugene and asks what he’s doing here. He tells her, what he needs to talk about required an immediate face-to-face, but he took precautions. He shows her the bag of groceries he’s carrying, and says he’s an ordinary delivery boy. They go to a supply room, and she says, he wants to her to steal secret files? They’re supposed to be staying out of trouble, not looking for it. Just when she thought things were finally going right. He says, Rosita was forced into a situation by Sebastian, and she says, this involved the Miltons? He says, so far, only the young psychopath. People have died, and more are missing. Her brother can corroborate it. He was there. A janitor comes in, and says, sorry, to interrupt, but Max says, the room is all his. She thanks Eugene, taking the bag and giving him a tip, and leaves.

At Hilltop, Lance looks up to see Maggie and Elijah on the wall, and says, good to see you. Maggie asks what he wants, and he says, there are killers on the loose. They’ve lost a lot of men, and he’s hunting them down and the Commonwealth property they stole. Maggie says she doesn’t know anything about it, and Lance says, then she wouldn’t mind if he has a quick look around… to rule them out… for the paperwork. She says she gave him her answer, and Lance looks pissed. He says something to a soldier, and Daryl walks up. He says Lance is going to get people killed if he forces his way in. Lance says he doesn’t have much choice, but Daryl says, let him talk to her. They go in, and nobody gets hurt. Deal? Daryl approaches, and Maggie says, it doesn’t have to be this way. He takes off his helmet, and says, yeah, it does. Nobody is leaving until they look around, but he promises it will be quick. She asks if he expects her to trust Lance, but he says he ain’t asking that. He’s asking her to trust him. She looks at Aaron and Gabriel, and the gate opens. The troopers go in, Daryl nods to Maggie.

Max asks Mercer, whose first name is apparently Mike, what’s going on? He asks her to be specific, and she says, Sebastian pulled a heist, and people went missing. He says it sounds like she already knows, but she says she wants to hear it from him. Why did he keep it from her? He works out with kettlebells while he’s talking, and he says, it’s none of her business. What does she want him to say? This place is not perfect? They’re lucky to be here? None of that sh*t is new. It’s part of his job. She asks if that makes everything okay, but he says, no. People lost their lives because he failed them. He missed it, and it’s his weight to carry, not hers. She says she’s not a little kid. He doesn’t need to play big brother. He tells her, says the girl who was almost caught on the radio a few months ago. He doesn’t want to fight with her. She says, then let her help, but he says, forget it; he fixed it. She says, what about Sebastian? How is it okay letting him walk free? He says, there are 50,000 other lives he’s got to think about. If he goes after Sebastian, what happens to them? Does she think they’re going to let that kind of insubordination slide? What if he disappears? Who keeps this place running? If the Commonwealth falls, more people will die. She says, not everyone views lives as acceptable losses, and he tells her to take it up with her boss. She says, the community listens to him; they look up to him. He says, he’s just a soldier, but she says, he could be more. He could change this place. Then again, maybe she’s just being naïve. Maybe he’s just a poser. She leaves, and he drops the weights he was lifting.

Ezekiel and Tomi get the supplies they need. A soldier goes by the door, and they duck out of sight. Tomi tells Ezekiel that the troopers should move on soon, and they can head to the loading dock. Ezekiel says, for a guy who was worried about coloring outside the lines, Tomi knows what he’s doing, and seems to be enjoying it. Tomi says he did his share of rebellion back in the day. This place has a way of lulling you, and you think, why upset the applecart? Lance says he’s keeping them safe, but is he protecting others or himself? They slip out, and as they round the corner, run straight into a trooper.

Lance uncovers a truck, and asks if it’s new. Maggie says she’s converting the engine, but it doesn’t run. He says, they found tire tracks near the ambush, and not many cars are running these days. Daryl tells him, if he has something to say, just say it, and Lance says, he comes from a long line of gearheads (which I find hard to believe). Does she mind? He looks under the hood, and says, it’s clean for a truck that just sits here; It looks good, and they left a lot of fuel here last time. He looks at something, and says, no wonder it won’t work. The starter relay is disconnected. He hooks it back up, and puts the hood down. He says, let’s test it out, and see if he has the magic touch. He gets in, and turns the key, but nothing happens. He tries a few times, and Maggie walks over to him, and says, you have until sundown. Then you and your people can be on your way. Lance looks at Daryl, who looks disgusted. Lance can’t figure it out.

Tomi and Ezekiel sit at a table, in custody. A trooper opens the door, and Carol comes in. She tells the trooper that she can handle them from here, and thanks him for his discretion. He leaves, and Ezekiel says he was hoping her new job had connections. Tomi asks if they’re screwed, but she says, don’t worry; she has it handled. Is Ezekiel trying to get into more trouble? Ezekiel says, not all trouble is bad trouble. Since he’s already pulled her out of work, what’s a few more minutes?

Ezekiel leads Carol through the animal stalls, and Tomi says, please tell him that his friend is human. Ezekiel goes to a structure that says, veterinary treatment, and inside is a clinic where people are waiting. Carol says, he really has been busy, and Ezekiel says he has a debt to repay. Tomi’s patient Theresa is in the back. They go into another area.

Mercer sees Princess in the hallway, and asks if she’s got a minute. She says, for him, she’s got two, and he says he wanted to apologize for earlier. This whole thing is new to him. Not the sex part, but …. us. She kisses him, and says, listen. She’s got a special sense when somebody is not okay. She’s had a lot of firsthand experience. She might put out a totally sexy carefree fun times vibe, but she can handle the heavy stuff… in case he ever needs it. He says, he killed two of his men and covered it up. He never thought he’d be that guy. That’s not how he was raised. He didn’t cross certain lines… until now. What’s really messing with his head and keeps him up is, he keeps thinking he’d do it again. He’s spent a long time trying to keep it together, be solid for everyone else. It’s all he knows, and he’s good at it, but maybe this place needs something else. Maybe he’s part of the problem. He’s tired. Princess kisses his hand, and suggests they go inside and figure it out together. He nods.

Herschel walks out of the graveyard, and sees Lance poking around behind a building. Lance says he doesn’t know if Herschel remembers him. He heard Herschel has an exciting life. Has he taken any exciting trips lately? Herschel doesn’t say anything, and Lance asks, how about his mom? The last thing Lance would want is for something to happen, especially to Herschel’s mom. He needs Herschel’s help. If he can get the truth, he can fix things. That’s what he does, but he can’t keep people safe if they keep secrets. Think hard. Is there anything Herschel wants to tell him? Herschel says he probably should get his mom, but Lance gets in front of him, and says, Herschel is a good kid. He’s a brave kid. The thing about good kids is, they deserve presents. He found this hat where bad things happened. He takes out Herschel’s baseball cap, and says, it would be a shame to let it go to waste. He puts it on Herschel, and says, he’ll be damned; a perfect fit. What are the odds? Elijah flies in out of nowhere, slamming Lance up against the building. There’s shouting, and the troopers run over, guns drawn, along with Maggie and Daryl, who also have their guns drawn. A trooper tells Elijah to release Lance or he’ll shoot, and Herschel tells Maggie that Lance said something bad was going to happen. Maggie tells Lance, plenty of others have made the mistake of threatening her family, and most of them are dead. Daryl tells Lance, he found nothing, so unless he wants to die for nothing, tell them to drop their guns before something really f***ing bad is going to happen. The F-bomb has officially been dropped by Daryl on sort-of network TV, and the Twitterverse goes wild. Lance says, sorry for the miscommunication, and they leave. BTW, closed captions actually spelled it out too.

Daryl, Aaron, and Gabriel sit around a fire in the woods, and Daryl says, they’re not going back to the Commonwealth. Lance is going to keep searching. Aaron says, if they can’t give him the killers, maybe they can find the guns and buy time. Something is about to go down. Daryl tells them to keep their eyes open. Lance tells a trooper to find something.

Carol says Ezekiel did good, and he says, Theo did most of the hard work, but he admits he feels special. After all they’ve been through, and as close as he came, he got a fresh start. It’s important to him that his friend knows how much he appreciates her. Carol says, it must feel good, and he asks, what’s going on? Carol says she was thinking about the world, and he says, that’s a big subject. Anything specific? She says, the years… the darkness… After everything, in the midst of everything, he’s there, glowing. The light suits him. Ezekiel says, it came from a spark that she helped him find. He says, the darkness is heavy. Some carry more than others, because they’re strong enough to hold the weight. They make the light; she makes the light. She says he knows they’re not getting back together, right? and he laughs. He says, she keeps saying that. Someone runs over, and tells Ezekiel that Theo says he needs to come back; Theresa’s appendix burst. Ezekiel and Carol run back to the makeshift OR, and Tomi puts Ezekiel on breathing duty. He sends Theo to get more antibiotics, and Carol puts in gauze when necessary. I find it amusing that, with all the gore on this show, I’m grossed out watching him do surgery. Tomi tells Ezekiel that he’s doing good, and says, they have to flush the cavity. He asks Carol for saline, and the next thing we know, he’s sewing Theresa up. He says they’ll know more in the next 24 hours, but it looks good. Ezekiel says, see? A small procedure. Nothing to worry about.

Max goes to Eugene’s apartment, and asks if they can talk. He says, he regrets his earlier ambush. It was mighty uncool of him. Max says, stuff is happening, and it’s bad. He tells her, it’s not his intention to put her in a tough spot. If this makes her uncomfortable… She says, it does; sneaking around when she’d hoped things were going back to normal. Maybe she’s not built for this, but she doesn’t thinks he has a choice. He says, of course she does. They can find another avenue. She says, that’s not what she meant. She has no choice because there is no back to normal. They know what they know, and because of that, things have to change. They can’t wait for someone else to step up and help. He takes her hand, and says he can promise her this. Whatever they find, whatever comes their way, she won’t be alone. He’ll be by her side, come hell or high water. Against all odds of the cosmos and humankind, they found each other. He was never more certain of anything. They kiss, and she says, so what does she need to steal?

In the woods, Leah loads bunch of guns, and sets them up in a semicircle. She goes inside a small tent, and closes it. Some troopers come by, and open the tent, but it’s empty, and the guns start shooting, hitting a couple of troopers. Lance says, he’s here to talk; hold your fire. He’s come long way to find her. She’s not easy to track down, and since she’s caused him more than a handful of trouble, at least hear what he has to say before she kills them. Leah comes out of the woods, her gun ready. She says, talk fast, and he says, his name is Lance Hornsby, and he’s here to offer her a job.

Next time, Maggie says, it’s not ending until she ends it; Aaron says, they’ll fight their way out; Lance says, Leah gets to scout for the woman who killed her family, and he gets to do his job without interference; and Leah suits up to go hunting.

⚰️ Dead Done…

Wrapping it up.

https://movieweb.com/the-walking-dead-wraps-for-the-last-time/

https://ew.com/tv/norman-reedus-commemorates-last-walking-dead-shoot/

👨‍👦 Stand Off…

Who knows? Maybe Negan and Herschel can have a spin-off.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-negan-hershel-rotten-core/

🦹🏼‍♂️ Dead But Not Forgotten…

You’re never really dead on Walking Dead. Or a soap opera.

https://ew.com/tv/samantha-morton-alpha-tales-of-the-walking-dead/

🕶 Hidden Agenda…

What’s really behind that friendly broker personality.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-trust-lance-hornsby-leah-angela-kang/

👢 Looking Fierce…

A look at Madison’s new look.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-kim-dickens-madison-clark-first-look-photo/

🤬 F-Dash-Dash-Dash…

I have to admit, I was startled. And it’s not like I don’t use it myself.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-daryl-f-word-uncensored-f-bomb-season-11-episode-15-trust/

🛍 Bagging It Up…

See you tomorrow when it’s time for soap and to get Sailing. Until then, stay safe, stay slow to anger, and stay being the light, or at least helping to find the spark.

Mar28

March 27, 2022 – Time To Gut Up, Return Within a Return, Rick Theory, Best Zombies, Two Kinds Of Academy Wins & No Time

Posted on March 28, 2022 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

The people Carlson kicked off the roof are beginning to reanimate. Carlson radios Lance, who asks the status. Carlson says, the location is secured, and Lance breathes a sigh of relief. The shipment? Carlson says they’re searching floor by floor; the residents have been cooperative. Lance is surprised, saying, the people have regressed so far is like getting mad at a rat who can’t tell right from wrong. Carlson tells him that a small taste of law and order made them remember. A trooper tells Carlson, we have two down be the east exit, and Carlson runs inside.

Maggie hears screaming, and sneaks down the hall, followed by Aaron, Lydia and Elijah. They hear gunfire, and slip quietly toward it.

Daryl meets Carol on his way to work, and says he’d been looking for her. She tells him that she’s been doing more of her side thing, and he asks if she’s heard anything about home. She says, not exactly… and trooper boss lady asks if Daryl is going to be joining them. He asks if Carol wants to have lunch, and she says, noon at the diner? He says, it’s a date, and goes in. Inside, the troopers are given their assignments, and Rosita and Daryl are paired for Sector D. They leaves with troopers Alves and Castle, and pass where Sabastian is hanging out with his friends. Sebastian brags that people have problems when they panic, but when he’s around the rotters, his heartrate goes down. He says, Daryl has seen how he handles himself, and Daryl says, good stuff, applauding, but Sebastian isn’t really sure how to respond. They go outside, and Alves says, a swarm was spotted by the north perimeter. Daryl wonders why the plans changed, and Alves suggests they’re being tested on what they can do outside the walls. He tells them that their sectors are covered, and says, let’s go. Daryl and Rosita go with him.

Maggie and the others go into an apartment. They hear shooting and yelling, and Maggie suddenly has a gun to her head. Annie tells her, one more step, and you die. Drop your weapons. Elijah then comes up behind Annie, and holds a gun to her head, and Lydia says, you first. Maggie says, they’re here to help, and Negan joins them. He pats Elijah on the shoulder, and says, let’s everybody put our sh*t back in our pants and zip up. He tells Lydia, hey kiddo, and she asks what he’s doing here. He stands next to Annie, and says, we live here. Aaron says, they have Gabriel, but Negan says, they don’t. He tells them, come on, and they follow him. He goes to a closet, and moves the clothes aside. There’s an opening, and he goes through, explaining that Ian walled up the doors in some of the apartments. Gabriel is there with some others from the building, and he hugs Maggie. Maggie asks if the people there hijacked the convoy, but Annie says, no. Aaron asks if she’s sure, and she says she’s sick of people asking. Negan says, him too, why doesn’t Aaron just come out and call her a liar? Aaron says, their boss has a wall of skulls, and he’s calling bullsh*t. If they didn’t do it, who did? Maggie says, it doesn’t matter. They have to get these people out of here. They hear a trooper saying they’ll sweep each floor and see who’s left. Annie says, they’re not leaving their people; they leave together. They pair up, and Negan tells Annie to go with Maggie.

Rosita and Daryl walk through the woods with the troopers, and Rosita asks, how much longer? Alves says, not long, and they get to a hill overlooking a valley where there are houses. He says, there it is, and Daryl asks, where’s everybody else? Alves says, there is no one else, and Rosita says, they expect only four of them to take all the zombies out? Sebastian appears, and says, no, she and Daryl are going to go through them. He and Cooper grew up together. Cooper lived down in the valley, and his dad was a bank president. He was also a prepper, and his office had a panic room where he kept drugs and cash – lots of it. Sebastian needs them to get it for him. Rosita says, this is a joke, right? but Sebastian says, no. His bitch mother cut off his line of credit, so he has to think of creative ways to support his lifestyle. The troopers can’t shoot their guns without the ammo being tracked. Cooper gave him the code… Daryl says, they’re not doing it, but Sebastian says, they’ll slime themselves up with guts, walk through the swarm, and get his cash. Daryl says, or what? and he and Rosita start to walk away. Sebastian asks how their kids are doing, and Daryl grabs him, putting a knife to his throat. Alves tells Daryl, drop it, or they’re both dead, but Rosita has drawn her gun, and says, not before she blows junior’s head off. Daryl says, if Sebastian threatens their kids again, he’ll gut him. Sebastian acts like it was the furthest thing from his mind, and tells Daryl that he was just saying he could make their lives easier. Alves says, or more difficult, and Rosita says, they do this and that’s it? Sebastian says, totally, and Daryl lets him go, taking the code from his hand.

Daryl and Rosita walk through the zombies, who come up to their faces, snarling. We see it from their perspective through their helmets, and it’s pretty creepy.

They go inside, Daryl shining a flashlight around. They see the keypad, and Rosita says they’ll need power for the lock. Two zombies toddle out, and she stabs both of them in the head. She says, it can’t be more than a few days since they turned. They hear a live human banging on the other side of a door, and a woman says, hey. She tells them that she was with another group, and Rosita says, they’re with the Commonwealth army. She says, she’s sorry. The money is in here, but she’s the only one left. Daryl says, Sebastian has done this before, and the woman begs them not to leave her. Rosita asks what she did, and she says she was in debt, and one day man showed up, saying he could get her out of it. She had two kids… She has two kids. Rosita asks how many people were sent in her group, and she says, twelve. Only three made it inside. They got the generator on, but then the two guys turned on each other. She ran in, and the door locked. She’s been trapped in there since. Rosita asks her name, and she says, April. Rosita introduces herself.

Negan says, they’ll make this work, okay? Lydia says, he left without saying a word, and he says, he left because he gave a sh*t. He left because it’s what everyone needed. Aaron asks how he met these people, and… What is Anna to him? He shows Aaron a wedding ring, and says, crazy, right? Aaron says, Negan being here fits, and Gabriel insists the Commonwealth is different, but Lydia says, she’d hoped it was, but it isn’t. They just want to swallow up communities. They’re like the Whisperers; they just wear different masks. Annie radios, and tells Negan that the troopers are on the fifth floor, but they’re going to spread out. He asks if Maggie is still with her, and she tells him to stop worrying. She’ll see him soon. Negan looks outside, and says, sh*t.

A trooper tells Herschel to sit and stay. He gets on the radio and tells the sarge that he found a kid hiding in a truck. Negan clocks him before he can say anymore; then kills him.

Annie eats some ginger, and tells Maggie, she’s twelve weeks, give or take, and yeah it’s his. Not that he’d want her telling Maggie. Negan radios Annie, and says they found Maggie’s son. Maggie grabs the radio, and says, what? Negan says, they had a stowaway they didn’t know about. Maggie says she’s coming, but he tells her, stay with Annie. Her son is safe; stay focused. Maggie says, if anything happens to him… and Negan says, it will have to happen to me first. They hear more gunfire, and Annie tells Maggie, he’s in good hands. Maggie says, he’s in the hands of the man who killed his father. They hear a trooper say, he’s outside five; it’s clear. Annie says she knows who he is and he what did. He told her. Maggie says, and she’s still with him? and Annie says, none of them have clean hands. She’s seen what people do to survive. Sometimes it’s been done to her, and sometimes she did it to them. She’s not proud of it; she can just try to be better. Like him. Maggie says, he doesn’t get to forget, and Annie says, he hasn’t. What matters to her is who he is now, someone who will do what he can to protect her boy.

Herschel says, his mom told him to stay away from Negan, and Negan says, his mom’s a smart lady. Herschel asks why his mom doesn’t like Negan, and Negan says, because of something that happened a long time ago. Herschel says, something bad? and Negan says, yeah. Herschel asks if he’s a bad man, and Negan says, he was. I want to cry, this scene is so touching. Negan says, look, kid, and Heschel picks up a gun. He says his mom told him that a bad man killed his dad. It was him, wasn’t it? Negan says, yeah, and crouches down so he’s on Herschel’s level. He says, what he took away from Herschel and his mom, there’s nothing he can say or do to make that better. He knows Herschel wants to pull the trigger, and he doesn’t blame Herschel, but if he does – everyone gathers, watching from the other room – the bad people will know where they’re hiding. Maybe he deserves to die for what he did to Herschel’s family, but these people here don’t. Herschel looks at them, and lowers the gun. Lydia approaches, and takes it from him, and he runs to them.

Daryl tries to get the generator going, and flips switches like he knows what he’s doing. He does something with pliers, and sparks shoot out. The lights blink on and off, and zombies come at Daryl. They keep coming, and he keeps fighting them. Finally, he dispatches the last one, and goes back to work. The lights come on.

Rosita asks if April is still with them, and puts in the code. The door opens, and April hugs Rosita, thanking her. Daryl joins them, and April shows him the safe. He uses a crowbar to open it, and an alarm goes off. Rosita pushes buttons, but it only gets louder. April starts to freak out, saying, the zombies are going to be drawn to the house. Rosita pulls the alarm off the wall, but it’s still attached by a wire, and April yells for her to hurry. Rosita finally smashes it, and it stops. Daryl pulls out the safe, and he and Rosita stuff money into a bag. April tells them, they’re coming; hurry. They block door with a dresser, and wait.

Daryl says, they’ll go out how they came in; no sudden moves. They put zombie guts on April, and there’s banging and growling outside for a while. When it settles down, they move the dresser back, and open the door. Mercer is there, and asks if he was going to let them in. Daryl asks how he knew they were there, and Carly walks in. She says, when Daryl didn’t show for lunch, she found out where he was. Mercer asks if Daryl is looting houses now, and Rosita says, Sebastian threatened their kids. April tells Mercer that she was promised a cut of the money, but she’s the only one left. The lights blink, and Mercer asks Carol how many rounds she has. She says, maybe ten, and he says, there are more walkers than that. Daryl says, gut up.

They go out among the dead, moving slowly. April’s eyes are like saucers, and I know that one is going to freak for sure. Mercer keeps his gun drawn, and sure enough, one gets hooked on the uniform April is wearing. She panics, and stabs it. Apparently this is a dead (no pun intended) giveaway, and the zombies grab at her. There’s slicing and dicing and shooting, and Mercer is a master with the butt of his gun. All is quiet, but Rosita sees it’s too late for April, and stabs her in the forehead. Mercer opens the door to the outside.

Maggie and Annie hear gunfire at the end of the hall, and a man saying, no, please. The man is shot, and Carlson says, these people… He tells his soldiers, if they refuse to give you something useful, pop them in the in head and move on. They find the guns in the next hour or they burn the place to the ground. Maggie and Annie come out of an apartment, and Maggie radios Gabriel and Aaron. She asks if Elijah is with them, and Aaron says he is. She says she has a plan.

Troopers kick in the door to the apartment with the secret exit, and throw stuff around. A trooper goes to the closet, but the clothes have been pushed back together again. Carlson says, anything? and he says, nothing. They leave, but Carlson lingers. Negan and the others wait behind the opening. Carlson picks up a whiskey bottle, and examines it. He sees something on the floor, and whistles for his men. Negan is a couple of feet away, gun drawn, and Carlson is about to slide the clothing over, when he hears something. He says, it’s that goddam priest again, and he and his soldiers go to the roof. They find Aaron and Gabriel, and Aaron throws his gun down. Carlson slams the roof door shut, and says he’s had enough of this sh*t. What were they thinking, turning on him and the Commonwealth? For what? A tenement warlord and his followers? He thought they were smarter than that. The others come out to the roof, and Carlson calls for back-up, but his soldiers have their hands full with Elijah and his ninja moves. Carlson laughs, and says, the wisdom to know the difference, right? Things got out of hand, and they need to take a breath. Maggie and Annie join them, and Carlson says, they need to talk things… Daryl shoots him off of the roof edge, and he falls down the to the people he’s pushed off, who are now zombies. Aaron and Gabriel look down and watch, as the zombies crawl over Carlson, and have a feast. I love a fitting end.

Mercer, Carol, and Daryl go back up the hill, where Alves and Castle are waiting. Mercer says, they could have used some help, but Alves says they don’t answer to Mercer. Did they get the money? Mercer gives it to him, and Carol asks, how many others were sent to get it? Alves says, thirty or forty, he’s not sure, and in a surprise move, Mercer shoots Alves and Castle. Daryl looks at him like, respect, and I laaaugh. Mercer says, they’ll have to pay Sebastian. If they don’t, Sebastian will come after them, and it’s a fight they’re not going to win. He picks up the bags, and says he’ll carry them through the gate. They won’t search him.

Daryl, Rosita, and Mercer sit at a table, and Sebastian comes in. He says, there they are. So? Daryl points to the bag, and Sebastian practically skips over to the table. He looks inside, and he dances in a circle, and says, well done. Where are…? Mercer says, Alves and Castle didn’t make it. Sebastian takes out a packet of bills, and puts it on the table, telling Daryl, your cut. Congratulations. They did it. He’s glad they’re friends again. He smiles and leaves. Daryl looks at Mercer.

Lance radios Open Range (i.e. Carlson), but gets nothing but static. He sits at his desk, looking like he has a headache. There’s a knock at the door, and Carol comes in. He says, it’s late, and asks where she’s been. She says, helping friends out of a jam. They were on a mission for the governor’s son. He’s been finding desperate people, and sending them through swarms to get to a stash of cash. Most didn’t make it out. Lance says, he sent her friends? and she says, yeah. He asks if they made it back, and she says, barely. He says, good. Did they get the money? She says they did, and he says, finally, and sighs. Carol asks why the other people were sent; what did they do? He says, they put themselves in bad situations, either because of stupid choices or their unwillingness to play by the rules. He tried to throw them a lifeline. This place works because everyone plays their part. If they can’t or won’t, it hurts everyone. That’s when the system breaks down, and we can’t let that happen. He asks if Carol knows what he’s saying, and she says, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. He says he knew she’d get it, and she says she’ll let him get back to work. He says, it’s nice to be able to talk to someone who sees the big picture; not many can. She smiles, and leaves, looking like Jamie Lee Curtis, Lance picks up the radio again.

Negan looks at Herschel, and walks over to him. He says, he and Herschel have unfinished business, don’t they? Tell you what. Herschel goes back with his mom, and helps rebuild their home. When he’s grown up a bit, come find him, and Negan promises they’ll settle it. Another great scene between these two. Negan walks off, and Maggie asks Herschel what Negan said to him, but Herschel stays silent. Maggie asks what Aaron and Gabriel are going do. They can’t go back to the Commonwealth. Aaron says, Lance is going to want to know what happened, and Gabriel says, the more immediate need is the people here. It’s only a matter of time. He wonders, if Ian didn’t steal the weapons, who did?

Two weeks ago. We see the dead troopers next to the arms shipment. One is still alive, crawling down the road, leaving a trail of blood. She yells, please, no, but a woman reaches from behind, pulling the trooper’s head up, and slitting her throat. Blood gushes out. We see the murderer is Leah.

Next time, Lance wonders if the warlords weren’t strangers to Aaron and Gabriel; Max says they can change this place; and Daryl asks Maggie to trust him. Eugene wants max to steal files

🛠 What the Dickens…

More on the returning FWD and Madison.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7b-episode-titles-madison-clark-kim-dickens-return-amina/

🤯 Everybody Has One…

I actually forget all about Rick until I read one of these articles.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-madison-rick-grimes-crm-brainwash-theory/

⚰️ Only the Best…

Checking my temperature… Yep, still bitter about Z Nation being canceled, even after several years.

Best Zombie TV Shows of All Time

🏆 You Know You Want It…

The winners. Oh, wait, the award receivers.

https://www.avclub.com/oscars-2022-complete-winners-list-1848710035

And the more important fashion.

https://www.avclub.com/oscars-2022-red-carpet-arrivals-gallery-1848709842

✨ Stars Fading, But I Linger On…

Save room for some soap and what’s on Deck tomorrow. Until then, stay safe, stay pragmatic, and stay having the wisdom to know the difference.

Mar21

March 20, 2022 – Meeting With a Warlord, Dead Guesting, Returning, Lance’s Hint, Dead Synopsis, Dead End, Spinning Under Water & Window

Posted on March 21, 2022 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

In the woods, some zombies toddle around and snarl. Elijah and Marco are on the wall at Hilltop, and Elijah shoots one with an arrow. He asks where they’re at, and Marco says, eight to nine; he’s still winning. Lydia comes by, and Elijah says, her too? She says she talked to Maggie, and he asks what she said. Lydia tells him, not much. Maggie just gave her directions to the closest Commonwealth checkpoint. Elijah says, a lot of people changed their minds, but she’ll be back, right? She says she thinks so, and goes out the gate. He asks if she needs an escort. It’s a long walk, and she might get bored. They hear a horse coming, and Elijah looks through the binoculars and sees Jesse from the Commonwealth. He calls out, rider coming. Nobody we know. Marco says, hold or we’ll shoot, but Jesse is bleeding, and falls off his horse. He lies on the ground, coughing, and Lydia runs to him. She says, he’s been shot. Get help. Jesse says, don’t… They’re slaughtering them… Liars. He hands her a map, says, you’ve got to go, and dies.

Maggie tells Lydia, she’s not going. Someone sent him, or it’s a trap. Lydia says she doesn’t think it’s a trick, but Maggie says, even if it wasn’t, they can’t go up against another group without people to fight. Elijah says, being outnumbered never stopped them before, but Maggie says, it should have; they’re barely holding on. Lydia says, that sounds like the group Jesse was talking about too. It’s the kind of group her mother would have targeted, and she helped. She’s not letting that happen to someone else. Maggie asks if Lydia’s not leaving, and Lydia says she is, but she has to help these people first. Lydia, Elijah, and Marco load the car, and Maggie comes out. She holds her hand out for the keys, and says, Lydia can take over at the halfway mark. Herschel runs out, and asks Maggie, how long this time? and she asks what she always says. He tells her, as long as it takes, and she tells him to hold down the fort.

Maggie drives, and Lydia asks why she doesn’t want help from the Commonwealth. Maggie says, they can get by without it, but Lydia asks why they should just get by. Maggie says, it’s just temporary. Before the Fall, she lived on a farm with her family. Corporate developers tried to buy them out, but her dad kept saying no. Then there was a bad drought, and the developers offered them three times what the farm was worth. The developers knew they were desperate, but also knew the drought would end. All they had to do was outlast them. They dropped off food to help out the livestock, but her dad let it rot. He said they were being tested. The drought ended, and they got back on their feet, and the developers never bothered them again. Lydia asks why Maggie’s father let it rot, and Maggie tells her, he said if they were seen taking it, the developers would know they needed it. Elijah says, the cattle were hungry, but Maggie says, they didn’t lose any. They made it through. Lydia says, they got by. She was forced to get by her whole life. She was told it makes you stronger and wiser, but it doesn’t; it hurts. Maggie asks what Lydia would have done, and Lydia says, asked everyone what they wanted instead of deciding for them. Maggie says, the people of the Commonwealth haven’t been tested in ten years. Does she want to be there when they are? Lydia says she just wants things to be the same every day, and Maggie asks if Elijah agrees. Elijah says, with most of it, yeah. They suddenly skid to a stop, three troopers blocking the road.

The get out, and realize they’re facing zombie troopers, and put them down. Maggie takes a closer look, and says, the knife slashed through the neck guard. She finds another has been shot between the armor. A man yells to them in the distance, and as he gets closer, Maggie says, it’s Aaron.

One week ago. Aaron goes into the church where Gabriel is preaching about the prodigal son. He says, the son squandered his riches, and found his soul empty. He was in need, and begged forgiveness from his father. His father embraced him, saying, his son was dead, and is now alive. He was lost, now he was found. He says, there were a lot of stunned faces when he asked them to sit by a stranger this morning. A lot of awkwardness, stiff backs, and clenched butt cheeks. They laugh, and he says, those who were out in the wasteland knew it didn’t matter if they were strangers; they were forced to see the humanity in each other, and strangers became more than friends. Strangers became family. Why was it that way out there, but not in here? Romans 3:23 tells us, we’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. It’s the thread that binds them together. If they strip away the superficial labels, they’ll see the person by their side as they see themselves in the mirror; the way they were before the world fell. It can’t be like it is now. They must remember the thread. It’s what makes them try. It’s what makes them forgive. It’s what makes them return from peril. It’s what makes us, us.

After the service, Aaron sits with Gabriel in the pews. He tells Gabriel that it was great, but he was expecting more fire and brimstone. Gabriel looks happy. Gabriel says he thinks he might be. In the beginning, he was going through the motions, but then it was like a switch flipped, and he wasn’t. He could hear Him again. Aaron says, that hell they went through feels like it wasn’t real; like it was a nightmare or something. Gabriel asks, what about Alexandria? and Aaron says, the Commonwealth is giving them more manpower and resources to rebuild, and while they’re finishing, they asked if he would help with their immigration initiative. Gabriel says they didn’t seem keen on immigrants when they came, and Aaron says, they weren’t, but when the found out he’d worked for an NGO, and was good at reaching out to people who need help, they asked him to work on their policies. Gabriel says, the Lord’s work, and Aaron says, yeah, that’s why he’s here. There’s a group of about 40 living in an apartment complex near Westborough, Virginia. He offered to help, and they thought it would be good if Gabriel tagged along. Gabriel asks, why? and Aaron says, it’s a religious group so… There are hostiles in the territory, but his boss Carlson will be with them. He’s a little… His heart’s in the right place. Jesse comes in, and tells Aaron that Carlson is ready when he is, and Aaron asks what Gabriel says. Gabriel asks what Aaron knows about these people, and Aaron says, according to the scouts, they’re a friendly group of settlers.

Carlson and his group stand in a clearing, looking at the apartment building. Carlton asks if they feel that rush of dopamine and adrenaline. It’s just the anticipation that they’re going to change lives. They’re going to make the world better than it was yesterday. Aaron says, Carlton told him they were just friendly settlers, but it doesn’t look friendly. Carlton says, what if they aren’t? If they’re angry, it just means they’re afraid, but when they meet Aaron, the won’t be. He can’t wait to watch Aaron and Gabriel do their thing. Gabriel asks Aaron if Carlton is going in, and Aaron says, he usually does, but doesn’t do the talking. There will be backup nearby. Gabriel looks at some troopers putting up a tent, and asks if they’re setting up camp. Carlson joins them, and Aaron says, the troopers aren’t coming with them, are they? but Carlson says, they don’t want to spook the natives. He tests the radio, and the trooper a few feet behind him copies. He tells Aaron, it’s all good. Gabriel looks at the building and says he’s not doing this. Places like that usually have an old man with a shotgun is looking for an excuse to shoot someone who stepped on his lawn. It practically screams, do not disturb. Aaron says, it might be better to leave them alone, and Carlson wonders if Aaron has pre-game jitters. Gabriel says Carlson’s plan is sh*t; he doesn’t want to die. Carlson says they’ve done this before, and will do it again, and Gabriel asks what the largest group was. Carlson says, four, and Gabriel says, there’s 40 in there. With that many people, all it takes is one nervous guy with an itchy trigger finger. Aaron says Gabriel is right, but Carlson says, it’s not up for discussion. They need to trust that he knows what he’s doing. Gabriel says, fine, and takes his collar off. Carlson says he needs to wear it; it’s part of his costume, but Gabriel says, this is how this is going to go…

They walk to the building, and Aaron loudly introduces himself. He says he comes from a community called the Commonwealth, and they’d like to extend friendship. They’re the people who left these where they would find them. He holds up a bag of rations, and says, since they were gone, he assumes they did. They have more back at camp. He asks if there’s anyone he could speak face-to-face with. There’s banging on the door from the inside, and a guy opens it. A woman comes out, dressed kind of barbarian, and says, weapons. They remove their weapons, and she walks around taking them, and looking everyone over. She looks at Aaron’s arm, and he says, it’s kind of a bitch to take off. She nods, and asks if it’s just the four of them. Aaron says, there’s a group of peacekeepers nearby waiting for them to check in, and she says, sounds scary. They follow her inside, and the door closes. One of the men locks the ton of humongous locks on it, and it’s kind of dark. They’re frisked and the woman says, can’t be too safe. Last door to the right. Aaron asks, what’s down there? and she smiles. She keeps walking, and they follow another guy, seeing various people hanging out along the way. The guy takes Aaron’s bag, leaving it in the hallway, and knocks on an apartment. They go inside, and a man sits at a desk, his back to them, and says, seats. They sit, and the door closes. The man turns around, and it’s Michael Biehn… er, warlord Ian. Aaron tells him, like he said outside, they come from the Commonwealth. It’s a bit like the old world. Their population is 50,000, they have a functioning government, protective walls, housing, restaurants, and two movie theaters. Ian says, and soldiers, and a church. Why did Gabriel lose his collar? Gabriel says he wanted Ian to see who he was before learning what he was, and Ian says, they tell him their place is like the old world. If they have a church, then they have hookers too; gambling and a sh*t side of town. Gabriel says he hasn’t seen that, and Aaron asks if he can have his bag back. He’d like to show Ian something. Ian nods, and someone gets the bag. Aaron takes out his cellphone, and gives it to Ian, who looks at pictures of the Commonwealth. Aaron says, that’s where they live. When people see it, they want to live there. Ian says, they’ll just be let in; it’s that easy. Aaron says, it’s not easy. There’s a screening process… Ian says, an audition. Let him get his tap dancing shoes. He asks where they’re located, but Carlson says they can’t tell him. Ian asks, why? Because Carlson says so? Carlson says, that’s right, and Ian says, then why is he talking to Aaron? Do him a favor, and look in the back corner. One of Ian’s men puts on a light, and we see skulls in a glass cabinet. Ian says, raiders, murderers, rapists, a few cannibals; all of them sat in the same seats they’re sitting in. Most were wolves dressed as sheep, and all meant his people harm. He tells Carlson, so Mr. Head Wolf, Carlson knows where Ian lives, but he doesn’t know where Carlson lives. How dumb would he be to let them go? He asks Carlson’s name, and he says, Toby Carlson. Ian shoots in the air, and tells Carlson to get on his knees, and everyone else, their asses stay in in their chairs. He aims his gun at Carlson, now on his knees, and says, answer his question. How dumb would he be to let them go when they know where his home is? Carlson is all shaky, and says, it would be dumb. Ian says, yes it would. Carlson reminds him of Ol’ Billy Johnson. He came to them a few years ago, promising them wealth and prosperity, but he wasn’t bringing them to the Promised Land. He just wanted to get them out in the open, so his raiders could kill them. He ended up on the shelf because he thought Ian was stupid. Does Carlson think he’s stupid? Carlson says, no, and Ian says, because he has plenty of room on the shelf next to Billy. Carlson says he doesn’t want to be on the shelf, and doesn’t think Ian is stupid. Ian says, show him where their raiding party is or bodies will hit the floor starting with Jesse. Aaron asks if they look like raiders, and Ian says, wolves dressed as sheep. They have no idea of his responsibilities to this place and its people. They’ve entrusted him with their very souls. Why did they come, and what do they want? Gabriel says, exactly. Why would they want anything from them? This place is a sh*thole. Why would they want it? Ian says, meat, and Aaron asks if he thinks they’re cannibals. Cannibals with prepackaged MRE’s? All they’ve done is given them food and water. They’re not starving because of the Commonwealth. Is that real or a lie? Gabriel says, those are also real soldiers in the pictures. If they don’t come back, the soldiers will come and kill them. Aaron says, or nobody has to die. Let them go, and they won’t bother them again; he promises. Ian says, what a day. What a goddam day. They’ll leave and will never come back… Carlson jumps up, grabs Ian’s gun, and shoots Ian, wounding him, and kills his men. Gabriel asks what he did, and Carlson says, his job. Aaron says, he was going to let them go, but Carlson says, shut up. Lock the door, and he’ll be back.

One week and one hour ago. Carlson goes to Lance’s office, and says, he got his call; what’s up? Lance offers Carlson a drink, but Carlson says, he’s four years sober. What’s wrong? Lance says, he got Milton to agree to being communal with some of the hick towns, and he used some of the resources to send convoy, but scouts hijacked the troopers who were guarding it. They’re all dead, and all evidence leads to an apartment complex, where the leader dresses like a general. They’re also religious, and have mass on Sundays and Tuesdays. Carlson asks what he’s missing. He’s some warlord. Just snuff him out, and if Lance assumes the worst, send in a squad to cut them down, then send in a company to raze the building. Lance says, if he asks for troops, there’s no way Milton won’t notice. He needs a surgical solution. Carlson says he doesn’t do that anymore, but Lance says he needs the former CIA guy; he needs an assassin. Carlson says he likes being retired. He gets up, he meditates, he gets to go out and find people who need help, and gives them a second chance. It’s Zen. Lance says, it can be taken from him, and Carlson moves closer to Lance. He asks if Lance is tired of living, and stirs Lance’s drink with his finger, and puts the finger in his mouth. Lance says, most of the dead troopers were kids in their 20s. This is on him, and he needs to make it right. Carlson says, okay. What is Lance thinking? Lance asks how Aaron is, and Carlson says, great. Aaron easily connects with people, which makes his job easier. Lance says, and what about his buddy? Carlson says, Gabriel? and Lance tells him, go in and make contact with the priest. Go to the apartment complex, and get them to let their guard down. When they do, and let them in to see the big chief, he wants Carlson to do what he does. He doesn’t have to tell the others about the plan. They’ll fall in line. Everyone does.

Back to now, troopers take bodies out, and Carlson tells them, sweep the rear. Ian sits on the floor, leaning up against a column, and Carlson asks him where the guns and cargo are that they hijacked and massacred their soldiers for? Ian says he has no idea what Carlson is talking about, and Carlson hits Ian with his gun. He says, there were three sets of tracks that all led here. Try again. Ian says, the caravan was like that when they found it, but Carlson says, Ian just lied to him, and hits him again. Ian punches him back, and troopers run over. Aaron yells, stop! and moves forward, and Carlson tells the troopers, cuff him. They take Aaron away, and Ian says, hey, d*ckless, those found weapons… Carlson shoots him, fatally this time. Carlson says, ready for shelf, warlord? Top shelf, center, right above Billy. How does that sound? All that talk, and he died so quick. Carlson kicks the dead Ian, and does some crazy loud yelling. Aaron is stunned, and Carlson says, don’t look at him like that. He was a damn animal. Aaron says, they’re supposed to be helping people, and Carlson says, they are. This is the other side; snuffing out threats. That’s how they make the world safe. They hear a horse whinny and gallop away, and run outside to see Jesse getting the hell out of there. A trooper shoots him, but he keeps on going, and Aaron pops the trooper in the face. Carlson draws his gun, and is about to shoot Aaron, but his gun only clicks. Carlson says, interesting. Let’s go. Aaron isn’t about to budge, when there are gunshots. Carlson becomes distracted, and Aaron jets. Several troopers run up to Carlson, and one tells him, a trooper is dead inside. Carlson goes in, and says, he turns his back one minute… He takes the dead trooper’s gun, and tells another to get him the trooper’s armor.

Back at Aaron meeting Maggie, she asks if he thinks the people at the complex are lying about the stolen shipment. He says he doesn’t know, and she shows him the map, telling him, this is the best way in. He asks where she got the map, and she says, he gave it to the guy who rode to Hilltop. Aaron says, no, he didn’t, and she says, then who did?

12 hours before. Jesse finds some horses, and starts to unleash one, but Negan appears, and says, don’t move. How many are there? Jesse says, twelve, and Negan asks what they’re armed with. Jesse says, machine guns. He didn’t know… Annie joins Negan, and he asks what the people look like. She says, there’s a priest, and a guy with a spiked arm, and Negan says, Gabriel and Aaron. Jesse asks if he knows them. They came from the Commonwealth, and this is not what he signed up for. Negan tells him, shut up, and takes out a map. He tells Jesse to go to Hilltop, and ask for Maggie. Talk to her and no one else. Tell her that Aaron and Gabriel are in trouble.

Carlson tells Aaron, this is other side; snuffing out threats. This is how they make world safe. Jesse takes the horse, and Carlson and Aaron run outside. Inside, the trooper guarding Gabriel goes down, and Gabriel says, Negan? Negan unties him, and Annie says, they’ve got to go. They hear gunshots, and slip away. The troopers come in and see their dead comrade. Carlson comes in, and says, he turns his back for a minute…

In trooper armor, Carlson tastes some whiskey with his finger, and grabs a bullhorn. He says, residents of complex, you have been deemed enemies of the Commonwealth. One of them has stolen from them. That cannot stand. Their warlord is dead, but the good news is, they can make things right. Give them what’s theirs and they’ll leave. Inside, Gabriel asks where the weapons are, but Annie doesn’t know. Negan says, if she says they don’t have them, he believes her, but Gabriel says he’s praying they stole them. Without the weapons, they’re dead. Carlson isn’t going to let them leave alive. Two guys stand on the edge of the roof, hands on their heads, and look down. It’s a pretty long way, and Carlson asks where the weapons are, but the first guy says he doesn’t know. Carlson says he believes him, and kicks him over the edge. He asks the other guy, and says, how about him? The guy shakes his head, and Carlson pats him on the back, then pushes him off. Inside, they hear screaming and a thud, then more screaming, yelling, and thuds. Carlson gets back on the bullhorn, and says, your people have let you down. He tells the troopers to hit each room, and kill anyone who won’t talk. The troopers go inside, and Annie tells the their group that they need to stick together. Forget about giving up or begging for forgiveness. Ian is dead, but he’s not the first leader they had. He wasn’t what kept them together. They did, and they did it by working together as a family. Their family is scattered all over the building, but they know this place better than those a-holes do, and they’re coming out on top. On the side, Negan tells her, that was pretty good, but the Commonwealth they took out their best. Annie says, but they needed to hear it.

Carlson gets on the radio, and asks Hodges to come in. Standing over a dead Hodges, Maggie takes the radio, and shuts it off, putting it on her belt. She and Elijah sneak up the stairs, and Aaron closes the door behind them.

Next time, Lance says, this place works because everyone plays their part, and If they can’t or won’t is when the system breaks down, and we can’t let that happen; Carlson says, find the guns or they’ll burn this place to the ground; and Mercer says, that’s a fight they’re not going to win.

⚔️ The Warlord Speaks…

I love Michael Biehn, so it was a real treat to see him on TWD, albeit briefly. Grindhouse is one of my all-time favorite films. On Talking Dead, he said his favorite line was the one about the tap shoes. Mine too. I literally lol’d. The delivery was perfection.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-michael-biehn-warlord-ross-marquand-interview-season-11-episode-13/

🏍 He’ll Be Riding Back…

He’s a hardy one, our Daryl.

https://ew.com/tv/the-walking-dead-norman-reedus-schedules-return-to-work-after-concussion/

💰 Glimpsing Gold…

Lance is a man of many secrets to be sure.

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-lance-hornsby-gold-coin-commonwealth-hint/

⚰️ Finale Of the Finale…

What’s to come in the Walking Deadverse.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-final-season-11-part-2-finale-episode-16-synopsis-god/

🚣🏾‍♂️ No Treading For Him…

When things get stagnant, it’s time to split.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a39483787/fear-the-walking-dead-end-colman-domingo/

🌏 Keep On Spinning…

At first I thought, is it April 1^st already?

‘Fear The Walking Dead’ spin-off unveils premiere date

Apparently not.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-spinoff-special-dead-in-the-water-nick-stahl-amc-plus-premiere-date/

🦢 Feather Ball Time…

Stop by tomorrow for soap and Deck doings. Until then, stay safe, stay controlled, and stay helping people and giving second chances, but leave the snuffing out of threats to the professionals.

Feb28

February 27, 2022 – The Commonwealth Celebrates Halloween, Like Dad Like Daughter, Unsure Ending, Carol’s Mission, Fear Dates & Child

Posted on February 28, 2022 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Daryl walks with Judith and RJ through a house. Zombies clamor at them from behind wire fences, and scrabble at the windows. A zombie walks inside from a door at the end of the hallway, and comes toward them. Daryl says, that’s enough, and the zombie says, no problem. He and Daryl fist bump. Daryl and the kids walk out, and we see it’s a haunted funhouse. Judith tells RJ that he was brave, and Jerry walks up. He says, RJ is home, safe and sound, and they walk into a Halloween carnival.

Day 30 at the Commonwealth. Carol comes out with cookies on a tray, and brings them to a booth where she’s selling them; while across the way, Ezekiel is in charge of the petting zoo. A girl dressed like a princess walks up to Judith, and says she must be one of the new people. She knows they got a lot of rotters, and Judith is probably not afraid of anything. She introduces herself as Mei, and says she’ll show Judith where the good candy is. Carol gives Daryl a cookie, and asks what he thinks. He says he needs a minute to get used to it, and Carol says, it was up and running before they got there. Maybe they don’t need to do anything to make it work. He says, there’s always something that can be improved, when Governor Pamela comes out, and gives out cotton candy to the children. She gets up on stage, and there’s a drumroll. She tells everyone that first place in the costume contest is Celeste, who’s dressed like their very own Mercer, and the grand prize is 10 lottery tickets. She doesn’t say lottery for what though. She thanks everyone for coming, and says they’re happy to be there for Halloween. Carol says Pamela seems different in person, and Daryl says he doesn’t know anything about her. Carol says she used to read the tabloids, when Connie and Kelly join them. Kelly tells them that Connie is a full day reporter for the paper, and Connie signs that it’s nice to be reporting again, but the Commonwealth isn’t exactly hard-hitting. She tells them that she interviewed Pamela before the world fell, and Kelly says, Connie got Pamela’s uncle kicked out of Congress. Carol says, that was her? and Connie signs that they’ve got a lot to do before the masquerade ball. They leave, and Carol suggests Daryl ask Connie to dance tonight, but he says he’s got a lot to do. Carol says, she’ll catch up with him later.

Carol watches Ezekiel, and sees him touch his throat. Rosita gives Coco to Gabriel, and thanks him for taking care of her. He says he’ll be glad to keep her all night, since Rosita will be exhausted after the late shift. Rosita promises to pick her up before his Bible study, and goes back to their temporary housing, where she sees Daryl. She tells him that she thinks this place is made out of paper, and can’t wait until basic’s over and they’re in new apartments. She says, It’s weird to worry about money again, and he tells her, it’s not forever.

Jerry’s son Ezra plays tug of war with another kid using Shiva’s chain. Jerry tells them that they have to give it back, and hands it to Ezekiel. Ezra, dressed up like a tiger, looks sad, and Ezekiel says Jerry saved it from Hilltop because he knew precious it was to him. Even more precious is family. He tells Ezra that the leash is his on two conditions. That it always makes Ezra as happy as it’s made him, and to honor Shiva’s memory; think of her when they play with it. Jerry asks if Ezekiel is sure, and Ezekiel says, just be careful; it’s a chain. He and Jerry hug. Carol comes over, and says, it looks like they had fun. Ezekiel says, he thinks it was good for everybody, and she asks how he’s feeling. He says, also good, and she asks how his doctor’s appointment went. He says, fine, no changes, and asks if she’s heard from Maggie and Lydia. She says she’s sure they’re okay. Is he? He says, on a beautiful day like today, never better.

Carol carries flowers into the hospital, and bumps into a janitor. She apologizes for being a klutz as she steals his keys. She goes into an office, and looks through some files. Tomi walks in, and asks what she’s doing there. She says, sorry, and admits she was snooping. She’s worried about Ezekiel. Tomi asks what she wants to know, and she says she knows Ezekiel needs surgery, and knows he’s in line for it. How long before 147? She hands him the folder, he looks at one of the papers, and says, too long. He tells her, Ezekiel also knows the odds aren’t good, but what he doesn’t know is, he doesn’t have a chance of getting surgery unless by some miracle he’s moved up. Tomi wishes he could do more.

Mercer tells some of the Alexandrians, welcome to the kill house. Killing is not their primary goal. He’s looking for speed and teamwork. Two teams will go in simultaneously. One team will go right, the other, left, and they’ll have one weapon they have to share. The objective is to get through the house where there are rotters inside. There will be one marked in red at the end, and first team that kills it is one step closer to earning their stripes, but if they fail to work as a unit, they’ll see what they get. They divide into teams, and Daryl asks if he can go with Rosita, since they make a good team. Mercer says he didn’t ask Daryl’s opinion, and teams Daryl with Jake, and Rosita with Green. Mercer blows a whistle, and they run in.

Inside, a zombie comes after Rosita. She struggles with it, and stabs it in the head, then passes the knife to her partner. Daryl and Jake come upon two zombies feeding, and Daryl kicks one in the head. He struggles with the other one, and tells Jake to keep going, then whacks the zombie in the head with a rock. Green wrestles with a zombie, Rosita grabs it off of him, and he kills it. It’s kind of like tag team zombie fighting. Rosita picks up a broken whatever, and twists it into a zombie’s eyeball. Almost at the finish line, Daryl shoves a zombie against a spike sticking out of a wall, while Jake struggles with another one. Mercer shoots it, and Daryl asks, what was that? Mercer tells him, he said speed and teamwork. He tells Rosita and Green, nicely done, and wants Daryl to come with him.

Judith and Mei go to the record store, and Mei recommends a Motorhead album, but Judith says she doesn’t have any money. Mei asks if she doesn’t get an allowance, when Princess comes out, and Judith introduces them. She asks if they need any help, but Mei says they’re ready to check out. Princess says Mei has good taste in albums, and attire; she sees Mei has the metal. After the transaction is complete, Princess goes back inside, and Mei gives Judith the Motorhead album. Judith says she didn’t have to, but Mei says, it’s a gift for a friend, and Judith asks if she got a receipt. Mei says Judith doesn’t have to pay her back, but Judith says she wants it as a reminder of a good day.

Carol sees Pamela’s assistant Max telling Lance that the wine he’s brought isn’t worthy of tonight’s guests. He throws the bottle in a garbage can, and when he’s gone, Carol checks out the label. She sneaks into a wine shop, and looks through the receipts. She goes through the woods into an abandoned house, and goes to the wine cellar. She looks around with a flashlight, and a zombie suddenly thrusts its hands at her from the other side of a rack. She kills it, but a few more toddle in. She kills them, but the last one knocks her down, and is snapping at her face. She reaches up and grabs a corkscrew, shoving it into the zombie’s neck, and killing it. It always seems stupid to write that a zombie was killed, since they’re already dead, but you know what I mean.

Mercer takes Rosita, Daryl, and Sebastian into the woods. Mercer says he didn’t need a volunteer, but Sebastian says, they love volunteers, especially ones who look like Rosita. They stop and unpack weapons, and Sebastian says, let’s see what Santa brought him. He looks at a sword, and says, It’s a toothpick not worth his time. He pulls out a crossbow and num-chuks, and says, this thing is pathetic. He tells Mercer, release the rotters, and Mercer opens a nearby storage container, while Daryl bangs on it. Zombies come toward Sebastian, and he gets one down, and another in the neck, but not good enough, and ends up battling with it. Daryl picks up the crossbow, shoots it, and says, done. Sebastian asks why he did that, and tells Mercer, is he serious? This is the future soldier of the Commonwealth? Pamela has arrived with some stormtroopers, and turns to leave, Sebastian trotting after her. Mercer tells Daryl that he shouldn’t intervened. Sebastian would have been fine. Daryl asks if he failed another team building exercise, and Mercer says Daryl is used to handling things on his own. He gets it, but that’s not how they work. Sometimes they need to set each other up to win. Daryl asks what that’s got to do with that little pr*ck’s ego, and Mercer says, this place is as good as any he’s seen. He wants Daryl to succeed even if Daryl doesn’t give a damn.

Dog watches Judith and RJ drawing, when Daryl walks in with some food. Judith asks if he got lost, and he says, there was a long line. Loud music plays upstairs, and Daryl asks how their day was. Judith says, she made a friend, and shows Daryl the record, saying, Mei bought it for her. Daryl gives Dog some food, and Judith asks if she can get an allowance. He asks if she can wait a while, and she says, so they can stay? He asks if they want to, and RJ does. Judith says, it’s nice here, and as long as her mom knows where to find them, she wants to stay.

Max brings some wine to Lance’s office for him to try, but it’s a hard no after he takes a sip. She leaves, and he looks like he has a headache. Carol comes in, and deposits a case of wine on the credenza. He asks. how did she know? and she says, her mother taught her to be observant. He says, obviously, she found a way outside the walls, and asks what she wants from him. She says she has a friend waiting for surgery, and she needs to get him to the front of the line. He says, that’s a big ask, but she says, not for him. He says, first things first. He needs to find out if the wine goes over well. She says, it will.

Servers prepare dinner for the masquerade ball, and one tells Magna that her kids don’t even know what a mango is. Magna says, someday they will, but the server says, no time soon. The ball has begun, a harp is played, and the wine is being served. Magna serves Yumiko and her brother Tomi, and she and Yumiko exchange looks. Yumiko asks Tomi, what’s wrong? and he says, it’s not his scene. He was cool being on the other side. This is her world, not his. But if this is how the other half lives, he might as well enjoy it. He takes another glass of wine. Outside, there’s a poor man’s red carpet. Daryl is standing by the door, and Sebastian straightens his collar before going in. Rosita tells Daryl that Sebastian hates him; that was a hate smile. Lance walks up the stairs to applause, followed by Mercer. The spectators chant Mercer’s name as he goes past. Princess says, hey, and tells him she wanted to say hi. He looks handsome. He says it’s not his thing, but she says, it is, trust her. He tells her that he hates big events. They’re kind of boring, but does she want to make it more interesting? Join him. She says she’d be honored, and Mercer tells the bouncer that she’s with him, and he says, there’s a dress code. Mercer says she’s with him, and Princess takes his arm. The bouncer steps aside, and they go in.

Lance asks Pamela how she likes the wine, and she says, it’s fine. She’s due for an interview, but they need to get a meeting on the books about the Alexandria thing. He says he has a pitch, and she says she’s sure he does. She tells Connie, it’s lovely to see her, and nice to meet Kelly. She asks if they’re enjoying the festivities, and Connie asks if they celebrate every holiday with such grandeur. Pamela says, traditions comfort the people. They need structure in uncertain times, so they treasure the holidays. Halloween was special to father her father when he was in the White House. It was his favorite; he loved a masquerade ball. Connie wonders what he’d say about the class divide there, and Pamela says, that they’re lucky they found them. They celebrate every person. She introduces Connie to a woman who’s attending the ball for the first time, and works the room. Server and former trooper Tyler tries to talk to her, but her assistant brushes him off, saying, Pamela has a strict itinerary. Princess tells Yumiko that she kicked that guy’s ass in the train car, and wonders why he’s serving food.

Lance says, it’s his honor to introduce someone who needs no introduction; their esteemed leader, the Governor of the Commonwealth, Pamela Milton. Everyone applauds, and she thanks them for coming. It’s her great pleasure to give them a sneak peek of something truly special. She unveils a portrait of her father, and says, it’s the work of the brilliant Alexa Park. It took her nine months to lovingly create the painting. She’d sustained serious injures out in the world before she found sanctuary at the Commonwealth. Thanks to the sacrifices of Pamela’s father, brick by brick, block by block, they’re putting the world back together the way it was. Her father would be proud to see what the Commonwealth is, and how much it protects and cares for all of its citizens. Tyler yells, bullsh*t! The Commonwealth cares for all existence? Does she even know who he is? Max tells him, it’s not the time, and he grabs a knife and Max, and holds the knife to her throat. He tells them, don’t come any closer. He would have died for this place. Does Pamela even know what his name is? She says she’d like to, and he says, he’s Tyler Davis. He was a trooper. He tried to reach her. One mistake and he lost everything. He came to talk. Pamela says she wants to listen, but wants just the two of them to talk. He tells her, don’t lie. This is what she cares about; parties and paintings. He slashes the painting, and says, they’re nothing to her; they’re disposable. She says he’s wrong. She sees he’s hurt, and wants to fix that, but he has to promise not to hurt anyone. Put down the knife and let her assistant go. Her name is Max. Tyler pulls Max backward toward the door, and she whispers that she’s like him. He says he’s sorry, and continues to back up with her. Mercer comes forward, and Tyler lets Max go, making a break for it. Sebastian yells, go after him, and Mercer gets on the radio, saying, get him.

Tyler runs into the haunted funhouse, and Daryl follows. Daryl sneaks around, and pulls aside a curtain, revealing Tyler. He tells Tyler that he has nowhere to go. Tyler asks if Daryl is going to take him in, and Daryl asks if he has a choice. Tyler says, he didn’t mean to… He just wanted to talk, and make her understand. He puts the knife to his own throat, but Daryl says, don’t. Tyler says he screwed up protocols with a prisoner, and got beat up. He lost his apartment, and has no way to help his sister and her kids. Daryl says, he’s got a family? A lot of them don’t have that anymore. Don’t take that away from her. it’s not fair. Tyler cries and gives Daryl the knife, and Daryl cuffs him. On the way out, he runs into Sebastian, who says, so Daryl caught the bastard. He finally did something right. Daryl hands Tyler over to Sebastian, and says, no; Sebastian caught him. Show his mom.

Sebastian takes Tyler back to the ballroom, and there’s applause. Pamela says, well done, and tells Mercer, remove him. Tyler says, don’t think getting rid of him solves anything. There are thousands like him. Resist the Commonwealth! Equality for all! Tyler is taken away, and Lance asks if Pamela thinks he’s telling the truth. She says, no, but she wants him to make sure.

Outside the venue, Yumiko has the guests sign a paper, and hands each of them an envelope of cash. Carol watches as the guests are paid off, and Lance comes out. She asks how the wine was, and he says, great; it’s a good first step. Mercer gives orders to his men. He wants to know how Tyler gained access, and did he have help? He tells Rosita to talk to the waitstaff. Rosita goes inside, and asks if Magna worked with Tyler long. Magna says, they’d never met before tonight. Rosita asks if she’s sure, and Magna asks if Rosita thinks she’s lying. Rosita says she’s just trying to find out what happened, and Magna asks if she heard what Tyler said. Rosita says, that there were others, and asks what Magna thinks he meant. Magna says she has no idea, but for what it’s worth, she believes him. This place reminds her of a city from before. Rosita remembers, doesn’t she? Rosita says she does. So Magna doesn’t know how Tyler got in? Magna says, no.

Ezekiel visits Carol, who snagged a bottle of wine for herself. He looks at the bottle and says, vintage, and she says she’s a lady of high caliber. He says, the highest. Wasn’t that something today? She says, they really know how to throw a party here, and he says, the kids had a blast. He would have loved it… She says she knows, and he takes out a wood box with Henry carved on it. He tells her that he knows it would have been too painful before, but this belongs to her. She says he should keep it, but he says, no. He wants her to have it. This place can be a fresh start… if she wants it to be. She asks how is he really, and he says, great. He still finds reasons to smile. She pours the wine, and says, to fresh starts. They clink glasses, and she says, it’s not bad. He tells her that she always took the big glass.

Day 33 at the Commonwealth. Daryl is in a stormtrooper outfit, and Judith says he looks official. He says, think so? He doesn’t feel official. He tells her that he got her something, and she uncovers a record player. She hugs him, and takes out the Motorhead album. She puts it on, and as the stormtroopers bust into places, we hear Eat the Rich. One of the troopers finds a secret room in the back of a closet. They take off their helmet, and we see it’s Rosita. It’s obviously a basecamp for a resistance member, and she looks through literature and posters that say things like, For Workers, Visibility for Workers.

Next time, Eugene wants to expose the Commonwealth; Eugene and Princess break into a house, and the owner comes home early; Carol asks if Lance wants to make her a true believer; and Eugene thinks Stephanie was kidnapped by the government.

🏡 All In the Family…

Six degrees and all that.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-season-11-episode-10-new-haunts-khary-payton-daughter-cameo/

🤷🏽‍♂️ Maybe Not…

Word on the street is that TWD’s ending might not be that of the comic.

https://www.insider.com/the-walking-dead-will-depart-from-end-of-comic-2022-2

💐 She’s Not Just High Caliber…

She’s a woman with a mission.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-new-haunts-carol-daryl-angela-kang/

⚰️ Releasing Fear…

Fear the Walking Dead will be here before we know it.

https://undeadwalking.com/2022/02/23/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-release-dates-amc-amc/

✈️ Gotta Jet…

See you tomorrow for soap and some Sailing. Until then, stay safe, stay making your word your bond, and stay setting up others to win. Sometimes.

Dec6

December 5, 2021 – Alicia Comes Face To Face With Victor, Talk Tease, Walking Trailer, Ending the Beyond & Making It

Posted on December 6, 2021 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

In the past, Teddy tells Alicia, good luck, as he locks the door. She screams, he can lock her in, but she’s not going to make the world what he wants it to be. He says, that’s what he’s counting on, and leaves. She bangs on the door, and says, let her out. She rips off the ropes on her wrists, and cries.

Alicia sits on the floor in front of the door, crying. She walks through the halls, and a shower spray hits her in the face. She goes downstairs, and looks around. She opens a door, and cautiously goes in the room. She hears the click of a gun behind her, and a man’s voice says, don’t move; turn around. He drags her to the zombie tree, and she asks if he knows what Teddy is doing. He says he found another straggler, and moves her toward the tree, pushing her close to its snapping mouth, saying, fresh compost for their garden Arnold comes in, and tells dude that Alicia is the one waiting they’ve been waiting for to lead them to a new beginning. Alicia says she’s not leading these psychos, and Arnold tells her, Teddy warned them that she’d say that, but he said she’d come around. Alicia pushes dude into the zombie tree, and the zombie is like, mmm, plant food. She gets dude’s gun, and holds it on the people in her way, making them move, as she goes out the door. Arnold says, let her. She’s not going anywhere.

In the present, Alicia yells for everyone to go; leave everything. Morgan says, they have to stay ahead of the smoke. Zombies come into the camp, and as they run, Morgan asks where Alicia has been. She says, it’s a long story, and now is not the time to tell it. She yells for her people to move.

On horseback, Sherry says, all clear, and Dwight relays that information, saying, masks off. She asks if he got a head count, and he says, twenty-eight, minus Mickey, who’s on patrol. She tells him to see if he can find Mickey before they get back to camp. Morgan tells Alicia, if the people who set the explosives are telling the truth, her camp is done. She says, food, supplies, everything they had is back there. He says he can’t stick around. He and Victor had a falling out, and he has things to take care of. Victor will let her and her people in. She says she doesn’t want to see Victor, and Morgan says, Victor didn’t think she would. Grace and the baby are there; he’s holding them hostage. She asks if he’s going hurt them, but Morgan doesn’t think so. Victor needs Grace to help him. Alicia says, then he can wait. There’s a reason she needed to find him. She needs his help. A guy comes out of the woods, pushing along a zombie on a stick lead. The zombie snaps at Alicia, and Morgan asks, who is that? He tells Dwight that he doesn’t understand: is it somebody she lost? Dwight says, she won’t tell them. The guy who attacked Victor didn’t want her finding him. Morgan asks, why? but Dwight says he has to ask Alicia. Alicia says, get him ready.

In the past, Alicia is banging at the door with an ax. Will comes out, and tells her to wait. Don’t… She knocks him down, and he says, she’s not getting out that way. He lived before those a-holes found it, and he’s been trying to get out. Alicia lets him up, and he introduces himself. She asks if there is a way out, and he says, maybe, and starts to walk. She follows him, and they go downstairs. She asks how long he’s been there, and he says, since Senator Vasquez security detail brought them here. She asks who Senator Vasquez is, and Will says, the junior senator for Oklahoma. After the hospitals got crowded, the government officials regrouped here, but they never made it. They had protocol to ensure there was continuity in government, and were supposed to keep the door locked until it was safe She asks where everybody else is, and he says, dead. They weren’t supposed to let anyone in, but it had been years since they’d seen the living when these people showed up, and they didn’t want to watch them die through the window. The senator opened the door, and they killed everyone. She says, except him? and he says, he was doing maintenance on the air filters and could hear everything from the upper level. He hid, which is what he’s been doing ever since. She asks, how do they get out? and he says, the people activated a time lock. She asks if there isn’t another way, and he says, there might be. She asks if he hasn’t tried, and he says he hasn’t been up there yet. She says, someone up there is trying to destroy everything. She tried to warned someone, but she’s not sure he’s going to come through. He asks what she means by everything, and they hear Arnold yelling, Alicia. Will tells her to go back to them, and she asks what he’s going to do. He says, find a way out, and she leaves.

In the present, they pour something that looks like glue or honey over zombie Senator Vasquez, and Morgan asks, what the hell’s going on, and what does it have to do with him? Alicia says she needs him to help her find a place called Padre, and he says, lots of people are looking for it. What does she know about it? She says, it’s someplace safe with plans to rebuild, and the resources to do it, and he asks if she knows where it is. She says, she doesn’t, but he does, indicating her zombie friend. Senator Vasquez is pushed along, and Morgan asks, what makes her think that? She says, he wouldn’t understand; no one has. He’ll just have to trust her. He says, okay, and zombies start arriving. Morgan says, everybody up, and he and Dwight stab a head or two. Sherry rides up, and says they’ve got company; rangers on horseback. Dwight wonders why Victor is after them, and Morgan says, they’re all dressed like the people who attacked the tower. Alicia says, they’ll find place to lay low, and Morgan tells her that Victor has room for everyone. She asks Dwight about Mickey, and he says, she wants no part of it; Victor is scaring their people away. He thinks they should get everyone moving, and Morgan says, this had better work. Alicia asks if he trusts her, and he says he does.

Alicia takes some guts out of a zombie, and explains to Morgan, it’s so they don’t follow. She tells him that he might want to cover his nose and mouth; she’s seen people get sick from less. Is he in or not? She holds out a gut smeared cloak, and he takes it. The senator is released, and walks past them. I deduce zombie life is boring, and they follow him.

In the past, they go into a room, and Alicia asks, what is this place? Arnold hands her a weapon, and says, Teddy wanted her to have this. She sees a folder marked, Padre, and asks, what’s this? He says, something the old-timers left behind for her. He listens on his radio, and says, in the service area? It must be one of the senator’s people. Send him back to the earth. The person on the other ends says, they’re one step ahead of him.

As they’re about to feed Will to the zombie tree, Alicia says, they might want to listen to him. She throws something at the guy holding Will, and he lets go. She says, Teddy is right. She’s the person who’s going to lead them to a new beginning. It starts now, and no one gets returned to the earth. Let him go, and leave them now. They leave, and Will thanks her. She tells Will that she needs a way out, and he asks if zombies remember anything. He seems shaken (understandably), and she asks if this is the first time he’s seen one up close. He says, it’s not that. Senator Vasquez knows where Padre is. She says, they don’t remember anything; just walking. When you forget that, that’s when things become dangerous. She asks about the Padre binder, and he says, it was left by people who thought they could rebuild the future. The senator said it was stocked with everything they needed to start over. She asks if it’s Padre Island, but he says, it was classified; the senator was the only one who knew where it was. The senator who is now the zombie tree. He’d messaged his family, when it became clear they he couldn’t make the trip here. She asks if they made it, but he says, they don’t know if anyone made it. They could never got a clear signal there. She asks if he thinks they could find it if they got out of there, and he says, her guess is as good as his, but if they find a way out, he’s not going with her. She says, they’ll kill him if she leaves. She shows him the St. Christopher medal and gives it to him.

In the present, the senator walks, and Alicia and Morgan follow. Alicia wonders if Morgan needs the Geiger counter, since the senator will hear it, but he says, if they follow the senator without this, they could end up like him. She stops, and he asks if she’s all right; she’s sweating. She says she hasn’t eaten in a week, or slept in twice as long. It’s about 100 degrees out here, so she thinks she’s doing well. He asks if she has any idea where they are, but she says, it doesn’t matter. They’ll follow the senator for as long as he goes. Someone starts shooting at them, and Morgan says, if Victor knows she’s here, they won’t fire. She says she doesn’t want to see Victor, and Morgan says, he doesn’t want to get shot. He yells, these aren’t the people who attacked the tower, and Victor says he’s not here for that. He’s here for Morgan. He shoots at Morgan, and Morgan says, they had a deal. Alicia goes sprinting after Senator Vasquez, who’s started wandering, and Morgan follows. He says, they’ll kill her, and she says, they’ll kill the senator. He says they’ll find another way to Padre. He’s not letting her die for something that’s already dead. He can’t lose her. She says, he can do it without her, but he says he’s not talking about her; he’s talking about everyone. They get on either side of the senator, and run with him in between them to the edge of a cliff. Morgan says, this is going to get them killed, and Victor rides up. He says, move again, and he will shoot. Alicia pushes the senator off the cliff, and into the water below, and Victor says, Alicia. Sorry. He didn’t know she was with Morgan. She looks at the water, and he tells her, don’t do it, but she jumps in after the senator. Victor says he sees Morgan found her, and Morgan says, he did. Victor was right; she didn’t want to see him. Morgan jumps in, and Victor shoots at him in vain. Morgan finds Alicia with Senator Vasquez, and Victor asks what he’s men are looking at. Get down there. His men take off after Alicia, Morgan, and their dead precious cargo.

Alicia and Morgan sit on the shore, and Morgan asks what they’re doing here. She says she knows what she’s doing here; she’s not sure what he is. Did he really try to kill Victor? Morgan says, Victor tried to kill him. Now he’s trying to keep her alive. She says she didn’t ask him to, and he says, then what is he doing here? Why did she send Dwight and Sherry to look for him? She asks what he meant when he said he couldn’t do this anymore, and he says, he needs to stop doing what they’re doing; wishing a world into existence that doesn’t want to be. He needs someone to step in and help him. She asks, what makes him think she can? and he asks if she thinks they can do worse. She says, sorry, and he asks, why? She tells him, help her find Padre, but he says, they don’t know if it exists. She says, it does, and he asks, where is it? All he’s seen is this guy who seems to have been dead for a long time, that she’s risking her life to save. Alicia says, they’re not totally gone. There’s still an echo of who they once were. He says, no, but she says, there has to be. Morgan says he thought that back then, and his son died because of it. He’s going to kill the senator. He lifts an ax, saying, it’s not worth the risk, unless she tells him why. She says, it’s their only chance to find someplace safe, and they hear, drop your weapons.

In the past, Will leads Alicia to a room with cement tunnels in it, and a lot of rats running around. He explains about the drainage system, but she’s hesitant, saying, it’s not going work. He says, the tunnels branch out. If they don’t get past the rats, they’re not going anywhere. She knocks the senator down, and rips him open. She tells Will to cover his nose and mouth; it could make him sick. She puts guts on herself, and Will tells the senator, he’s going to find his family, and grabs an intestine. Alicia tells him that she’s sorry for not remembering. She’s spent so much time out there, she forgets there are people still alive. He says, maybe that’s why he’s there. To help her remember how it used to be.

Senator Vasquez crawls into a tunnel, and Alicia tells Will, they’ll get out, and find his people, and stop it. They’ll find Padre. She crawls in behind the senator, and follows him, then Will follows her. The tunnel starts to crumble, and everything goes black. Will calls to Alicia.

In the present, Victor rides up on horseback, as his man is asking Morgan to tell him why they’re fighting over a skinbag. Victor says, get his friends up; they didn’t have to run. Morgan says, Victor gave his word, but Victor says, that was in the tower. Out here, words are just words, which means nothing Morgan says can change his mind. He asks who the zombie is, and Alicia says, no one. He says, why is it on a leash? Who was he? Victor unsheathes his sword, and she tells him, don’t make it worse than it is already. She know what he’s done, and what he’s built. He says, then she at least knows it’s worked better than anything so far. She says, she knows what it cost him, but he says he doesn’t think so. He thought he could do it alone, but now he’s starting to realize that he needs someone, and she’s the only person he can trust. She asks if he’s sure about that? She doesn’t need his tower or what he’s offering. He says, what does she need, Padre? It’s a myth. Many ended up on his doorstep looking for it; something someone made up. Don’t make the same mistake. She says she’s not settling for what he has, or how he got it, and he asks if she’s sure about that. She says she is, and Victor tells one of his men to kill the senator. She’ll come if she has no choice. Better yet, kill Morgan, then kill it. Alicia says, no, as Victor’s man shoves Morgan toward the senator. Alicia gets in between them, and the senator bites her arm. Victor tells his men, get back… Her arm… She says, she’s fine, and Victor says, it’s not the way he wanted… She says, leave now, and Victor, tells his men to go. He hesitates, then follows.

In the past, Alicia coughs, lying among the rubble in the tunnel. She hears the zombie senator, but realizes she’s trapped. She calls to Will, who says, he’s here. Hang on; he’s going to get her out. She says she doesn’t think there’s much time; the senator is in here. She shines the flashlight around, and says, he’s turned around and coming back. She tries stacking cement pieces to block the opening, but yells to Will that she doesn’t know if it will hold. She thinks she’s got it, and tells him to see if he can get through. He says he can clear the rest. Hang in there a little longer. She thanks him, and says, she couldn’t do without him. Senator Vasquez busts through the makeshift wall, and she hits him with a chunk of cement. He bites her arm, and she kicks him back. Will asks if she’s okay. He asks again, and she says, he bit her. He asks what that means, and she says, it means it’s over. He says, no, there has to be a way to stop it, and she says, there’s nothing here for her to save anyway. He says she doesn’t know that. The people down there need her. She says he thinks he needs her, but she couldn’t stop Teddy. She can’t help anybody. She looks at her gross arm, and says, it’s spreading. He says, there’s got to be a way to stop it. She doesn’t have to rebuild it the way Teddy wanted her to. She can rebuild it the way she wants to. She needs to survive. It’s a world he wants to be a part of . She says she doesn’t know if she’ll be here long, and tells him not to say something he doesn’t mean just because she’s dying. He says she won’t be dying because she’s going to survive. She looks at her arm again, and it doesn’t look good.

In the present, Morgan tells Alicia that he’s going to keep asking until she lets him look. She got bit; she can’t ignore it. There still might be something they can do. She shows him that she has a mechanical arm, and says, she told him that she was fine. He says he’s so sorry, and she says, don’t worry about it. He asks how it happened. Is that why she’s following the senator? It’s okay, she can tell him when she’s ready. She stands, and says she still needs the walker.

In the past, Alicia is about to cut her arm, and tells Will to promise her. If it’s been too long, promise not to let her kill anyone. She has a fever, and if it looks like she’s going to turn, kill her first; promise. He says, that’s not going to happen, and she says, promise her that. He promises, and she looks at her arm again, and closes her eyes. She cuts through it, mid forearm, and passes out

Alicia sleeps. She opens her eyes to see her arm stump dripping, and hooked up to tubes. She calls to Will, who’s sleeping in a chair nearby. He comes to her bedside, and she says, thank God. What happened? Is everyone okay? He says, one of her friends tried to stop the signal; Victor got in the way. She asks how long she’s been out, and he says she passed out after her arm almost bled out. He brought her here, but now her fever’s broken. She asks, what fever? and he says, she ran a pretty bad fever. She says she didn’t get to it in time, and he says she amputated her own arm. The infection could be anything; sepsis, tetanus… She says, or the bite, but he says, her fever broke. She says she could have killed everyone. He promised; he said he’d kill her. He says, like it or not, these people are her responsibility. She says she couldn’t save everyone up there. She’s not making the same mistake again. He says, she’s here now, and still can. He can help her. She says, no, he can’t.

In the present, Morgan and Alicia continue to follow the senator. Morgan says she can tell him when she’s ready, and Alicia says, they can’t let him out of their sight. She sees a search light, and says, this has to be it, but Morgan says, no. That’s not Padre.

We see Victor’s zombie parking lot, and Alicia and Morgan sit on the scaffolding under the callbox. Alicia says she was supposed to lead them to a place where everyone could be safe, and Morgan says, it’s not in there. He can take her back to the sub. She’ll be safe there. She says, he won’t, and he asks her to tell him what’s really going on. Does she want to tell him? She says she didn’t amputate arm in time. The infection is still inside of her; her body’s trying to fight it, but it’s only a matter of time before she loses. He tells her to have June look at it. June can give her antibiotics… She says she tried all that. That’s why she can’t help him. She can’t be the person he needs her to be. She cries, and says she doesn’t know how much longer she has left. She thought she could find Padre. He says they’ll find someplace else, but she says, the longer she looks, the more chance she has of hurting people. That’s why she needs him. A zombie toddles up, and he tells her to stay.

Morgan whacks a bunch of zombies, and says, the light is drawing them. There’s going to be more if they stay here. Victor rides up, and I say, ugh, out loud. He says, sorry, and Alicia says, for once, it’s not his fault. He asks. what happened to her arm? and she says, it doesn’t matter. He asks where her walker is, and she says, in his moat. He says he must have underestimated her. Her walker led her to where she’s supposed to be. Doesn’t she see? She belongs there. She asks, if she brings her people, will he take care of them? Morgan says she can’t trust Victor, and Victor says she’s not asking Morgan’s opinion. Alicia says, what if she’s not here? and Victor says, but she will be. She says, promise her, and he says he doesn’t understand; is she still sick? She says, promise her, and he says he promises. Alicia looks at Morgan, then sees a zombie crawling out from behind a waste can. She realizes it’s Will, and Morgan says he’ll take care of him, but she says, no, and walks toward him.

In the past, Alicia wakes up, and calls to Will. She says she thinks she knows what they need to do. She sees a note, and reads it. He says, sorry he couldn’t keep his promise to her. He said he’d help her remember how the world worked, but now he wonders if that’s what she really needs. if he stays, he’ll remind her of a way of life that no longer exists. She needs to build something better. Don’t worry about him; he’ll figure it out. Maybe one day he’ll get to see the world she lives in

In the present, Alicia stabs zombie Will in the head, and asks if Victor knows where he came from. Did he know she knew him? Why would Victor kill him? Victor says, because he knew it would hurt her. He wanted to keep her away, so he could build the tower the way it needed to be built. She asks why killing Will would help him do that, and he says, because Will told him that he loved her. She asks Morgan how long they can hold out on the sub, and Morgan says, a week; two weeks tops. She says, that’s long enough, and tells Victor, he’s taken so much from her. Now she’s going to take something from him. He says he doesn’t want to do this with her, but she says, it’s too late for that. She’s taking the one thing that matters to him the most. She’s taking that tower. He says he’ll protect it if he must, and she says, then they’re going to war.

Next time – on April 17, 2022 – Alicia and Victor go to war.

🗣 Talking Dead had a sneak peek of The Walking Dead – back February 20, 2022. Judith and Grace fight zombies in the flooded basement, and Judith loses her weapon in the water.

⚰️ Trailer 4U…

Another peek inside the upcoming Dead.

https://www.insider.com/the-walking-dead-season-11-returns-february-2022

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Elton showed how Iris, Hope, and Silas how to sneak out. They’d decided all four of them were trekking 1100 miles. They agreed to have each other’s backs no matter what, and Elton, said, to the end whatever it turned out to be for them. He thought they should engage with the dead only as a last resort, but there was a lot of last resort engaging as they walked through the woods. Elton said, all things considered, it was still safer.

Jadis was over-confident, and gave orders to block for an 8 mile radius. Huck made it back to Dennis, who was still alive, and Dennis suggested they have an actual life together. Huck said it was a plan after they blew sh*t up. They had get the word out to the right people, and Dennis said, if anyone could do it, it was them.

Felix found Leo, but then Lieutenant Newton – I finally get his name on the final show – found the both of them. The kids got back to Huck and Dennis, and Dennis told Silas that what he’d done meant a lot. Huck told them to go meet Leo and the others. They’d be about 3 miles out when the place blew up. Hope wanted Huck to come, but Huck said the CRM didn’t know what the military had been doing outside their walls, but she was going to see to it they did. She said she was proud of Hope. Silas decided to stay, saying, Dennis and Huck would need someone to help get them there, and they had to get there.

Jadis gave the order to get her helicopter ready. She was going to find out where the gas had been moved. Elton told Silas that they’d found each other twice, and they would again. Will joined Felix, saying, he’d doubled back when he heard the distress call. Felix lured Newton away from the others, and Newton chased him through the woods. Felix ended up between zombies behind a fence, and Newton. In the meantime, back at the truck, Will tried to surprise the guard shooting at Leo, but his gun jammed, so they ended up fist fighting. Will won. Newton told Felix that people like him were worse than the dead. They were helping the dead win. He suggested they fight mano a mano. Felix said he’d kill Newton if he had the chance, and now he had it. He talked a bunch of smack about Felix and his parents, and in a surprise move, Felix opened the gate, letting the dead loose.

Huck said she had to find another way to set up the explosives, and asked about the emergency weapons cache. Silas offered to go with Dennis, and Huck said she’d stay there. She told Dennis that they’d take what they got, and make it work. Newton killed most of the zombies, and Felix did a two-for-one move with double pokey stick. He and Newton dueled with their pokey sticks, while the next bath of zombies got closer. They did a whole swordfight thing, with lots of twirling, but at the end, Felix stabbed Newton, basically disemboweling him. The zombies descended on Newton, and I thought it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

After Jadis landed, she told the guards to secure the containers, and went to the warehouse. Huck was waiting, and knocked Jadis’s gun out of her hand. They fought with some big pipes they grabbed, since the warehouse was like a poor man’s Home Depot. Jadis asked what Huck got for betraying the CRM, and Huck said they were supposed to fight for humanity, but there was nothing humane about what they’d done. Jadis said Huck couldn’t appreciate what they had or what they did, but her mother understood. Huck said her mother had lost her way, but it was always who Jadis was. Jadis said, people were a resource. She’d had someone special, who was an A, but she told the CRM that they were a B, so he woudn’t end up with Huck’s mother. She’d traded him to get into the city, and now she was going to do what Huck couldn’t.

Dennis dug around in an old, locked refrigerator, looking for a timed detonator, among other weapons. Huck told Jadis that the CRM had the blood of a hundred thousand people on their hands, but Jadis said, it was no more than Huck did. What had she thought the intel she brought back was used for? They knew where to hit thanks to Huck. They fought some more, using zombie pokey sticks, and Jadis stabbed Huck. Jadis said it didn’t have to be this way, and Huck fell to the floor. Jadis asked if Huck wanted her to finish her off, or did she want to die alone. Huck told this long story about her father’s gold watch, and said to tell her mother that it wouldn’t bring them back together this time. Jadis saw Huck’s wrist, where her watch was noticeably absent, and a lightbulb came on. She asked how much time she had, but Huck wasn’t telling, and Jadis ran out, telling the guards that they were leaving.

The zombies just kept coming at Hope, Iris, and Elton, until Indira showed up with a machine gun on the top of a truck. She yelled for the kids to duck, and mowed all the zombies down. Huck bled out on the floor, thought about her watch, and smiled. Then everything blew up. Dennis saw the green mushroom cloud in the air, and knew he wasn’t going to be having a life with Huck.

The kids ran to the truck, and for some stupid reason (probably just because it’s the last episode), Elton and Hope paused for a hug, causing Elton to get bit by a random zombie. Silas told Dennis that Huck could still be coming, but Dennis said he didn’t think that was going to be happening. Dennis said he could still get Dennis to the Civic Republic, but Dennis said he wasn’t going to make it; he never was. He told Silas to take the truck and find his friends, but Silas said he didn’t want to give up their second chance. They heard a truck, and Dennis said he was dead one way or another. He wanted Silas to say he was a hostage who got the upper hand on his captor, and make the CRM see him as a hero. He handed Silas his gun, but Silas refused. Dennis said Silas wanted a second chance, and it was the only way. He hadn’t deserved what Huck did, or this. He deserved to have a life, and needed to convince the CRM that he was one of them. They were told to come out with their hands on their head, and Silas told Dennis that he’d find out what the CRM had done. Dennis told him, just do it, and Silas cried, saying he was so sorry. Then he did it.

Everyone met at the rendezvous. Elton had lost a lot of blood, and was secured just in case. Hope said he’d saved her life, and Will gave Indira her medicine that he’d found in Elton’s bag. Iris decided to go with Indira’s people to warn Portland, but told Hope not to leave. The place wasn’t permanent, but it was safe. Cornell was close by, and she’d have the equipment she’d need to continue her research. Iris knew she was supposed to go with Indira, and Hope said it wasn’t about them, but the future. Will suggested he and Felix go too, but Iris said too much needed to be protected there, and Felix agreed.

Jadis met with Silas in her office, and said she bet Silas was wondering why she’d asked him there. She heard what he did, and it must have been an ordeal with Huck’s treasonous husband. She told him that his friends were part of the mutiny, but he said he didn’t want to be a part of it, and they weren’t his friends. Jadis said she knew Dennis had put him up to it, but he went through with it. He’d killed his father, and his mother had abandoned him for it. It took strength. She’d heard he was interested in the military. He said he thought he’d make a good soldier, but she said she thought he’d make a great one. She was taking him on as a special project. She saw him for who he really was, even if he didn’t yet. He would, and she couldn’t wait.

Moving on, Jadis met with Elizabeth on a bench outside. Jadis said she hadn’t found the scientists yet, but she would. Elizabeth said she’d seen herself as an ancestor to a future world indebted to her for her sacrifice. So she’d done monstrous things in order for civilization to reign again, and others could ascend, but what if it just wasn’t possible? What if it never was? Jadis said survivors didn’t break. Instead of making the weak strong, they waited for the strong to become weak. She’d seen the strongest person she knew become vulnerable, and used it. She was doing it now. Elizabeth was to be remanded to the health and welfare complex until she could be tried for treason. If she was looking for someone to blame, blame her daughter. Huck was a traitor, and Elizabeth should have seen it. She allowed the Bennetts to live there, and had allowed the Perimeter to be a threat. Elizabeth said she was the one who brought Jadis in for a security audit, and Jadis said she’s been brought into a world of sh*t, and Elizabeth left when it got out of control. She’d been brought in to take the fall, but as Elizabeth got worse, she looked better. Jadis didn’t have friends, or a child, but she had her ambition. Elizabeth said Bill would have her head, and Jadis asked who Elizabeth thought signed the arrest warrant. They were the last light of the world. The guards took Elizabeth away.

Iris said her goodbyes, and Hope said she’d been thinking back to how they were going to save the world together. They still would, even though they weren’t together. Iris said it didn’t change them; it had showed them who they were. They hugged, there were tears and I love yous, then they gave each other the finger, which I didn’t quite get. As Iris was about to leave, Elton woke up.

To wrap it all up, we heard Elton in a voiceover, saying, there was a time he’d thought they were all going to die, that he believed his was the last generation. We saw scientists working, and he said, for a while, he thought they were the beginning, but that ignored everything and everyone who came before. He knew for sure they were a lot tougher and harder than he thought. We saw Silas as a soldier, and Elizabeth in prison, and Elton said, most things left their mark on all of them, in a way he never expected. We saw Will and Felix holding hands, and Elton said, there was still a lot of good, a lot that was beautiful, and a lot to give them hope. Maybe there was no beginning or end. Maybe it just is. It was whatever they made it. There was no perfect model or predicting if it was the last day or they’d last forever. Maybe all they got to know was now. It would get them there in small steps, and keep them growing and evolving. Those moments put together were life, and that was everything.

We saw Iris, Hope, Elton, and Silas at the beginning, and Elton saying, they’d see who they really were. Elton opened the door.

But wait, there was more.

A woman hooked up a laptop in a decrepit lab. She copied some files, then brought up Dr. Jenner (from TWD) on the screen, talking about getting fresh samples. There were too many variables, and they couldn’t get an accurate biological picture. But in brighter news, the latest data on jumpstarting the circulatory system to cause confusion was promising. A man came in with a gun, and spoke in French, asking if she was one of those doctors. She said she was, and he asked if she’d been in hiding. She said, yes, and he asked if she was on the Primrose team. She said, no, Violet. She told him that Primrose wasn’t there when it happened. When they did what they did, they were at a conference. She’d hoped that somehow they came back; she was tired of running. She hoped they might end this after all this time. The man said, they should be dead, and if they’re not, they wouldn’t jail them like the others; they’d kill them. End this? They’d started this. Then, they made it worse. He shot her, and we saw Dr. Jenner say that he had faith the day would come when they’d beat this thing. The woman sat up, now a zombie, went to the door, and started to bang on it. We saw the sign that said La Biomedicine.

La Fin.

🌬 Blowing Out Like the Wind…

Join me tomorrow for some soap and to see what’s on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay not making the same mistakes twice, and stay being content in just knowing now.

Nov29

November 28, 2021 – Stalkers Attack Victor’s Tower, Not Exactly As Planned & Evacuate

Posted on November 29, 2021 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Walking Dead World Beyond

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

🍗 The Food Party’s Over…

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

Nov23

November 22, 2021 – Sonny Meets Nina In Charlie’s, Casino Royale On Deck, News Of the Dead, Winning Music, Award Fashion & Changes

Posted on November 23, 2021 by theresakp

Standard

What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Brook says, there’s a legitimate reason why she didn’t tell Valentin the truth, when Chase walks in. Valentin says, just in time, and Chase says, for what? Valentin says, the latest bombshell. Brook’s been lying to him; he’s not Bailey’s father. Chase says he’s aware, and Valentin says, Brook told him? Brook says, no, never. She never told anyone. He says he knows Valentin isn’t Bailey’s father because he is. Valentin says he’s not, but Chase says he’s afraid it’s true. Valentin says, Chase was willing to let Brook trick him into thinking Bailey was his child? Chase expects him to believe that?

In the OR, Brando asks, what is it? What’s going on? Elizabeth says, it’s okay, and tells Sasha that her baby is having a hard time breathing. Sasha asks what they’re doing with him. Is he okay? The team performs CPR on the baby, and he’s wheeled out. Sasha asks where they’re taking him, and Elizabeth says he’s having a hard time breathing, so they’re taking him to the NICU. Sasha says she didn’t even get to hold him, and cries.

Sonny walks into Charlie’s, and Nina says she guesses they had the same idea. He says he doesn’t follow, and she says, who do they go to when they need to talk to someone? Phyllis. She has a way of putting everything in perspective. He asks if she’s there, but Nina says, actually, she’s not, and Sonny says then he’s going to go. Nina asks if he’s heard anything. She was waiting for any kind of news. He asks, what news? and she says, Sasha went into labor. She thought he knew. He says he went to see Brando at GH, and everything was fine. What happened? Nina says, Sasha had to have an emergency C-section.

At Rice Plaza, Carly calls to Bobbie, saying, text her when she gets home, and Jax comes along. He asks if that was Bobbie, and she says, they were supposed to go Christmas shopping, but her hard-working mother is dead on her feet, so she ordered a car service for her. What is he doing there? He says he was just out for a walk and got a coffee, and she says, a walk? It’s pretty cold out. He says he doesn’t mind it. He’s probably going to miss it. She says, miss it? and he says, Josslyn didn’t tell her? He’s leaving town.

Everyone in the tunnel on Cassadine Island lies unconscious. Peter pulls himself up. He sees Drew stuck underneath a beam, and picks up a chunk of rock.

On the phone with her mom, Maxie says she was going to talk to James and Georgie… Already? She guesses it’s past their bedtime, and says, thanks. She just wanted to know her children were safe.

Valentin says, Chase is there to help his friend. His chivalry is misguided. Chase says, it’s not chivalry. Brook lied to everyone, including him. He’s not there to help her. Valentin says, so he’s there to confront her, and Chase says he’s had his suspicions for a while now. He knew Brook was hiding something, so he did what any detective would do; he investigated. Brook tells him, stop it. She told him when she got back to Port Charles that Bailey wasn’t his. He says he has a DNA test that says otherwise. Without a doubt, Bailey is his. He thought they were friends. He had her back, and this is how she repaid him? By keeping his daughter from him for months? He will never forgive her for this.

Dr. Navarro tells Sasha, the baby is having trouble breathing and needs care right away. Elizabeth says, they’re taking care of him, and now they’re going to take care of Sasha. The doctor says, Sasha can’t feel it because of the epidural, but she’s in the middle of an operation. Sasha says she only cares about the baby, and Brando says he cares about the both of them. Look at him and breathe. They’ll get through this. She nods, then passes out. He tells her to wake up, and the doctor says, she’s hemorrhaging, and asks someone to take Brando out. Elizabeth pushes him out the door and into the hallway as he yells for Sasha. She tells him that Sasha will be okay, and runs back in.

Nina tells Sonny that Sasha had a placental abruption, and starts to explain, but he says he knows what that is. It’s very dangerous for the baby and the mother. Brando must be going through hell. She says, Maxie promised to text with any new news, and he says he should go to the hospital. She says, Brando is in the OR with Sasha, but Sonny should be there anyway, just in case Brando needs him. Sonny starts to leave, and Nina sits back down, and Sonny watches her looking despondent.

Carly says, Jax is leaving town? and he says, it’s just a business trip. Some things piled up in Sydney that he has to take care of in person. She says, piled up? It’s not like him to put things off. He says he didn’t want to leave while Sonny was gone, given how things escalated during Sonny’s absence, putting their daughter at risk. Carly says, Josslyn was fine; she wasn’t in any danger. He says, she was in danger of losing her mother to a bullet from Cyrus Renault, and she says, now that Sonny’s back, he feels that it’s safe, so he can go? He says, he thinks it’s safer. At least he hopes so. She’s stepped back from the organization, right? She and Jason no longer a thing? He means business partners. He knows Jason will always be front and center in her life. He walks away.

Peter is about to send the rock crashing down on Drew’s head, when Drew grabs his leg, sending him flying. Peter limps out, and Drew tries to move the beam off of himself. He manages to get his legs out from underneath, and calls to Britt. He goes over to her, and asks if she can hear him. Obrecht comes to, and crawls over to them. She says, Britt may have a concussion. She needs Britt to open her eyes. Britt says, Jason.

Valentin says, Chase has proof he’s Bailey’s father? and Chase says he does. And for what it’s worth (🍷), he’s so sorry. Brook tells him, all she can says is she did what she had to. She never meant to hurt Chase. He asks how she could possibly think this wouldn’t hurt him? and she says, when he was with Willow, he said he didn’t want kids. He loved Willow, and doesn’t love her. He doesn’t want to have a baby with her, especially after one night of fun when she was crashing with him. Valentin says, Brook lied to Chase for the same reason she lied to him, because she wanted to prove herself to her father by delivering the ELQ shares back to him. She says she didn’t do it for herself. She never meant to hurt anybody. For once in her stupid life, she was trying to do the right thing.

Maxie sees Brando, and asks if Sasha is out of surgery. She sees his face, and asks, what’s wrong? He says he doesn’t know, and starts to cry, saying, they have a son. Something went wrong. He didn’t cry, and they took him away. Sasha passed out, and he might lose them both. She says, oh my God, and hugs him.

Sonny goes back in, and motions to the bartender for a drink. He goes to the table, and Nina says she thought he left. He gives her a hanky, or maybe it’s a napkin, and says, she told him that Brando was in the OR, and Maxie is going to text her after the surgery is done. Sasha is young and healthy – he sits down – and they just have to hope for the best. She says, it’s everything she can do not to go to the hospital, and hover over Sasha like a mother. Sonny’s drink is brought over, and Nina says, but it’s not her place. He says she still thinks of Sasha as a daughter, doesn’t she? and she says, Valentin hired Sasha to pretend to be her daughter. You’d think she’d want nothing to do with Sasha, and for a while, she didn’t. In her head, she remembers everything Sasha put her through, but her heart sometimes forgets. He says, hearts tend to do that.

Peter limps into the house, and sees a gun on the floor. From the doorway, Robert says, freeze. Go for the gun. He’ll use any excuse he can find to shoot Peter. Peter dives for the gun, but Anna puts her foot on his hand. She says, hello, Peter, holding a gun on him.

Chase tells Brook, stop making excuses. What could possibly justify keeping a child from her father? She says, in the beginning, all she saw was a chance to make things right with her dad. It never even occurred to her that Valentin would be capable of falling in love with Bailey. Valentin says, and when she saw he did? She says, it was too late. She’s so, so sorry. He says, no she’s not. She got caught when Gladys exposed her, and what she’s done, he can never forgive. Chase asks if there’s anything else they need to say to each other in front of him, but Valentin says, they’re done here. Chase asks Brook to come with him. He says he’s sorry for Valentin’s pain, and Valentin nods.

Carly says she thought she made it clear, her life is none of Jax’s business. He says, it becomes his business when she puts their daughter in danger, and she says, they’re Josslyn’s parents. That’s a bond that’s never going to break, but he’s not her friend anymore. He says he knows that, and he’s happy to stay out of her life. She says, for how long? Is he coming back for Thanksgiving or Christmas? He says he’s not sure. Josslyn can always come visit him in Sydney. She says, it doesn’t sound like he’s going to hurry back, and he says, besides Josslyn and Alexis, he’s kind of on the outs with everyone in Port Charles. She says, that’s what happens when he drops everything for Nina. He really let Nina screw up his life.

Sonny asks if Nina has forgiven Sasha, and she says, a long time ago. He says, how? That kind of lie. She says, Sasha may have claimed be someone she wasn’t, but the relationship that followed, the bond of mother/daughter love was real. Sasha truly came to care about her; she was just caught in a lie. He says, she could have spoken up and told the truth, and Nina says she knows she’s said that; all you have to do is tell the truth. All Valentin and Sasha had to do was say, hey Nina, Sasha’s not your real daughter. All Jax and Carly had to say was, hey, Nina, Nelle is your daughter, and I’m so sorry for your loss. When you’re the one being deceived, it’s easy to point a finger at your deceivers, and think they’re so evil. But when you’re the one lying, especially when you’re lying to someone you love… She almost starts crying, and says, she’s really, really sorry, and he asks why she kept doing it. She asks why anyone lies to anyone about anything. It’s because they have too much to lose by telling the truth. He asks what she had to lose. She knew the truth would come out sooner or later. She says, all she knows is that she was in so much pain, and he showed up out of nowhere… Mike. And he was kinder to her than anyone had ever been in her entire life. She wasn’t strong enough to give that up.

Maxie tells Brando, Sasha is strong and healthy overall. She also has Dr. Navarro, who’s the best. Sasha and their baby are going to be fine. He tells her, they said his little boy couldn’t breathe, and she says, babies are resilient. Look at James. He was born by the side of the road. He says his son can’t breathe, and she says, his son is in the hospital. Tell her about the first time he saw his son, before anything anyone noticed anything was wrong. He says, he was unforgettable. One moment, he was just this guy, this mechanic, and the next, he was a dad. When he saw his little head, it was like this rush came over him, hitting him like a ton of bricks. She says she remembers that feeling well, and he says, one glance, and he loved him more than anything, and would do anything for him. She says, of course (🍷) he will, because now he’s not the most important person in his own life anymore, and never will be again, and that is the best feeling in the world. From now on, it’s all about making sure that child is happy and safe and healthy. You’ll do anything to protect that child, no matter the cost.

Anna asks Peter where Jason and Britt are, and Robert says, Peter came in through the wine cellar. She says, so there’s an escape tunnel down there? and Peter says, not anymore. It’s all rubble now. She wants to know where Britt and Jason are? They’re underneath what’s left of those tunnels.

Drew calls to Jason, and Britt tries to sit up, but Obrecht says she might have a concussion; she needs to stay still. She says, Jason is right there. They have to help him. Obrecht says, how? There are several tons of rock in the way. The rest could come down on them any minute. She has to get Britt out of there. She tells Drew they have to move, but he says he’s not leaving without his brother.

Chase says, Valentin didn’t pull any punches, and Brook says, neither did he. He says he’s sorry for unloading on her, but he didn’t want Valentin to think… She hugs him, and says, thank you, and he says, wow. A hug like that, he’ll be terrible to her more often. She says, no one – and she means no one – can find out who Bailey’s real father is, and he says he understands. Because her real father is Peter August, her mother is Maxie, and Bailey is really Louise.

Maxie brings Brando some coffee, and says, something warm on a cold night. Even though it’s perfectly toasty in there, his body knows what time of year it is. He thanks her, and she asks if he and Sasha are going to move in together. He says they’ve been talking about it, and she says, just talking? Is he not sure about his feelings for Sasha? He says he’s never been more sure about anything. Sasha changed his life, and now they have a son. He chokes up, and Maxie says, he’s going to be all right, and he says, up until now, he’s felt like he’s been on the sidelines, while Sasha was doing the heavy lifting. Now that his son is there, he’s going to start pulling his weight. Maxie says he will. When in doubt, there’s always diaper duty. He laughs, and says, he’ll do it. Any and all of it. He doesn’t want to miss a moment of his son’s life, and can’t imagine it without Sasha.

Robert pushes Peter down into a chair, and Peter says, the tunnel collapsed. He guesses he’s the only one who made it out alive. Robert tells Anna, there you go. They can call off the search. The reliable source has just delivered terrible news. Anna’s phone rings, and Peter says, if that’s Maxie… She says, it’s not. She says she can’t talk right now, but wants to tell him Peter is in custody. Valentin says, that’s great, and she asks if everything is okay. He says, everything is fine; he’s just checking in. He’ll let her go. Hearing pain in his voice, she asks if he’s all right, and he says he will be. She says she’ll be home soon; they can talk then. He says, not soon enough. Do him a favor. Don’t turn her back on Peter. She says she won’t, and tells him, take care. He says, be safe, and Anna tells Robert that she’s going to the wine cellar. She’ll see if the agents located any the survivors Peter says aren’t there.

Jax says, not everything’s Nina’s fault, but Carly says, it is where he’s concerned. He got so caught up in Nina’s drama, that he ignored his own life. He says, Nina went too far and she knows it, and Carly asks if this is where he starts defending Nina. He says he’s not defending her, but he can’t believe she’d do something so unforgivable. Carly says, she did. She was supposed to be the poster girl for turning Jax’s life around, but she didn’t. She showed all of them her true colors, and Carly won’t be taken by her again.

Sonny says, Nina needs to understand, there was no Mike. She says, he’s right, but she cared about him anyway, and he says, if she cared about him, why did she keep him from his family for months? From his grandson, the same grandson Carly kept her away from. She says, that was wrong, and she knew it was wrong back then. She wishes she’d been stronger, but she hasn’t been that close to many people in her life. Growing up, love was more like an obligation. If she acted correctly, Madeline would love her. He says she told him her mom was cold to her. Was that a lie too? She says, everything she told him about herself was true, and he says, just everything about him was lie. She says she knew she should have told him the truth, but if he knew the truth, he would have had no choice but to leave her. He asks if that’s how she treats someone she loves. She controlled him. She says, yes. That’s what she did because that’s what she knows. Madeline was always trying to control her, Valentin was controlling her with Sasha, and Jax was controlling her with the information he and Carly had about Nelle. Every single time, it broke her heart. He says, and every time, she walked away, and she says, she did. Just like he walked away from her.

Obrecht tells Britt to come; they have to get her to safety. Britt says she has to help Jason, but Obrecht says, if he’s alive, he won’t be happy to know she’s dead. The tunnel isn’t going to last much longer. Anna yells to them, and Obrecht asks if she wants the ceiling to collapse. Anna says, good to see her too, and shines the flashlight around. She asks if Britt is all right, and Obrecht says, of course (🍷) not; she has a head injury. Britt says she’s fine; they need to help Drew. Anna sees Drew, and says, the last time she saw him, he was heading off a bridge. He says, not his decision, and Anna says, he was under Peter’s influence; that explains a lot. Obrecht says, perhaps Anna would like to ring for some tea and crumpets, or she could continue this conversation where the ceiling isn’t going to collapse. Drew says he’s not going without his brother. Anna goes over to him, and he tells her, Peter got away, but she says, he didn’t. They have Peter in custody. Obrecht says she’ll kill him herself, and Britt says, they have to help Jason, but Anna says, they’re not going to help him if they’re crushed under there. More of the ceiling comes down near Drew, and he tells them, go, and they leave, Drew staying behind.

Elizabeth comes out, and Brando asks, how’s Sasha? She says, out of danger. Dr. Navarro was able to stop the hemorrhage. She’s weak because she’s lost a lot of blood, but she’s stable. Maxie says she told Brando that Sasha would be okay, and he asks if he can see her. Elizabeth says she’s been transferred to the ICU so they can monitor her, and he asks how his son is. She says, Dr. Fleming is with him now in NICU.

Brook asks how long Chase has known, and he says he just found out. She says, how? No, don’t tell her here. She can’t risk anyone else following the breadcrumbs to Peter. He says he doesn’t think anyone did, and she says, great. She’s actually pretty relieved that he knows. He asks, who else knows? and she says, Maxie and Nina. He says, that’s it? and she says, it better be. Gladys knows Valentin isn’t really Bailey’s father, but that’s all she knows. Brook really wanted to tell him. She came close, but she and Maxie agreed, the few people to know, the safer Bailey is. He asks why she wanted to tell him, and she says, he’s one of the two and a half people in the world she trusts. He asks if he’s the half, and she says, of course (🍷) not. He says he understands why she kept it under wraps, but wishes she’d told him. She says, Peter was poisoning him, and there were a lot of other things going on at the time. He says, like Willow, and she tells him that she didn’t want to say it, but he had other things on his mind. He says he got better, and she says, then things got a helluva lot worse. They didn’t intend for this lie to go on for so long. They thought Peter would be caught months ago, locked away, and then Maxie could claim Bailey as her own. He asks how she thought Valentin would react, and she says she was hoping once he found out Peter was involved, he’d understand why they had to do what they did. He says, Valentin might still think that way, and she says, think? Yes. Feel? Who even knew Valentin Cassadine had feelings? Turns out, there’s a pretty decent and loving father in there. She hates the fact that she hurt him, and Chase says, Valentin lost his daughter today. He can’t imagine what Valentin is going through.

Valentin looks at Bailey’s picture on his phone, and cries.

Nina says she’s not telling Sonny that he was wrong to walk away. What she had with him… He says, listen to him. What they had in Nixon Falls wasn’t love; it was a lie. She says she knows that’s how he feels, and he’s probably right, but it was close enough for her. Can he believe they still don’t know anything? She gets her phone out of her bag, and says, maybe she should just call the hospital. They’re not going to tell her anything, because Sasha’s not her daughter. He says, no, she isn’t, and Nina says, sometimes she thinks about what her life would be like if Sasha was her daughter; if she was telling the truth. Then tonight, her grandchild would be coming into the world. She knows it’s wrong to focus on what might have been, and he says, we do that sometimes. She says, she hates the waiting around. She feels helpless. If anything happens… that sweet baby. He says, hey, listen to him. It’s going to be all right. Understand him? Jax walks in.

Brando asks if Elizabeth will check on his son. He wants to tell Sasha that he’s all right. Elizabeth says, of course (🍷), and leaves. Maxie asks if she can get him anything or call anyone, but he says he just wants to be with Sasha. She says she’s praying for him and his son, and they hug.

Brando goes in, and Sasha is still unconscious. He tells her that he’s there for her and their son. They need her with them. He can’t bear to lose her, and their son needs his mom. She wakes up, and she asks, where’s their baby?

Ann comes back with Drew, Obrecht, Britt, and a few agents. She says, they need to get checked out, and Peter says, they’re still alive. They feared the worst. Drew heads for Peter, who’s restrained in a chair, but Robert intervenes, and says, let the law handle it. Drew says, it’s so much better than he deserves, and Robert says, if it was up to him, it would be a trip to a black site, and that would be the end once and for all. Drew says, they could find one somewhere, but right now they have to focus and concentrate on finding Jason. Anna says she’ll contact search and rescue, and Peter says, whatever they find underneath all that rock, it’s not going to be a pretty sight, is it? Britt asks if anyone has a syringe, and Peter asks what she has in mind. She says, bleach, drain cleaner… and he says, it’s a pity she took an oath, isn’t it? Obrecht says, if it were not for that pesky medical license… Wait. She no longer has one of those. Drain cleaner it is. Robert says, enough, and Britt says, is it? Drew says, Jason could have separated from them, and found his way out of the tunnel, and gone down to the docks. Robert says, they’re looking all over the island. If he’s there, they’ll find him. Peter says, maybe they’ll find a unicorn too while they’re at it, and Drew says, if Jason is dead, Peter is going to join him.

Chase says he doesn’t want to worry Brook, but she says, she’s way past worried. He says he’s got this. He’s going to do or say whatever makes people believe he’s Bailey’s father. She says, it’s very admirable that he’s willing to lie about this, but him of all people… Actually, she thinks this might work. That sweet as pie face, who’s going to believe he could do such a huge deception? They can use this. He says, the only thing that’s important is protecting Bailey from Peter, and she says she has to worry about Valentin now too. Valentin is ruthless and she hurt him in his heart. He will not let that go unpunished.

Valentin sits up, and makes a call. He says, I have a job for you.

The agents walk Peter out with Robert, and Robert says, try anything, and Peter knows he’ll shoot him. Peter says he wouldn’t dream of giving Robert the satisfaction, and Obrecht yells something at him in German. Drew tells Anna, sorry for losing it, and she says she would have joined him. She doesn’t know if it’s any comfort to him, but they have so much evidence against Peter and all of his crimes. she doesn’t think he’ll ever take another free breath if she can help it. Starting with faking Drew’s death and keeping him prisoner for two years. He says he was there the longest, but there were other prisoners. She says she knows; they have Chloe Jennings. He says, there was another woman. They found her, right? She says, no. They swept the entire compound, but there were no other prisoners. He says he only heard her for a couple of days; they must have moved her. She asks if he saw her, and he says, no; neither did Chloe. She says, they’ll do a complete debrief as soon as they get him to the Consulate. Does he need any medical attention? he says he’s fine, and Robert comes back. She asks if there’s any word on the search.

The agents slam Peter against a wall, telling him to stay there, and he says he doesn’t know if they’ve noticed, but he is injured. An agent tells him, says the murderer, and he says he’s not asking them to take his cuffs off. Just move them around front, so it doesn’t make the injury worse. The agent says, no, and Peter says, he’d hate to see the WSB get accused of mistreating a prisoner. The agent says they’d hate to see Peter use the cuffs to choke one of them out, but Peter says he’s cuffed, he’s injured, and he’s surrounded. Come on. The agent nods, and one holds a gun on Peter, while another unlocks the cuffs. Peter says, thank you, and while they’re at it…

Brando tells Sasha that the baby is having trouble breathing, and she says she should be with him. They both should. He says he feels the exact same way, but she just got out of surgery. She needs some rest, so she can hold him when he gets better. Dr. Navarro comes in, and Sasha says she wants to see their baby. The doctor says she knows, but unfortunately, that’s not possible right now. Brando asks, why? and Sasha says, their son is in an incubator and can’t be moved, right? Which means they have to go to him. She asks Brando to get a wheelchair, but he says she can’t even sit up right now, but she says she’ll do whatever it takes to be with her son. If he can’t come to her, she’ll go to him. Dr. Navarro says, that’s not the problem.

Maxie’s phone rings, and Peter says, it’s good to hear her voice. We see him on the phone, the guards surrounding him with their guns aimed at him. She says he needs to stay away from her, and he says they both know she doesn’t mean that. She says she loathes him, and prays she never lays eyes on him again. He says he wanted her to hear it from him. He’s coming home, for her. They’ll be together again soon.

Jax goes into Charlie’s, and Sonny tells Nina that he’s going to check on Brando at GH. She thanks him for waiting with her, and Sonny leaves, saying hey to Jax on his way out. Jax tells Nina to be careful; don’t let Sonny pull her back in. She says Sonny doesn’t think about her that way, and he asks what he just walked in on. She says, he saw a man comforting someone in need. She and Sonny don’t have a future.

Carly leaves a voicemail for Jason, saying, he’s obviously busy. She misses him, and hopes he’s staying safe. Come home soon. She needs to talk to him.

Robert says, there’s no sign of Jason anywhere on the island, and Anna says, that means he’s still in the tunnel. Drew says, Jason is not dead. His way out might be blocked or he might be trapped, but he is alive. Anna says, that’s why she has an excavation team flying in, but until they get there, it’s too dangerous for them to go in. Britt says, no! The longer they wait, the less of a shot he has. He could run out of air, or whatever’s left of the tunnel could collapse. Drew promises her, nobody is giving up on Jason. Nobody. They’re going to find him.

We see the part of the tunnel where Jason is blocked in, and pieces of ceiling are still falling.

Next time, Brook asks if Chase is ready to tempt fate again, Anna says she was the target, Sasha tells Brando to do what she can’t, and Britt wonders how she can live with that.

Below Deck

Christophe Harbor, St. Kitts. Everyone is hungover, and Heather says she doesn’t know what got into her. She never drinks like that. Rayna can’t believe Jake is engaged, and Eddie says, it was an epic night. Jessica brings Captain Lee’s breakfast to the bridge, and he asks how her night was. She says she turned in early, and he says, he’s the one who’s old; she’s not. She says she’s feeling it though. Heather has a meeting with interior, and they talk a little about the night before. Heather says she found a bagel in her bathroom. In Fraser’s interview, he says he saw another side to Heather. It was nice watching her have a good time, and he hopes she keeps it up. Heather tells them to make up the beds as best as they can. On deck, Jake says his relationship is non-monogamous, and it’s not a big deal. In Rayna’s interview, she says, it’s something you bring up first. She asks him how this happened; give them a play-by-play. He says his girlfriend Paris needs a British passport, so they haven’t seen a lot of each other. When they’re not together, she’s not his girlfriend. In his interview, he says, he cares for her, but they’re nowhere near marriage. She knows what he’s like, and that he does crazy sh*t. Rayna doesn’t understand.

Jessica does her laundry thing, and Fraser says, there’s romance on the horizon. Everyone is after Jake. Rachel says, not her. Jake is so cute, but she’s just out of a long term, very serious relationship. Her ex blindsided her, telling her that he didn’t think it was working. In Rachel’s interview, she says, she loved, adored, and respected him. She’d planned on a future with him, and had to regroup. She tells Fraser that she didn’t have the ability to process it until she’d finished the charter season. In her interview, she says, she’s happy being by herself. When she was with him, she’d put his needs before hers. When she hears people talking about their relationships, she’s like, f*** that. Eddie says, being hungover is not fun, and on that, we are in agreement. Rayna asks about his girlfriend, and he says she’s very sweet. In his interview, he says he’s bummed his girlfriend is pissed off. It’s frustrating, but forming a new relationship is tough. You have to trust the other person not to burn you or cheat on you. This is how his life is going to be.

The captain has a preference sheet meeting with Eddie, Rachel, and Heather in the crew mess. Jeremy and Ronnie are the primaries, and they’re bringing their families together, including Jeremy’s sons, who are 16 and 6. Captain Lee says, there’s going to be baby sh*t for someone, and in Heather’s interview, she said she loves having kids on board. Sometimes it’s a pain in the ass, but it’s five-star service, and a nanny. The new charter wants a Casino Royale party, and for Ronnie’s 75^th birthday, he wants an 80s dance and fitness party. They also want the captain to join them for dinner. In Fraser’s interview, he says it’s crucial with a small team that everyone carry their weight. Jessica seems miserable and run down. She needs to man up, do her job, and stop complaining. Heather calls provisioner Naydene to order stuff for the casino party. Jake wants to deckhands to get a move on, and in Wes’s interview, he says, Jake brings up petty stuff. And if they’re not on charter, what’s the rush? He wants to flirt with Jessica, but has a fear of rejection, since he was rejected a lot in high school, and some in college. It hurts. He has no game. He’s a big nerd, and gets awkward. I dunno. He’s cute, and seems like a nice guy with a good sense of humor. It’s sad how that stayed with him. Heather says, everyone is awesome. She asks how Eddie thinks Jessica feels about Wes, and Eddie says, he thinks Wes would be good for her. Fraser says, anything to make her smile. Eddie says they’ll have to plant the seed, and Heather says, and hope the flower grows. Fraser tells Heather that Jessica mopes around like she’s in pure misery. He can’t keep pulling her up, only to get shut down. In Heather’s interview, she says she thinks Fraser’s concerns are valid. One bad apple can affect the others. If Jessica takes Fraser out at the knees, then what? She tells Fraser that she hopes for a better charter or they’ll have issues.

Jessica sighs over the dishes, and Jake tells Eddie that he just wants to get the work done. Eddie suggests getting Rayna to be more hands on. Heather asks to talk to Jessica, saying, she just wants to touch base. She feels as if Jessica is under the weather or down, but Jessica says, she’s good. Heather says she doesn’t want whatever it is to affect Jessica’s work. The more she knows about things… Jessica says she found out that her grandmother needed to have a procedure, and in her interview, she says she doesn’t want to cry on the boat. Her grandparents’ health started to decline, and she’d taken the opportunity to come back to land. She likes being there for them. Heather says she wants to know how to better help Jessica, but Jessica says she’s good. She would tell Heather if it was otherwise. Jake talks to Paris on the phone, and Heather organizes her cabin.

Jake and Fraser clink beers, and Jake asks when Fraser came out. Fraser says he came out to his mom when he was 19, and heard a story on the radio about a guy who murdered people and ate them. His mom said she’d love him even if he ate people, so being gay seemed minor in comparison. In Fraser’s interview, he says, it was hard to get up the courage, but all it took was a little push to get it off his chest. Thanks, mom. He tells Wes that he’s happy in life. In Jessica’s interview, she says she’s going be happy or miserable today. She chooses to be happy. She smiles. Heather puts, let’s do this, on the whiteboard. In his interview, Fraser says, effing hell. He had one job, to hold on to his radio, and he can’t even do that. We flash back to the captain saying, if one of the crew is looking for their radio, he probably already has it. Fraser starts to hunt. Provisions come in, and Captain Lee calls Eddie to the bridge. He asks how things are working out, and Eddie says, good. The captain asks how Jake is doing, and Eddie says, he’s a damn hard worker. He tells the captain that the run times are short, and asks if they can drop back a little bit, so the deckhands have time to get ready. In Captain Lee’s interview, he says, every charter is like their first rodeo. Eddie needs to get their attention. You can play with the big dogs or keep your puppy ass on the porch. The captain radios the crew that they have 15 minutes until the guests’ arrival. Fraser is still looking for his radio.

Heather tells Fraser to pour the champagne, and the captain wonders for what reason he’s the only one out there. The crew dashes out, and see that one of the guests is a child with a locked box handcuffed to his wrist. Young guest Alexander says he’s a mini primary, which I’m sure the crew is thrilled to hear. In his interview, Captain Lee says, it’s not a group you’d think you’d see together; they’re all different. This is going to get interesting. Alexander shows them there’s cash in the box, and everyone goes, wow. In Rachel’s interview, she says, screw the adults. That kid is her primary. Heather gives the tour, and Captain Lee says, let’s see if we can get out of here without spending any money. In his interview, he says he has a knot in his stomach. The prevailing winds are constantly blowing them to the dock, which is concrete, with shallow water all around. He’s as nervous as whore in the front pew at church. They pull out, and into the water.

Co-primary Jeremy tells Alexander not to wander, and Heather says they’ll have eyes on him like a hawk. In Fraser’s interview, he says he used to be a nanny. To be honest, he doesn’t like kids. The way they eat, the sounds, it’s a bit gross. He discusses LEGOS with Alexander, and Heather goes over lunch with Rachel. The captain says, they’re going to get some weather; it’s annoying as hell. It starts to rain, and Eddie leads everyone in. In Jake’s interview, he says he’ll have Rayna responsible for more, and maybe it will make the job more appealing. He wants to be friends, not the villain. If that doesn’t work, he’ll make her walk the plank. They drop anchor, and the guests sit down for lunch.

Shitten Bay, St. Kitts. I shitten you not. That’s the name. In his interview, Fraser says, growing up, he was terrible in school. Moving around the country every few years made it difficult. He found something he loved, and learned to be good at, and he’s failed at the basic capacity of keeping his radio with him. It’s making him feel like sh*t. It’s not effing rocket science. The guests think lunch is amazing. Fraser tells Heather that he thinks he’s lost it, and in Heather’s interview, she says, it’s vital that Fraser find his radio. Not just for safety, but she needs to communicate with him. They have to find it right now. They look literally everywhere.

The captain says he’s in a silly mood, but doesn’t know why. I wait for him to jump up and do a somersault or something, but that doesn’t happen. Fraser opens a door in the floor of the deck, and says, the panic is over. In his interview, he says, it’s crazy how much this piece of plastic means to him. He radios Heather to tell her. They meet to discuss casino night. In Heather’s interview, she says the first time she gambled, she lost it all, and learned to take just a little tip money, not the whole tip. It’s easy to get caught up in. She and Fraser set up the table. In Eddie’s interview, he says he learned from his mistakes in relationships. His girlfriend is the most loving woman he’s ever met. This was just a speedbump, and doesn’t define the rest of their relationship. He talks to her on the phone, and says, I know it’s hard, but be cool, honey bunny, referencing Pulp Fiction, which I don’t feel Eddie is cool enough to reference. In Rachel’s interview, she says, tonight is casino night. She lived in Italy for 8 months, and it was a wonderful experience, so she’s making a nice Italian feast. Wes asks when Rachel found her passion, and she says she was 18. She was running her mouth to a bartender, and the guys in the kitchen told her to put her money where her mouth was. Alexander plays video games with Rayna, and the guests sit down for dinner with the captain.

Heather finds the cabins are untidy, and in her interview, Heather is concerned about the lack of attention to the cabins. Cheap ass hotels do a better job, and it’s not okay. At the table, the guests ask about pirates, and the captain says they’re still out there. For them, it’s a career. In her interview, Heather says she’s sympathetic to what Jessica is going through, but you have to leave your emotions at the cabin door. She goes over the cabins with Jessica, pointing out where the upkeep was lacking, and in Jessica’s interview, she says, she’s pissed; this sucks. Heather tells Fraser about it, and says, it was all three rooms. She wants to coach with inspiration, but it’s coming to, training day’s over. The guests tell Captain Lee, the chef is amazing, and he says, she’s extremely talented. Jessica pretends to work, and the captain tells the guests that he left Michigan when he was 25. Guest Jodi says, he must be 45 now. The captain says he loves her, and she says she loves him too. She’s not kidding. Guest Ronnie asks if he has family in Fort Lauderdale, and the captain says, a wife and four kids. Jodi is like, damn, and in the captain’s interview, he says, it’s making him uncomfortable. He tells the guests, somewhere, his wife heard that, and she’s laughing. Jake asks Rayna if his new approach is working. He’s trying to be more chill and laid back. He thinks she has so much potential. The next course of a fabulous pasta comes out, and in Rachel’s interview, she says, nothing compares to homemade pasta. She likes to take the time to make it authentic, and hates using boxed. Guest Stacie says she’s never seen Alexander eat chicken tenders that fast. Alexander falls asleep at the table with his headphones on.

Alexander is put to bed, tiramisu is served, and the guests get ready to turn in. Jodi asks where the captain’s cabin is, and Stacie says, don’t tell her. Eddie, Fraser, and Wes have a confab, and Eddie says, everyone is getting along, but someone is going to pop at some point. Jessica calls her grandmother to check-in, but Grandma Marion says, there’s nothing to worry about. In Jessica’s interview, she says her grandparents played a secondary parental role in her life. She gets concerned, since you never know how much longer you have with them.

Salt Plage, St. Kitts. Jodi asks if the captain will have breakfast, lunch, and dinner with them, and Stacie says he has to come to Ronnie’s birthday dinner. Jodi grumbles that he’s going to be 75, and follows the captain, who tells her that her room is downstairs. In his interview, he says, where are you going? He’s going to his room – alone. He tells Jodi, have a good night, and goes to the bridge. Captain Lee tells Eddie that she was going to follow him, and Eddie dies laughing. The captain says, laugh it up, funny boy. The night crew cleans up.

The next morning, the wind is relentless. Captain Lee tells Eddie that he wants to get out some time today, and breakfast is served; avocado toast on a hash brown cake with a poached egg. I die. Anchor is home, and cushions go flying. The captain says, bleepity-bleep-bleep-bleep. In his interview, he says don’t tell him he has to go back to get cushions. That’s going to upset him. It’s a common sense thing. He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, and he can figure out if the wind is blowing, make sure they’re secured. They could screw up a two-car funeral. Eddie tells Captain Lee that the deckhands need time for pulling anchor, but the captain says, they have plenty of time. In Eddie’s interview, he says, it’s the deck crew’s first responsibility to take care of the exterior. Now he’s being reamed out by Captain Lee. It’s serious. No more f*** ups. The tender goes out to get the cushions, and in the captain’s interview, he says, the hammer needs to drop, and it’s up to Eddie to do it. If Eddie doesn’t drop it on them, he knows goddam well the captain will drop it on him. Eddie tells the deckhands, he’s tired of getting yelled at. He doesn’t want one more effing thing falling off the boat.

Next time, a water toy blows off the boat, the 80s birthday party happens; Jake flirts with Heather, Jake kisses Fraser, and Captain Lee says, in 45 years, he’s never seen such intense wind.

⚰️ All the News Too Dead To Print…

Releasing the Walking Dead:

https://bamsmackpow.com/2021/11/21/the-walking-dead-season-11-episode-9-release-date-show-return-hiatus/

Wrapping up the World Beyond:

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-penultimate-episode-trailer-death-and-the-dead-209/

Jadis, with a foot in two Dead worlds:

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/what-happened-to-heath-the-walking-dead-world-beyond-jadis-project-votus-a-and-b/

Both a reunion and a farewell on Fear the Walking Dead:

Fear the Walking Dead Gives [Spoiler] the Rarest of Rarities: a Happy Ending

https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1525465/Fear-the-Walking-Dead-Althea-Maggie-Grace-exit-fan-reaction

🏆 They’re the Best…

The AMA Winners:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/21/entertainment/amas-2021-winners-list/index.html

And as always, the most important thing of any awards show. The fashion:

https://fashionista.com/2021/11/american-music-awards-amas-2021-best-dressed-fashion

👞 Shuffling Off, But Not To Buffalo…

It’s a flip of the coin what tomorrow might bring, but as always, there will be soap and a song. Until then, stay safe, stay unburdened by things you can’t control, and stay never making love an obligation, or allowing someone to obligate you to it.