Tag Archives: science fiction

Oct21

October 20 – Waves Of Walkers, First Meeting & Get Dead

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

6 am – Hour 1 – A timer goes off. Carol wakes, and takes a pill.

Hour 2 – Carol goes out of the gate. Above the wall, Eugene watches through binoculars.

Hour 4 – The older kids practice killing zombies, and show off to each other.

Hour 6 – Everyone gets ready for… something.

Hour 11 – Aaron is attacked by a zombie, but manages to pike it in the head.

Hour 13 – Eugene beckons to Aaron, who looks through Eugene’s binoculars. Eugene says, they keep coming, constantly. Wave after wave. Carol says, it’s her, and Michonne tells them, lock it down.

Hour 14 – Zombies continue to come. They stream in throughout hour 19, hour 22, hour 24, and hour 31. The Alexandrians continue to fight.

Hour 37 – There are lots of bodies. Gabriel rests. Michonne wonders, wtf? Judith sits by the window in Michonne’s bedroom, and says, well? Michonne says, well what? and Judith asks, is it safe? The radio crackles, and Aaron asks if Michonne copies.

Hour 48 – Michonne looks through the binoculars. More zombies are coming. She goes up into a windmill to get a better look through the window.

Michonne asks Eugene, how long until the next wave? He says, one hour from the north, and two from the south. Coming from the north, they’re thicker then fleas on a farm dog. Not so much from the south. He estimates they’ll be fighting through night again. Michonne snaps at Daryl, then apologizes. Eugene maintains his post. Daryl says, heads up, and he and Michonne meet Gamma at the gate. She says, north border, now. Michonne tells her to call off the walkers, but she says, it’s not them. Go to the north border, lay down their weapons, and  wait. Daryl asks, for what? Gamma says, her.

The Alexandrians have a meeting. Michonne tells Lydia, this is her mother, but Lydia doesn’t think so. Michonne asks, why? and Lydia says they crossed into Alpha’s land again, and they have to answer to that. Aaron says, they don’t have to do anything. They should just not go, but Lydia thinks that’s a bad idea. Aaron says, they’re already being attacked, but Lydia says if Alpha wanted them dead, she’d send a horde, not waves. Aaron thinks they’re being worn down. Eugene says he has every reason to believe the satellite and fire… but a woman cuts him off, saying she doesn’t want to hear anymore. They’re friends died trying to save the Alexandrians, and ended up with their heads on pikes. The Highwaymen want justice. All she wants to hear, is that they’re taking the lead bitch’s head off. She thinks they should put the Whisperers head’s on pikes. There’s a lot of mumbling, and Michonne gets up. She asks how many walkers have they seen in Alpha’s horde, and Daryl says, tens of thousands. Michonne asks what plan the Highwaymen have for taking them out. She gets silence, and says, that’s not a rhetorical question. The woman says they don’t have one, and Michonne says, does anybody else? Once again, it’s quiet, and she says, if Alpha sends the horde, that’s it. Right now, all she wants to do is talk, and they’re going to listen. Here, they’re going to focus on what’s coming from the north and the south. They’re tired and on edge, and it’s going to get worse before it gets better, but they’re not getting through it at all if they don’t act as one.

Michonne lays out a plan, with Aaron leading the fighting in the north, and Gabriel in the south. She and Daryl will be going to the border. Carol says, they’re going alone? and Daryl says they have no choice. Carol gets a gun from under her bed, and takes more pills.

Aaron tells Gabriel, they’re good, but Gabriel says Aaron is low on soldiers, fatigued, and Negan is on clean-up duty. Aaron balks, and Negan says, if it’s all the same, he’d like to stay there, picking tomatoes, and burying corpses. He tells Gabriel, look around him. People are amped, and pissed. and stirring up sh*t with each other. He doesn’t want the hateful vibes taken out on him. Gabriel says, Aaron is a saint. Gabriel tells Aaron, Negan can fight, and he’s low on fighters. PB meet J. End of discussion. He walks away, and Negan notices the spiked mace Aaron has in place of a hand. He says, it’s awesome that Aaron is putting the old stump to use.

Michonne heads for the border with Daryl, Carol, and a few others.

Aaron and Negan kill zombies outside the walls. Negan – who only got a less-than-pokey stick to fight with – picks up tire iron, and Aaron says, drop it. Negan says, God left it there for a reason. His broomstick ain’t cutting it. Aaron stares at Negan, and he puts it down. Negan says he’s trying to make things better. He’s not that guy anymore. A few zombies are headed their way, and Negan gives Aaron a thumbs up, and says he’s on it.

The group walks to the border to meet Alpha. It’s dark and quiet. They put down their weapons, and stare at the posts the heads were on. Daryl asks Carol if she’s all right. She says she needs a minute. She puts down her bow and arrow, but the gun is in the back of her waistband.

At Alexandria, Rosita and Eugene team up, killing zombies at the gates. Eugen thinks the killing could go on all night. Rosita says, he wants to go back, doesn’t he? He says, yeah, but they keep going.

Daryl says, heads up, and they see the Whisperers walking toward them in the distance. The Whisperers stop, and Alpha removes her mask. She says they had one rule between their people; one law. Stay where you are. They disobeyed it. Daryl says the fire would have destroyed the Whisperers’ land, but Alpha says fire is part of nature. They have no conflict with nature. Michonne says it could have wiped out their communities. They couldn’t sit back and let it happen. They crossed once. Alpha says, three times. During the fire, they walked her land. During the winter storm, they walked her land. And when they searched the river, you – she points to Carol – and the man with the metal arm walked her land. That’s three times. They’re always watching. What did she tell them about crossing her borders? They have to be punished. The Whisperers draw their guns, and Carol starts to reach for hers, when Alpha says, but she’ll consider the context. There will be no bloodshed this time. Michonne asks what they want, and Alpha says, land. The creek is their new southern border mark. Carol says that cuts off their hunting ground. They don’t have to stand for their… Michonne cuts her off with, Carol! Alpha asks, their what? and Carol says, bullsh*t. Daryl says they’re done. Let’s go. Alpha says, they’re not. This one – again pointing to Carol – rolled her eyes to Alpha’s face. Carol faces Alpha, who says she should be afraid. Carol says she looks at Alpha, and feels nothing at all. Alpha says Carol’s boy called her name before they took his head. Carol whips out her gun, and shoots, but Daryl pushes her arm down, so she misses Alpha. He holds Carol back, and Michonne apologizes for her friend. She says, they haven’t slept, and Alpha knows what Carol lost. Alpha says she forgives Carol, mother to mother. This is her land now. Better run. Daryl says, let’s go, and pushes Carol in the other direction. Alpha smiles.

In the woods, they rest a moment. Carol tells Michonne, the bitch has to die. She walks away, and Daryl approaches Michonne. Michonne says Carol’s not the same since she got off the boat. Daryl thinks Carol is better off on it, but Michonne says she belongs with them. Daryl says Carol’s not sleeping, and she’s out all night. Carol sees a few Whisperers streaking through the woods, and shoots at them. Daryl asks, what happened? and she says, Whisperers; three of them. They decide to split up, and Michonne says, capture, don’t kill.

Aaron and Megan are still hard at work. Negan uses the tire iron on a zombie, and scratches at a rash on his arm. Aaron asks, what did he say? indicating the tire iron, and Negan says he had to. Aaron says he’s going to tie Negan up, and take him back. Negan says that’s the best freaking news he’s heard all day, but he’s not being tied up like a POW. Aaron says, yes, he is, and Negan says, or what, cowboy? Aaron takes out a knife, and Negan says, you know what he sees? Someone pretending. He tells Aaron, let’s go, and starts to walk past him. Aaron knocks him down, and Negan says, did Aaron just trip him? What is he, twelve? I laugh. I love Negan. Negan asks, what is wrong? He put his neck on the block for them all day. Aaron says, Negan doesn’t give a damn about them. If he did, he’d leave. That’s what everyone needs. Negan says he did what he had to back then. Aaron tells him, open that up. Tell him why the love of his life had to die. Negan says, okay. One simple fact. One truth. If you don’t protect what belongs to you, sooner or later, it belongs to someone else. That goes for your land, your wallet, your home, your country, everything. It’s your job as a man to protect it. That’s the story of America; of the whole goddam world. Nothing can change it. Not him; not nobody. Aaron asks if Negan is saying Eric’s death was his fault. If he’s saying Aaron killed Eric, then Negan killed his wife. Negan says, careful, and Aaron says, she died hating him, and he’s never seeing her again. He asks if Negan wants to say something, and Negan says, yeah; he does. Another group of zombies comes toward them, and one gets Aaron down. Aaron stabs it, and his vison is suddenly blurry. He calls to Negan, who jets.

Michonne tells the others to meet back at the creek. She tells Carol, there are no signs. no traces, no tracks, nothing. Is she sure she saw three? Carol says she’s sure. Carol shakes out another pill, and Michonne asks how long she’s been taking them. Carol says since she got back. She’s fine; they’re like coffee. Michonne says they can’t stay out there, and Daryl suggests they hole up for a while, and get some sleep

They walk into Barnett Academy. They shine a flashlight into the broken windows, and I wonder where they get batteries, since they never last very long in my flashlight. They walk in, and quietly look around. Daryl says, it’s clear. Carol steps on a book in the hallway, and picks it up. It’s a book on economics, Working in the Home. She stares at the picture of the family on the cover. Daryl tells her, come on. She looks at it again, and tosses it down. They go to the cafeteria, and Daryl says he’ll take first watch. Carol takes more pills, and Daryl notices.

Aaron stumbles around, looking for Negan. He goes into a cabin, and crashes around inside, being loud and reckless. Negan is there, sitting on the floor, but says nothing.

Daryl sits on the floor across from Carol, and she asks what he’s thinking. He says, about his dad. He was a trucker, and would tell them crazy stories about his trips. One time, he was flying down the highway in Kentucky. It was pitch black out, and he saw a girl on the side of the road. She looked like she was crying. As he got closer, she stepped out in front of the truck, and he slammed on his breaks. He called the local PD, and got out to look for her, but she wasn’t there. He looked under the cab, and there was nothing there or under the tires. There was no blood on the grill. Carol asks how that was possible, and Daryl says, there was no girl. His dad didn’t sleep much, and would sometimes stay up 24-hours to make one of his runs. Stay up all the time, you start seeing things. Carol says she’s not a snorting truck driver. She’s not his dad. She says, sorry, and he says, she’s right. That doesn’t mean he’s wrong though. Her alarm goes off, and he says, don’t take it. She needs to sleep. She says she can’t, and he asks, why? Bad dreams? She doesn’t answer.

Aaron keeps crashing around the house. Zombies come toward it because he’s making so much damn noise, and inadvertently flashed the lights. He ends up letting them in, and Negan kills them. The tire iron drips blood. Aaron says, Negan? Negan asks if Aaron is all right. Aaron says he can’t see, and Negan explains what was on the walkers was hog weed. It’s nasty sh*t, and causes rashes and blindness. (I learn on Talking Dead that hog weed is an invasive species that kills all plant life around it.) Aaron asks if it’s permanent, and Negan says, sometimes. He asks if Aaron washed his eyes out with water. He says he did, but his water is gone, and he’s parched. Negan gives Aaron some water to drink, and helps him up. He starts to go, and Aaron says, wait. Where’s he going? Negan says, to keep watch. They’ll leave first thing in the morning. If that’s okay with Aaron. Aaron says, yeah.

Carol wanders around the school. She sees a broken pane of glass with blood on it, and follows a trail of blood to a woman sitting on the floor with her head bowed down, looking like something from out of The Grudge. She hears Henry say, mom, and he’s standing behind her for a moment. Daryl’s light startles her, and Daryl asks where she went. She’s been gone a half hour. She says she was on patrol. She’s fine. She’s not his dad seeing ghosts. Daryl says, what? and she says the story about the girl, and his dad, the truck driver. He says, his dad’s not a truck driver. Carol’s timer goes off, and she takes a pill. He says, come on, don’t take that, but she does, saying, one more hour, and Daryl says, all right, and leaves her. She checks her gun, and I worry she’s going to end up shooting the wrong person or wasting the bullets. She sees a shadow, and follows it to the gymnasium. She sees a Whisperer coming toward her, and walks over the broken glass that’s everywhere, right into a snare trap. She’s suddenly hanging upside down, and shoots at the Whisperer. She begins slashing at them, and shoots again. She sees a pack of zombies and/or Whisperers coming toward her, and yells for Daryl to help her. She manages to cut herself loose, and falls to the ground. She stabs the zombies. An alarm goes off. She’s standing there with bodies all around her. Daryl and Michonne come in.

Back at Alexandria, Daryl tells Siddiq that Carol fell and cut her arm real bad. Siddiq needs them to leave. He tells Dante to pull the shard out, and he’ll go in. Siddiq remembers the Whisperers, and Alpha with a knife. Dante says Siddiq plans on going in? and Siddiq says he’ll be fine. Dante says he’s not, and takes the instrument out of Siddiq’s hand.

Michonne and Daryl are outside, and Siddiq tells them, Dante got it out. She’s all patched up. Daryl says, great, and Michonne pats Siddiq’s arm. They go back in.

Negan looks out the window. Aaron wakes up. Negan asks if Aaron can see him. Aaron nods, and says, yeah. Negan says, good

Finished for now, Rosita and Eugene sit down inside. Rosita says she’s tired, and Eugene says she was a badass today. She says he didn’t do too badly himself, and he asks if he was as tough as a stewed skunk. She says, a batsh*t badger. He asks about Coco, and she says the baby is with Barbara. He says Coco can’t be without her mama, so he went with her today to protect her. Rosita says she taught him how to fight. She says they’re never going to happen. He’s not Coco’s father, and they’re not together. She needs him to hear that. She says, sorry it was harsh. She’s tired, and she feels drunk. Eugene asks if she’s familiar with the expression, a drunk mind speaks a sober heart. When you’re under the influence, the secret truth pours out, and it’s similar to when you’re tired. When she says it’s not going to happen, it’s the unfiltered truth. She says she’s been trying tell him that, but he didn’t listen. He says he thought someday, they’d have something special, but there’s nothing; there never was. She asks if he thinks their friendship is nothing; his unfiltered truth? He says he’s in the midst of experiencing a moment of crushing clarity. Their friendship was premised on the mistaken belief that she’d change her mind, and rezone him to love town. What kind of friend is that? He says he’s sorry, and leaves.

Siddiq sits outside. Eugene looks at him, and keeps walking. Michonne says, still awake? and Siddiq says they’re both awake. She asks how he’s  holding up, and he says he should be asking her. She says, as a mother, no sleep is her baseline reality. He says he’s a father, and he’s tired. She asks if she’ll see him later, and he says they’ll be good as new. She tells him, speak for his damn self. She leaves, and Dante comes out with some moonshine. Siddiq shakes his head, and says he has to sleep. Dante says that’s why he brought it. Siddiq says, cheers, and they clink mason jars. They each take a sip, and Dante says, you go in one person, and come out different. When he was in Iraq, there was one guy everyone knew; cocky, broad-shouldered. The dude the never broke. Until he did. He came back from the war broke, with the shakes, and thousand-mile stares. Siddiq asks, what happened to him? and Dante says, you’re looking at him.   

Carol sleeps, and music plays. She wakes up, and goes downstairs. Daryl is cooking. She says they need jam, and he says, there’s probably some at the store. He hands her some money, and she asks if he’s sure they’re open. Henry sits at the dining table, and asks where she’s going. She wakes, and looks at the empty pill bottle. She goes downstairs, and Michonne asks, how is it? Carol says, it hurts. She says she did see the Whisperers. Michonne says she’s the only one who did, and there were seven of them out there. Carol says she did see them, and Michonne says, only she did.

Michonne sees Judith by the window, and Judith asks if it’s safe. Michonne says, for now. They get on either side of RJ in the bed.

Carol goes out on the patio, and sees Daryl. She says, Michonne doesn’t believe her. Does he? Daryl says, yeah, but I don’t think he sounds convincing, and neither does Carol.

We see the blood bath in the gym, and follow it outside where the Whisperer that Carol shot lies on the ground. She opens her eyes.

Next time, the people are restless, and want to silence the Whisperers; Earl says they’re already at war; and the battle continues.

➰ Alpha, Meet Beta…

In case you missed it. No login required.

https://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead/season-10/episode-02/we-are-the-end-of-the-world

💀 Appropriate For Both the Show and Season…

From my personal Halloween favorite, The Midnight Hour. The song is actually called Get Dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct19

October 18, 2019 – Ryan Wants His Pen Back, a Questionable Review, 3×3 Quotes & Carpenter’s Allegory

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

General Hospital

Hanging out in Sonny’s kitchen, Michael tells Carly which picture of Donna he prefers for her screen saver. She says she can’t pick just one. He says, Donna is almost as adorable as he was as a baby, and she says, and equally dramatic. They’re having a welcome home party when Donna is able to come home. Sonny suggests Michael bring Sasha, and Carly asks if they had fun at the wedding. Michael says he wouldn’t call it fun, or a wedding.

At the station, Jordan snatches Sasha’s file out of Curtis’s hands, and asks what he’s doing. He says, a little light reading. She asks how he came by it, and he says the file was sitting there, looking all unattended and stuff. She says she’ll speak to Chase about that. As for him… He says he knows he crossed the line, but the mess with Sasha is partly his fault, but she says, absolutely not. He says he’d feel better if he knew how an amateur like Sasha could pull off a con like this, and she says, this town is riddled with liars.

Lucas tells Julian, he and Brad cleared the air. Some of it, at least. Julian says, it takes work, and Lucas says, and sometimes, a third party. Therapy isn’t for everybody, but Brad says Dr. Bern has a good reputation. Julian says, Neil Bern? Lucas says, yeah, and Julian says, Brad’s therapist is Alexis’s boyfriend?   

Sam tells Alexis that she’s sorry. Alexis accepts her apology, because that’s what mother’s do. However, she wants to register a formal complaint. It was difficult to hear from Diane that Sam has been arrested twice. Sam says she didn’t want worry Alexis, and Alexis says, yet here she is; worried. Sam says they didn’t think it would get this far. The evidence was bogus, and the information fabricated. Robert was just about to drop the case. Alexis says, this is a Federal case, and the Feds are going to be diligent about it. Not because they want to put Sam in prison, but they’re hoping she flips on Jason. Sam says, never, and Alexis says, they don’t know that. Jason comes in and says, the Feds are about to find out they have no case. He sat down with Brice Henderson, and laid out Brice’s options. Sam asks if Brice gave any names.

Ryan wipes his bloody hand on a towel, and says, neat and tidy. He can’t say same for his cellmate though, can he? Brice’s arm hangs down from the top bunk, dripping blood. Ryan talks to Ava’s picture, saying, sorry dear. His new cellmate was a horrible slob. He doesn’t know what the warden was thinking. They’re completely incompatible. He calls to the guard, and says, something terrible has happened.

Ava eats one of her martini olives, and stares into space. Laura says she’s a million miles away. Ava says just fifteen. Maximum security is just a hop, skip, and a jump from downtown. Laura can’t tell her that she never thinks of Ryan. Laura says she refuses to give him that power. Ava says Laura is a bonafide anti-victim. Good for her. Laura says she learned how to be strong from overcoming the obstacles in her own life. Ava says Laura is still living up to her own example, and Laura says Ava is strong too. Ava says, don’t speak too soon. there’s still plenty of time to prove Laura wrong. Someone watches.

Laura doesn’t think drinking helps, and Ava says she tried Laura’s way. Not all of them make it through on water alone. Laura asks if she has someone to talk to; Julian, or a friend? Ava says she’s boring Laura, but Laura says, not at all. She’s just concerned Ava doesn’t have enough of a support system. Ava  says, concerned about her? Please don’t be. Laura says, but she is. She knows what it feels like to lose a child. She wants to help Ava. Ava says she can help by helping to get the death penalty reinstated. Laura says, killing Ryan won’t bring Kiki back, or give Ava peace. Ava says she thinks it would be a tremendous relief, knowing the man who violated her daughter was snuffed out of existence. He’s always lurking, just outside her field of vision. He’s still thinking about her; dreaming, planning. His eyes are always on her. Right now she can feel him watching her. Can Laura?

Carly asks, who left who at the altar? Her bet’s on Nina. Sonny says, Valentin might have left Nina for her own good, but Carly says, he’d never be that noble. Michael says, it was Nina who left Valentin, and Carly and Sonny laugh. Carly wants details, and Michael says, the wedding started on time. The bride walked down the aisle, and they exchanged lovely vows. Then Lulu stood up and announced that Sasha was only pretending to be Nina’s daughter. Carly says, Michael’s Sasha? It isn’t true, right? Lulu made a mistake. Michael says, Sasha confirmed she’s not Nina’s daughter. When Nina heard that, she assumed Valentin was involved, and walked out. Sonny is sorry, and says it must be hard on Michael, and Carly says, not so hard that he didn’t walk away from her right then and there. He did walk away, didn’t he?

Curtis asks Jordan if it doesn’t bother her that Sasha was able to beat more than one DNA test, and was able to fool so many people for so long? Jordan says she helped him squeeze the truth out of that dirty adoption lawyer. Yes, it bothers her. He says she doesn’t seem so bothered. She says, Andre was nearly murdered, Drew’s plane went down under mysterious circumstances, and the Feds are charging Sam with murder based on a raft of questionable evidence. So yes, it bothers her, but it’s also of decidedly low priority. She looks forward to the outcome of his investigation. Jordan’s phone rings. She says she’ll send a detective right away, and tells Chase he needs to get to Pentenville right now.

Jason tells Alexis, when Brice found out they could prove he almost killed Andre, he decided to cooperate. Alexis says, so the person who helped Shiloh escape, also stabbed Andre? Jason says Andre ID’d him, and Alexis asks what are the odds that someone would take on two high profile jobs like that at the same time? Sam says, the odds are a lot better, and work in their favor, if they’re connected. Now they just need to know what Brice thinks. Jason says, starting with who hired him. Alexis takes it that they have a theory. Jason says, Drew used to work with Shiloh in Afghanistan, and tracked down Andre to help Franco. Then Drew went missing. Alexis says, so Drew’s the connection. Sam says, yeah, and Alexis asks how it fits. Sam says, hell if she knows, and Jason says, whoever hired Brice knows.

Brad tells Julian that he didn’t know Alexis was seeing anyone, and Lucas says he didn’t either. Is that a problem? Julian says, not for him, but maybe for them. Didn’t Alexis handle Wiley’s adoption? You never know what might come up. A lot of stuff is said in therapy. Lucas says, which is confidential. Julian says, it should be. What do they know about Neil? Brad says, he helped Kristina. Lucas says, Alexis is dating him, and he doubts she’d be happy with a psychiatrist who violated confidentiality. If he’s good enough for her, he’s good enough for them. Lucas has to get to work, and leaves. Julian asks why Brad didn’t tell him that Neil was his therapist. Brad asks, why would he? Therapy is private, and it’s his business. Julian says, it’s his business too, since Brad decided to tell him the truth about Wiley. It’s too risky. He tells Brad to fire Neil, but Brad says, no. Julian says, don’t tell him no, and Brad says he just did. What’s Julian going to do about it?

Alexis asks if Sam and Jason have any idea who’s behind this. Sam says they’ve had their suspicions. Jason says, it stays in this room, and Alexis says she’s familiar with the concept of confidentiality. Sam says they think it’s Peter. Alexis says, Maxie’s boyfriend? and Sam says, Faison’s son. The man who kept Jason prisoner for five years. Jason says he’s also Anna’s son, so he’s been giving Peter the benefit of the doubt out of respect for her, but he knows how Peter works. Peter says he kept Jason alive as an act of conscience, but he was really keeping Jason in reserve to kill his father. It’s the same basic set up. Peter uses a middleman, and keeps his hands clean. Alexis says, it’s a compelling story. Do they have any evidence to support it? Jason says Brice had a big reaction to Peter’s name. Alexis asks if he confirmed that, and Jason says, not in so many words, but he said he’d talk if he can make a deal with the Feds.

Brice’s body bag is zipped up. Chase calls Jordan and tells her, Brice Henderson is dead. Jordan asks how that happened, and Chase says, if you don’t look too close, you’d think it’s self-inflicted. Jordan asks, what if you did look close? and he says he’d bet his money on Brice’s serial killer cellmate.

Ava asks if Laura feels that? The sense of being watched. Laura says she’s felt it before in life. Ava says Laura thinks she sounds crazy, but Laura says she doesn’t. She thinks it’s justified and understandable, but it’s a sign Ava needs help.

Julian puts his arm around Brad, and says he’s trying to help him. Brad says, help would have been neutralizing Obrecht when he asked Julian to. Julian says Brad asked him to kill her, and Brad says he asked Julian to keep his grandson safe. Julian turned him away, and he was on his own. His anxiety got so severe, he was having heart palpitations. He needed to do something to keep his head from popping off his neck. Julian says he’s sorry he’s not being more patient. He’ll do better, and so will Brad in treatment – with anyone else. Brad says, someone else might not give him what he wants, and it’s too late. Lucas is all in now. Neil wants him to bring Lucas in for a session; he wants to talk to them both. Julian says, the guy is already a problem. What happens when he says he can tell Brad is holding something back. Brad says he’ll cover, but Julian says Neil is too good; he’ll be able to tell Brad is lying. Brad says he knows what he’s doing. Julian may not have faith in him, but he has faith in himself, and so does Lucas. Brad walks out, and Julian says, not for long, and makes a call.

At the hospital, Lucas looks at a pamphlet on therapy. Curtis asks if he’s in analysis, and Lucas says he’s thinking about it. Curtis says, it’s not for the faint of heart. He tried it with family. He’s been shot at, blown up, been in a dumpster with rats the size of Dobermans, but nothing prepared him for getting mental with Jordan, and his auntie. Lucas says, both at the same time? Curtis says, good way to go crazy. Lucas says Curtis isn’t exactly easing his mind. Curtis says, it was rough, but ultimately, the experience was a healing one. It didn’t take right away; it took a couple of months. Lucas wonders if it helped, and Curtis says, eventually. Lucas asks if Curtis is a fan now, and Curtis says he loves expressing his thoughts and feelings so much, his wife says he’s an oversharer. Lucas says his expectations are pretty low. He’d settle for a tidbit from Brad. Curtis says, Lucas and him both.

Carly asks Michael to please tell her that he ditched Sasha. Michael says he can’t, because he didn’t. Sonny is sure Michael has his reasons, but Carly says, what reason could there be? Sasha told a church full of people that she was a fraud. Michael says, there’s more to it than that. Carly is sure there is. Sasha came from a broken home, she has a personality disorder, or Nina deserved it. It doesn’t matter. No reason is good enough. Michael asks if it would make Carly feel better to know Sasha had decide to come clean with Nina, and Carly says, is that what Sasha told him? She saw the error of her ways, and had every intention of fessing up? Michael says, it’s true. She’d already told him she made that decision. Sonny says Michael is smarter than that, but Michael says Sasha already told him that she wasn’t Nina’s daughter weeks ago.

Brad comes out of the hospital elevator, and Lucas says Curtis was just looking for him. Brad asks, what for? and Curtis says he’s curious about lab procedure. Brad says, his? but Curtis says, no, just in general. Brad says he can’t divulge protocol without clearance, and Curtis says, it’s not that heavy. It’s probably not what Brad is thinking. Lucas says, he remembers Sasha, right? Curtis says, it turns out she’s not Nina’s daughter, and Lucas says, Sasha was scamming her. Curtis says he’s the one who tracked down Sasha’s DNA sample; the one that proved the parent/child connection. Someone tampered with the sample. Lucas says, Curtis is trying to figure out how Sasha must have pulled it off, so they thought of Brad.

Ava tells Laura, it’s not paranoia or madness; it’s grief. Laura knows that, but it’s the kind of grief that can drown you if you let it. There’s no forgiving the death of a child, but you can learn to live with it.  She tells Ava not to isolate herself. Talk to people; share her pain. There’s no shame in that, but there’s real danger in succumbing to it. Laura’s phone rings, and she steps away to take the call. It’s Jordan, who says she has bad news she’d prefer to deliver in person, but she can’t get away. Laura asks what it is, and Jordan says, it’s Ryan. Laura looks at Ava, who says, what?

Carly says, Michael knew Sasha was lying to Nina? Michael says Sasha told him the night she was released from the hospital. Nina was so good to her when she was sick, Sasha couldn’t take it anymore. She told him that she wasn’t Nina’s daughter, and the whole thing was a lie. Carly says, it’s awful for Nina; she was so invested. Michael says Sasha had every intention of confessing to Nina after she told him, but he convinced her not to. Carly says, what? Why would he do that? Sonny says they’re in no position to judge, but Carly says she thought they raised Michael to be better than them. Not to make the same mistakes they did. This isn’t like him. Michael says, there was another consideration. Cassandra’s trial is coming up soon. He thought if Sasha confessed, it would cast doubt on her testimony, and weaken the case. It was a difficult decision, but Sasha agreed to hold off on confessing until after the trial. A few more months wouldn’t make any difference to Nina, but it would for Cassandra’s victims. Sonny says, it was a tough call, but the right one. He’d have done the same thing. Carly says, small comfort to Nina.

Laura tells Jordan to keep her apprised. She asks Jordan to call Julian, and tell him to get to the MetroCourt. His sister needs him. Ava downs her drink.

Alexis assumes Jason and Sam haven’t told Maxie their suspicions. Jason says they need to prove it, and Sam says they don’t want to tip Peter off, or put Maxie in danger. Jason says, so they’re waiting on Brice. Sam says, he’ll cut a deal, and hopefully tell them everything. Alexis says while they’re depending on the DOJ to make a deal, her priority is to get Sam out of there. Jordan comes in and says, Sam’s ride is here. Sam asks where she’s going, and Jordan says, to await trial in Pentenville. Sam looks at Jason.

Carly says, Sasha confessed to everyone at the church. Nina could easily press charges for fraud. Michael says, she won’t. Carly says, don’t be so sure. It was cruel. Sasha gave Nina a daughter, then took her away. Michael thinks Nina can be convinced not to call the cops. Carly says, by him? and Sonny asks if Michael thinks his influence can get Nina to back off, and Michael says he knows someone. Carly asks, who would advocate on Sasha’s behalf? and Michael says, someone who stands to lose more than Sasha did if the whole truth comes out. 

Lucas says, to run two DNA tests, Sasha had help on the inside, and Curtis says, she did claim she had a friend who knew their way around a DNA lab. Brad says it’s not him. It was him in the past, but he’s changed. Curtis says, no one is accusing him, but they thought he was an expert in lab procedure. Brad says, sorry. He doesn’t want to be that person again. Curtis says he’s not entirely sure Sasha is telling the whole truth. The tests were done in different labs. Could Sasha have an accomplice who helped in both places? Brad says, possible, but not probable. He has too much work on his hands to be taking on a second job. Lucas says, the samples provided would probably tell the tale, and Curtis says that’s what he was thinking. Can the test be rerun?

Alexis asks Jordan to tell the people at Pentenville to hold off. Jordan says she doesn’t like it either, but it’s not her call. It’s an FBI matter. Alexis says, Brice’s lawyer is setting up a deal that will exonerate Sam. Jordan asks, based on what? and Jason says, if he makes a deal, Brice will give up the name of the person who hired him, and information about other crimes. Jordan says, crimes other than breaking Shiloh out of police custody? and Jason says, Andre ID’d Brice as his attacker. Jordan says this is the first she’s hearing of this, and Jason says he told Andre to hold off until he could talk to Brice, before he could get a cover story in place. Jordan says, which would be acceptable if Jason was a detective, but he’s not. He has no authority to investigate, much less cut deals. Andre knows that, but she assumes he went along with it because he felt guilty for the part he played in the original memory transfer. Jason says Brice is a contractor. Somebody paid him to attack Andre, probably crash Drew’s plane, break Shiloh out of custody, and implicate Sam. Brice is apparently the busiest man in the world of crime. Jason says, Brice’s lawyer is talking to the Feds, and once the deal is done, he’ll give up the name. Jordan says, not anymore. Brice Henderson is dead.

Julian finds Ava, who asks what he’s doing there. Laura says she called him, and Ava wishes she hadn’t done that. Julian says he’s been busy putting fires out all over town; what happened? Ava says, Ryan killed again. Laura says, that hasn’t been confirmed, and Ava says, Ryan’s new cellmate stabbed himself the jugular with Ryan’s pen? Ryan killed him. Julian asks if there was a fight, but Laura says no one heard anything, and Ryan alerted the guard. Julian says, that makes no sense, and Ava says, nothing about Ryan makes sense. Ryan kills for a reason; to protect himself, or to fulfill his obsession. Ava says, or to please her

Chase shows Ryan his pen in a plastic bag, and Ryan says he was wondering where that went. Chase asks if he has a lot of writing to do, and Ryan says he has to keep up his correspondence. He doesn’t want to let his pen pal down. Chase thinks Ava wouldn’t mind if he missed a day or two, and Ryan says he’d be surprised. Can he have his pen back? Chase says, it became evidence the minute it was used to kill his cellmate. Ryan says, suicide is a terrible thing, and Chase says Brice might have survived if Ryan had alerted the guard sooner. Ryan says, what a man does with his life is his own business. It’s not much of a loss though; he lacked people skills. Chase asks how Ryan would know, since Brice just got there. Ryan says he’s a good judge of character. Probably all those years he spent as a doctor. Besides, any man who disrespects women isn’t worth the air he breathes. Chase takes down the Ava Crimson cover and says, with a photo like this staring at them, who could blame them? He bets a lot of guys wouldn’t mind disrespecting Ava. All night, every night. Ryan lunges at him, but the guard steps in.

Curtis asks Brad if they keep the original samples used for tests at GH. Brad says, most labs keep them for a couple of years, and Curtis says, so the test can be rerun. Lucas wonders why he wants to do that, and Curtis says Sasha was deliberately vague about how she pulled it off. Lucas says, maybe to protect her accomplice? Curtis says that’s what he wants to find out. If they use the same samples, this time with a trusted technician, will the results come back that Sasha’s not Nina’s daughter? Lucas says, what if the results come back the same way? and Curtis says, then something else is going on just as weird – and just as bad.

Sonny says, someone other than Sasha stands to lose? and Carly says, someone else was involved? Michael says, it wasn’t her idea. She doesn’t know how to fake DNA tests. Sonny says, Valentin does, and Carly says, of course (🍷). He and Nina were estranged, ready to get divorced. He wanted to convince Nina to forgive him. What’s more convincing than a long lost child? So he hired Sasha to go along with it. Sonny says, it makes sense, but Carly says, except for the part where Sasha confesses and takes all the blame. Why would she protect Valentin? Michael says, it was Sasha’s idea to take the blame. Sonny asks if Michael thinks he can hold this over Valentin to convince Nina not to press charges. Michael says, then Sasha has a way out. Carly says, it doesn’t change the fact that Sasha committed fraud against Nina, and Michael. She gets that Sasha confessed to him, but they’ve been dating for months. That means whatever relationship he thinks they have, is based on a lie. How is that different from Nelle? Michael says Sasha never manipulated him. She never asked for anything. Carly says, that’s what she’d do if she was playing him. Michael is a white knight, looking for someone to save. Sabrina took advantage of that, and so did Nelle. Can he tell her why Sasha is different?

Laura tells Ava, Ryan is responsible for his own behavior, not her. She gives them some privacy, and Ava says, don’t they know by now what Ryan is? Julian says the cellmate probably said something to offend him. He probably has a very low bar for irritation. Ava says he’s going to keep killing until he kills his way out. He’s going to kill his way to her, unless he’s killed first. Julian says he’ll never get out, and she says, tell Kiki that. He says he’d lay down his life before he’d let Ryan near her, but she says she can’t lose him too. He promises she won’t, but he’s afraid of losing her. She needs help that he doesn’t know how to give her. Ava says she’s too much trouble for him? He wants to get rid of her? He says he wants her back. The fierce, take no prisoners sister that he loves and fears. She asks, what if she’s gone? What if she buried that Ava along with Kiki?

Jason asks how Brice is dead, and Jordan says, his cellmate killed him. Jason says, somebody wanted to shut him up, but Jordan says, not unless Ryan was taking orders from Brice’s boss. They’re still piecing it together. He was just moved to the cell, and there’s no evidence Ryan knew of his crimes. An officer comes in, and says the van is ready. He cuffs Sam, and Alexis asks if it’s necessary. Jordan says they have to take extra precautions thanks to Shiloh. Alexis tells Sam to be strong. Sam asks Jason to tell the kids she loves them, and they exchange I love yous. Jason says he’ll get her out, and she says she knows he will.

Michael tells Sonny that he thought Carly would understand. She’s told her fair share of lies. Sonny says that’s why she’s suspicious of other liars, especially when it comes to him. Michael says if he thought Sasha had a malicious bone in her body, he’d walk away and never look back. But she’s just not the person who hurt Nina; she’s the person who wants to atone for it, even if there are criminal charges. Sonny says Michael won’t let that happen, and tells him to be careful.

Lucas says Brad seems tense, and Brad says he gets defensive when someone questions the lab’s integrity. Lucas says they can talk about it in therapy, and put that ghost to rest. Brad says he’s not the same guy he used to be. A nurse brings flowers in that were delivered to Brad, and he asks Lucas what he did to deserve them. Lucas says don’t look at him. Brad says, they’re not from him? and Lucas says he wishes he could say they were. He suggests looking at the card, but there isn’t one. The nurse says Brad has a secret admirer.

Julian thanks Laura, and says he’ll make sure Ava gets home safe. She says, Ava needs to get help. She’s  been where Ava is, and knows the desperation. She suggests Julian not leave Ava alone tonight. Jordan comes in, and asks for a word with Laura. Julian asks if it’s about Ryan. He needs to know before his sister does.

Ava leans against the wall. She remembers Ryan saying that when she gave herself to him, she brimmed with life and glowed with passion. She was happy and healthy. Now look at her. She can’t deny it. She needs him as much as he needs her. Ava says, no, no, no, no. He means nothing to her. She gets her coat. Laura and Jordan get in the elevator, and Julian is messing with his phone. Ava asks if Jordan had news about Ryan, and he says they need to get her home. She asks him to tell her what’s going on, and he says she needs to stop going there to visit Ryan. He’s obsessed with her, and the visits aren’t helping things. Ava asks what Jordan said, and he tells her, the evidence suggests that Ryan killed his cellmate. She says, of course (🍷) he did and…? Julian says, he did it for her. Ava collapses.

Chase tells the guard to take Ryan out. Ryan says he has no right do this, but Chase says, actually, he does. Ryan asks if Chase thinks he can’t order back issues of Crimson. Chase says, sure he can. Just make sure they don’t get lost in the mail.

Alexis tells Jason that Diane is in touch with Brice’s attorney. Hopefully, he divulged something before Ryan killed him. Jason says, what if he didn’t? and Alexis says, Sam’s going to trial. He says, Diane needs to file a motion to keep Sam in county lock-up. There’s no telling who she’ll run into in Pentenville.

Sam is put in her cell. The guard takes the cuffs off, and tells her that her cellmate is in solitary, but she’ll be back soon. Sam asks why she’s in solitary, and the guard tells her not to worry. They’ll have plenty of time to get to know one another. After all, every day is a new dawn. I get chills.

On Monday, Ava asks if Neil thinks she’s having a nervous breakdown, Finn asks Curtis how much he knows about what Hayden was doing when she was gone, and Jax asks Nina if something happened between her and Valentin.

🎤 A Countess Quickie…

Even her fantasy life is a cabaret.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/17/luann-de-lesseps-includes-misleading-reviews-on-cabaret-poster/

🎺 Quotes of the Week 

Black is such a happy color, darling. – Morticia Addams, The Addams Family

The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me. – Ayn Rand

It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. – Noel Coward

It’s how you deal with failure that determines how you achieve success. – Charlotte Whitton

Many things—such as loving, going to sleep, or behaving unaffectedly—are done worst when we try hardest to do them. – C.S. Lewis, from Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Literature, compiled in Words to Live By

It’s a subway. The floor is made of rats. – Max (Kat Dennings), 2 Broke Girls

The story goes a helluva lot better when you’re the only one telling it. – Dr. Phil

Going to the woods is going home. – John Muir

I’ve come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubblegum. – John Nada (Roddy Piper), They Live

👓 On Showtime Rotation…

One of my all time favorites, and before it’s time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oct14

October 13, 2019 – Alpha Blasts To the Past, Small Talk, Beta Speaks, Tyler’s Latest, Paul Entertains His Bride, Bong Does It Again & Alpha’s Tune

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What I Watched Today

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

 

This was one of those episodes that goes back and forth from past to present, and I tried to make it as easy to follow as possible. The present is also set in the same time frame as last week’s episode, but from the Whisperers’ point of view.

The Walking Dead

Seven years ago. A car has crashed, and the woman inside is unconscious, but her head is on the steering wheel, causing the horn to blare. Zombies come toward the car, but she can’t get the driver’s side door open. She opens the passenger door, kicking them away, and tries to crawl under the car, but it’s too late. They grab her and rip her apart. A little girl walking with the zombies screams, and her mother grabs her and they run. It’s Alpha and Lydia covered in zombie yuck. Alpha tries to find an unlocked door, and isn’t having much luck. They run to a rehab, and Alpha struggles with the door, but finally gets it open. A zombie pulls at Lydia, but they get inside. Lydia says, sorry. They’re in a hallway, and see a man wearing a ski mask standing in the doorway. It’s Beta.

The present. Beta tells Alpha, it’s time the pack returns. She says they’re far from the enemy, and the pack’s fear will subside. She asks if he doubts her and their mission, but he says, never. Alpha looks at two girls making masks, and says, the sisters have a real gift.

Seven years ago. Alpha tells Beta (at this point, they don’t actually have names, so for clarity’s sake), they don’t mean harm. She asks, can he talk? She moves closer, but he hits a bat against a pipe as a warning. Lydia says she doesn’t like this, calling Alpha mama. Alpha tells him, if he tries to kill them, know two things. She doesn’t tire easily, and he’ll have to kill her daughter. She won’t leave without her. She readies herself, and he says, one night. She thanks him, and he says, do not leave the hallway. Lydia asks Alpha if she can wash up; the smell. Alpha asks, is there water? and he points. Lydia asks if he’s a monster, and Alpha says, we’re all monsters now.

The present. Beta tells Alpha, gather all of them; every last one they can find. As they walk, Beta signals to another Whisperer using two fingers. On of the sisters looks up at clouds. Sister Two sidles toward her, and says he’s watching her. Sister One says she feels different today. Does she feel that? It’s like it’s burning into their skin. Sister Two says, stop it. Her head’s in clouds. She should have left her sister behind while she had the chance. The Whisperers whisper.

Seven years ago. Alpha washes Lydia in an old steel tub. They hear zombie noises, and Lydia covers her ears. Alpha kisses her head. She looks around, and finds some canned goods. She looks through them, humming. Alpha paces in the background, and asks if she’s singing. She says, if you call it that, and he says, don’t do it again. She keeps looking, quietly. He asks if she has a name, and she says, the dead don’t have names; they shouldn’t either. Names are the past. They’re strong enough to be alive. The dead fear nothing, and only feed. They’re free. She asks how he ended up there, and he says he got into a tussle with the dead. They ran over his camp. She asks why he wears a mask, and starts to walk toward him, but he’s not receptive to that. He says he likes it; the sound of the dead. It’s the only song he never wants to end.

The present. Beta looks into a parking  garage containing a small crowd of zombies, and bangs on the security gate. He makes zombie noises, and runs his hand over the gate. The gate rises.

The Whisperers walk through a field. Sister One looks at clouds again, and Sister Two tells her, stop it, but Beta sees her. Sister One flashes back, and we find out she was the girl who had to leave the baby that Connie ended up rescuing. She remembers putting the baby down, and Alpha shrugging. She starts to make anguished sounds, and the real dead notice. Alpha kills them, and Sister Two asks what’s wrong with her? Beta says she will pay. Why he just didn’t let her get eaten, I have no clue

Beta throws Sister One down in a clearing. She whimpers, saying, she’s gone. Beta brandishes a knife, and Alpha says, stop, glaring at him. Sister One continues to weep. Beta asks if she’s uncommitted now. Her actions threaten the entire pack. Her child broke her. Alpha says she understands how Sister One feels, abandoning her child. Alpha’s child was dead to her long before Alpha ended her. She sharpens a knife, and tells Beta that she’s going to the deeper place. She’ll be waiting.

Seven years ago. Alpha tells Lydia that she’ll sleep in there and guard the door. Lydia asks, why not lock it? but Alpha tells her walls could never contain someone like the man in there. Lydia asks if she likes him. Alpha holds out a stuffed bunny, but Lydia says she doesn’t want it. She’s not a baby anymore. She doesn’t want a stupid bunny. She doesn’t want to be scared. She wants to be more like Alpha. Alpha says she’s waited so long to hear that, and hopes Lydia will be. If she can’t, Alpha will have no choice but to leave her behind. Lydia begs Alpha to never leave her, and says she’ll do better. Alpha will see. She says she loves Alpha, calling her mama, and Alpha says stop calling her that.

The present. Sister One goes into a cave. Alpha reveals herself, and Sister One says she’s sorry. She begins to beg, and Alpha tells her to remove her mask. She does, and Alpha says, kneel. Alpha lifts her face, and putting her hands on either side of Sister One’s head, squeezes. Sister One screams. Beta hears. Alpha pets Sister One’s head, saying, shhh. Sister One thanks Alpha.

Omg, the first three commercials have a TWD promo in the background. Are they that desperate to make people look at what they’re pushing?  Just because Michonne and Eugen are the wallpaper, doesn’t mean I’m going with Sprint.

Beta sees Sister One. Sister Two goes to her, and she says she’s thinking about that place. Sister Two grabs her, and takes her away from the group. Beta is like, wtf? He finds Alpha, and tells her it was unwise. Alpha says if Sister One strays again, she’ll skin her alive. Beta says, she unsettles the pack. Her moment of weakness will affect the others. Alpha says, being alive is a fantasy, and Beta says, the pack must learn it again; see it up close. She says, they will; soon. He asks if she’s content, and I laugh, because it seems like an insane question. He says he’s seen her wander away from the camp alone at night. She says she’s right there, as she’s always been. I dunno. Maybe being alive is a fantasy, but being a Whisperer seems like boring drudgery.

Seven years ago. Alpha wanders through the building, humming. A zombie appears, and she pikes it in the head. More zombies come down the hallway, and she nails them one by one, until one gets the better of her, and pins her up against the wall. Beta has been watching, and skewers it from behind, then finishes the rest of them off. She smiles at him, and follows him. They slaughter more zombies together. #Bonding. We can tell, she likes him. She slices into one of the zombies, and puts the guts into a container. She says she’s different. She never trusted people. She doesn’t trust anyone. He asks if there’s a reason why, and she rips open another zombie. She tells Beta that his name is Big Man. He’s like, no, and she says, Mr. B. He says he thought they had no names, but she says, it’s not a name; it’s a letter. He says if B is his name, what’s her name? She says, A. He asks if she can move with them when she’s covered, and she says, you’ve got to become them. Feel what they feel. He asks what they feel, and she says, nothing. There are only two kinds of people left. Those brave enough to walk with the dead, and everybody else. Tell her, which one is he? She reaches toward his mask, and he grabs her hand, saying, don’t. He walks away, and she hums.

The present. It’s nighttime, and the sisters lie together, unmasked. Sister One says, can you imagine? Alpha is so powerful; so calm. Her head feels right again. Alpha sacrificed her daughter. She said when she watched her daughter die, it was gentle. Sister Two says, Alpha doesn’t cry. Sister One says she’s sorry, and Sister Two says she’s risking what they have there. Don’t do it again – ever. Sister Two asks if she meant what she said before? That she wishes she’d left her behind. Sister Two says, did she say that? and rolls over, turning her back.

The Whisperers walk through a field. Beta does that signal thing again. A pack of real zombies ambles toward them. They see the fire streak in the sky from the satellite. Beta is startled, and looks up for a moment. He says, do not break; there’s too many. Sister One smiles, looking at the clouds again. A zombie wearing a baby carrier toddles toward her. She remembers putting the baby down, and Alpha shrugging. She suddenly breaks her zombie character, and jumps on Alpha’s back, yelling, and attracting the zombies’ attention. Beta starts stabbing the zombies, and Sister Two pulls Sister One off of Alpha, throwing her sister into a group of zombies, who feed on her. Beta looks at Alpha.

Alpha asks Sister Two if she regrets what she did, and tells her to take her mask off. Sister Two does as she’s told, and says her sister wasn’t committed. She no longer belonged with them. She had to protect the Alpha. Beta says she did. It’s her destiny; the purest most honest way to avoid chaos. Her purity will never be forgotten. Alpha says there’s a tear in her mask; she should repair it. Beta tells her, leave us, and she leaves. Alpha removes her mask, and Beta asks if she’s hurt. She says, no. She feels calm. He says they lost three of their own. It was mayhem. Alpha says there’s a clarity amid the chaos. She is no more. Alpha walks away. Beta grunts, and follows her.

Seven years ago. Lydia explores the building, and finds the buckets of guts near where Beta is sleeping. Covering herself with them, she walks the hallways, saying, we’re all monsters now.

The present. Alpha tells Sister Two, for her bravery and sacrifice, and putting the needs of the pack above her own. She dubs Sister Two, Gamma. Everyone says, to Gamma. Alpha looks skyward.

I don’t know if it’s me or it’s that the Whisperers whisper a lot, but I’m having a hard time hearing the dialogue in the episode. I don’t think I’m going dead deaf…

Beta approaches Gamma, and says Alpha has been gone for hours. Gamma asks if he’s angry, and he says he feels nothing for her, and Gamma says she’s also empty, as Alpha wants. Beta asks, where is she? and Gamma says, she was moving toward the old camp a while ago.

Seven years ago. Alpha wakes and looks for Lydia, who’s busy roaming the halls. Lydia walks up a staircase, saying, we’re all monsters now.

The present. Beta strides through the forest. Even though he said he feels nothing, I’d say he’s pretty angry.

Seven years ago. Lydia hears zombie noises behind a door, and walks toward it. Alpha follows Lydia’s bloody footprints, and takes a visible breath. Lydia reaches for the door knob, and opens the door. Alpha whispers Lydia’s name. Is she practicing for being a Whisperer? There’s a display case on the wall, and Alpha sees pictures of two men with their faces scratched out; one tall guy, and a shorter guy with a shirt that says, Have A Happy Day. Presumably, the tall guy is Beta. A shadow falls over her.

The present. Alpha goes to the old camp, which is very Blair Witch. Beta shows up, and she asks if he lost his way. He says, has she?

Seven years ago. Beta says he told Alpha never to go over to that part of the building, but she says she doesn’t care. She needs to find her daughter.

The present. Alpha holds the stuffed bunny, and Beta says she kept that? She says, it’s for Lydia, and he says Alpha claimed she was dead. She said she killed Lydia, but she wants Lydia back. Alpha says he shouldn’t have come there. Why? He says, why did she lie? Lydia is never coming back, no matter how much Alpha wishes she would, or how hard she tries to replace her with someone else. She is gone.

Seven years ago. A zombie walks in behind Beta. It’s the guy wearing the Have A Happy Day shirt, and Alpha kills him. Beta says, noo!

The present. Alpha tells Beta, Lydia is her baby; her daughter. She couldn’t kill her. He holds out his hand, and she takes it, whimpering silently. She says they can’t know that Lydia is alive. He says, they won’t. Alpha says Lydia is dead to her; the moment she was born. Lydia wasn’t like her. She repeats, Lydia was not like her. She throws the bunny, and kicks and breaks things, smashing up the old camp. The whole time yelling, she’s not like me.

Seven years ago. Beta throws stuff around, and picks up his sword. Alpha says she knows him better than he knows himself. He’s just like her, but not broken. He goes after her with the sword, and hits the glass case instead. Lydia comes out and says Alpha was trying to save him. She goes to Alpha, and says, she’s strong. Alpha says she is. She’s proud of Lydia, but don’t dare do it again. She holds Lydia, and says, the world went dark so they could see a new path. Beta caresses his zombie friend’s body, and Alpha says, come walk with her in the darkness. He’ll never be alone again. Her Beta. They are the end of the world. She lifts his mask, smiles, and puts it back. She says, come with them. Beta says he can’t leave him, and she says he won’t have to. She hands him a knife, and he peels the guy’s face off.

The present. Alpha tells Beta that she saw smoke by the borders; the enemy crossed. They’re going back. He hands her mask to her, and she puts it on. They interlace their fingers, and say, we walk in darkness; we are free. We love nothing; we are free. We hear nothing; we are free. We need no world; we are free. We embrace death; we are free. We see the pack begin to walk again, as they say, this is the end of the world. Alpha and Beta walk with the pack, but Alpha breaks away to find Carol standing on the cliff, and stares at her. They say, we are the end of the world.

Next time, Gamma tells Daryl to go to the border and wait, the Highwaymen want justice, Alpha confronts says they have to be punished.

📡 Thora Birch (Gamma) and Ryan Hurst (Beta) were guests on Talking Dead tonight, and I got two takeaway points. TWD sounds like a fantastic place to work, and Beta is a funny guy.

⬅ Beta’s Backstory…

Nice interview with the man behind two different masks.

https://ew.com/tv/2019/10/13/walking-dead-ryan-hurst-beta-1002-we-are-the-end-of-the-world/

👍 Max’s Boyfriend For President…

Tyler Perry has a new drama coming out, and it stars Ed Quinn, aka Randy from 2 Broke Girls. Pay no attention to that Mariah Carey speech video in the middle of the article. Unless you want to. Personally, I don’t know her.

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/tyler-perry-the-oval-bet-1203249051/

🎤 Not As Bad As You’d Think…

But no Bradley Cooper either.

https://pagesix.com/2019/10/07/dr-paul-nassif-performs-lady-gaga-song-at-his-wedding/

🎬 My Kind Of Bong…

The latest from the genius who gave us Snowpiercer.

https://slate.com/culture/2019/10/parasite-movie-review-bong-joon-ho-jordan-peele-us.html

🎶 Hum Along With Alpha…

Night winds whisper to me/I’m lonesome as I can be.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sep30

September 29, 2019 – A Finale of Emo Proportions, Thoughts, a Goodbye, a Little More & a Dance

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

When we last left, Morgan had called Ginny asking for help.

Duane runs through the woods, and falls. He thinks he hears Shari on the radio, but he can’t really decipher what she said. He throws the radio, which is probably a bad idea. He finds the convoy, and tries Al’s van, but it’s locked tight. He hears something, and drops down behind the van, getting his gun ready. He sees horses legs, and draws his gun. He comes out, but there are only empty saddles. The horses just stand there, and he nuzzles one.

The opening credits feature a horse in the field. I hope they keep the credits this way next season. It’s been a fun little detail.

Morgan says he wasn’t sure Ginny was in range. She says now that they have Texas tea on tap, they’re always in range. She told him the future wasn’t across that bridge, but there’s no use crying over spilt milk. She asks where they are, and he says, Humbug’s Gulch. She says that was the biggest settlement she came across; 263 people in one spot. She tried to help them, but their crackpot leader was blind to realty, and made the wrong call. She’s glad they’re making the smart one. He says there’s room for all of them there. They just need help clearing the place. Ginny says, that place is beyond repair. Time for them to move on to greener pastures. He asks if she’s going to take everybody, and she says they take what insures the most survivors. He wants her word that they’ll be kept together, but she says, no can do. She’s putting them where she thinks they’ll do best. Morgan says he has to do right by everybody, and Ginny says right is for people who want to feel good, and can’t make the hard calls. She has 800+ people, and they’re thriving. How many does he have? He says, forty-one… no, forty. She says, sorry about Tom. She wonders if Morgan is finally ready to protect the future. Should she come and get them, or not? Everyone waits. The fence holding the zombies in, starts to give  little. Morgan says, yeah, and Ginny says they’ll be there by the end of the day. They won’t be together anymore, but they will be alive.

Morgan says he’s sorry, and walks off alone. He finds Grace sitting with June, and asks how Grace is doing. She says she’s been better. June says she did everything she could, and Grace thanks her. June says Grace did too, and leaves. Grace offers Morgan some candy beansies. She says, the guy she told Morgan about, the one at the plant. She told him how she felt because she was afraid they weren’t going to make it. They actually… She thinks the reason it happened, is that they knew it was the end. That’s why she didn’t want to let him tell her what he wanted to. He says they will see each other again, but she says, no; they won’t. For once, she knows how much time she has left. Until Virginia gets there. She’s not going to take Grace. She only cares about the future. Morgan says he won’t let that happen. She takes his hand, and says he might not have a choice.

Al flips through the videos. John telling June that he doesn’t want to wait. When they get to the Gulch, he wants to get married. Alicia painting a tree, and saying she hopes she keeps getting a chance to do this. Grace, saying she wants to be around long enough to see the looks on everyone’s faces when they get there. Al closes the camera. John asks June if she’s all right. She says she doesn’t want to be the person she was before she met him. He says she doesn’t need him to be her. June says she knows. She didn’t want any of this to happen. John says now they have something to fight for.

We hear horses. I’ll bet it’s Dwight. Yep, here he comes with the team. John says, well, look at you. Dwight says they can make it work. Al asks where he found them, and he says, roaming around what’s left of the convoy. Do they know what this means? If the horses are alive, there’s water nearby. They can make it work. They don’t need her.

They brace the fence with everything from garbage cans to pieces of wood. Alicia tells Victor that she’s not afraid anymore, and takes her weapon from him. Morgan asks Alicia what she’s doing, and Alicia says she found what she needed, and she’s not losing it. They’re not separating. She thinks they can clear this place. Dwight says the have to do it right. Zombies are beginning to reach through openings in the fence. Alicia thinks it will hold, and they can clear it. June says they have to try. Victor says they’ll need more than water. They’ll need food and medical supplies. Daniel says, Virginia isn’t walking away without a fight, but Dwight says, if they don’t fight, they’ll lose more than that. He is what he is because of how they think. John says they’re outnumbered and out-armed. Hamilton plays in my head. He says, if she comes with half the people she did before, it could get real messy real quick. They start axing zombies in the head, and put more things against the fence. Daniel says they’ll take care of the dead, then deal with Virginia. Morgan looks at a Wyoming, Y’all! billboard behind Daniel, and smiles. He says, maybe both at the same time. He tells John to get the horses, and tells Alicia to get everyone, and take them as far away as she can.

On horseback, Dwight, Victor, June, Daniel and Morgan with Grace sitting in front of him, lead the zombies away. Morgan says it’s not their intention to kill anyone. Just take what they need, and make Virginia understand not to bother them.

Al examines a downed zombie, and motions to the others. The Gulch is a real ghost town now, and the soundtrack has whistling like an old cowboy movie or something by Tarantino. Wes says the place is rough around the edges. Alicia says, it was the same with the stadium when her mom found it. They’ll rebuild it into something more. He said he needed a new medium, right? He nods.

Morgan says, all right. They can manage. He needed this. John tells June that he thinks it will work, and she says maybe they did bring everyone to the right place. John thinks they did, and says, when they get back, he’s going to make an honest woman of her. Dwight says, there it is. There’s a field where they can lead the zombies until it’s time. About a mile or so, there’s a river. Victor says there’s an access road; she’ll come from there. Morgan asks Victor and Daniel to keep watch, and they ride out. June thanks Dwight, who says they all do the  best they can. June tells him that Virginia might be able to take him to Shari. Dwight says when he was out on his own, he thought he heard Shari on the walkie. It could have been the heat, but he’d like think it was her guiding him to do the right thing. They don’t want someone like Virginia hanging over their heads. June asks if they’re ready, and they lead the zombie herd to the field.

The group at the Gulch checks out the church. Jacob says, it’s very Old Testament; they probably play the oldies there. Alicia tells Al, if the others need help, they’ll step in. Al tells everyone, she knows where the horses came from. She shows them some keys, and says, Virginia is more full of sh*t than they thought. Either I missed something, or the connection there is very cryptic.

Daniel tells Victor patience; and he uses the term loosely. Victor says they could be giving Virginia the upper hand. Daniel says they might be going too far, He hasn’t decided. Does Victor thinks they should give up and join Virginia? Victor thinks they should consider the opportunity. They should dissect what it means. It might not be as bad as they imagine. Daniel says she’s not giving them a choice, and that’s all they need to decide.

Morgan and the others wrangle and corral the zombies, riding the horses around the herd. Dwight doesn’t think they can keep it up much longer. John Shoots one that comes to close, and another that comes too close to June. He says, cattle are usually worried about us eating them. Morgan steers the horse around Grace, and she says, next time, maybe they can do this without training wheels. He says they’re going to do this.

Daniel and Victor see Ginny’s cars coming, and Victor whistles over the radio. Dwight says, it’s the signal. John rounds up some stragglers, and says, get them turned around. Dwight’s horse freaks a little.

Ginny sees the caravan trucks, and tells her guys, fuel them up. Luci gets out, and Daniel is like, damn. Victor looks, and says, oh my God. He whistles again, and June says, it’s the signal. Daniel tells them, call off the herd. Luciana is with them. John tells the others to turn around. Daniel asks what Victor is doing, and Victor says he’s heading back to tell them to arm up. He rides off, and my heart is in my throat. Dwight axes the zombies getting close to his horse. He’s surrounded and I can’t watch. Through my fingers, I see him jump off and out. I think, poor horse, and bastards! simultaneously. Dwight lies there for a moment, and takes off limping. The zombies follow.

Crap. Where’s everyone else? Dwight comes to some rapids, and says, sh*t. Zombies are coming, and John says they’ve got to get there first, or Dwight is done for. They tease the zombies, and shoot a few. Dwight looks for an opening. He tells the others to go back; he can handle himself. They’re like, no way, and ax more zombies in the head. Dwight says he knows what it’s like to live with someone who doesn’t believe the same things. He can’t let that happen to them. He runs, and Morgan asks if Grace wants to try it without training wheels. She take the reins, and he jumps down. He bangs his pokey stick on the ground to attract attention, then stabs, stomps, and pushes, flying through the herd. Dwight falls, and Morgan says he’s not leaving Dwight behind. He and Dwight take care of some stragglers. John leads the zombies into the water, past Morgan and Dwight, who are hiding in the bushes. I laugh as the zombies tumble down the rapids. Wheee! John, June, and Grace are on the other side, and the zombies are gone. Dwight says they can’t fight Virginia without the walkers. Morgan says if they don’t fight, she wins.

Al says, they didn’t die because they refused help; they died because they fought back. She killed them. That’s where the horses came from. If they fight her, they’ll die too. Wen says, maybe not if Victor is a smooth talker. Alicia says they have to hold on to what they have. Morgan radios, saying they’re outnumbered and out-gunned. Any chance they had, just went down the river. Al asks if they should give up, and Morgan says, make sure everyone survives. They did what they came to do. They helped lots of people. The only way it will mean something is if they stay alive. Dwight asks if they should just turn themselves in. Morgan says Virginia can take them wherever she wants. She can separate them, but she can’t make them forget what they did or who they are. Al says, it’s the end game, but Morgan says, not yet. There’s still time left. Alicia asks, for what? and he says, for them to live the way they said they were going to.

Wes and Alicia paint the church for June and John’s wedding. June thinks the dress is perfect, and John says he thought so too, when he found it in the costume shop. Dwight gives his and Shari’s wedding rings to John, telling him that he’s standing because of them. He doesn’t know what’s in store for his life, but he’s going to live it on his terms, and when he finds Shari, they’ll want a fresh start. They won’t need these. Jacob officiates. He asks if John takes June, and John says he loved her since the first day she washed up on his shore. June takes John, but when she puts the ring on his finger, it doesn’t fit. Charlie gives him something to string it on, and June tells him, don’t lose it, as she puts it over his head. June and John join hands. Jacob says they live in a broken world, but with each union, a piece is set right With pleasure, he pronounces them husband and wife. They kiss, and John breaks the glass per Jewish tradition. Jacob says, mazel tov!  Daniel and Grace sing, It’s All Right, while Charlie accompanies them on the guitar. Al films. Everyone marvels as the sun suddenly streams between the boards of the ceiling and walls. They hear the cars approach. Morgan says, this is it. The kids are gathered. John and June kiss.

They get ready. Morgan comes out, and Ginny says they tidied the place up. She’s heard some good chatter on the walkie, and Victor told her about the stunt they were trying to pull. She hopes they’re not thinking about one last hurrah. Morgan says, no. They asked for help; they’re going to take it.. Ginny says, good, and Morgan says, but she has to take all of them. That means Grace, the elderly, the sick, and injured. She has to give heath care to all of them, or none of them. She says he’s in no position to make demands. You don’t get sauce on the side at the soup kitchen. (Who does she think she is? Dr. Phil?) Morgan says she won. Let them win too. They’re all alive. Since she’s all about value, that should be priceless to her. Ginny says, anything else? He says the only way it will work is if they have a guarantee not to lose a single one. Otherwise, then they’ll both lose. They stare at each other.

Ginny looks perturbed, and finally says, goddammit. Fine. It’s worth saving a few bullets over. She says they have a long drive ahead. Adios yesterday; hello tomorrow. Morgan goes inside. Ginny smiles.

Luci says, it’s going to be okay. She gets in a truck, and it drives off. Al tells Ginny that her van can be a bitch. It breaks down more than you’d think, but she keeps it running. She asks why Ginny is doing this, and Ginny says, maybe it’s right. This can’t last. She takes Al’s camera, and says, that’s not a lie. Al will see she’s speaking the truth, and Ginny is going to make Al tell her what she knows about the about the helicopter. Sarah tells Wen that she’s never leaving anyone in the rear view again. She’s pushed into one of the cars. Victor tells Alicia that he needs to curry favor with Ginny. They’ll be fine. They can do more damage from the inside. A guy takes Alicia’s weapon, and Ginny says Alicia won’t need it. Daniel tells Ginny to remember who he is.

Charlie runs to Daniel, who tells her everything will be fine. He’ll find her. Charlie babbles a little, and he says she has to go. A guy puts Skidmark in the bed of a truck. Daniel says they travel together, and the guy says, not anymore. I call him all kinds of names, mostly using the f-word, and some I just made up.

Al gives June the tape of the wedding, saying they gave it to her, but June and John should have it. John tells June, they’ll find their way back to each other. She says she knows. They’re pulled away from each other, and June gives John the tape. John says he’s not sorry for a single moment, and tells June that he loves her as he’s pushed into a truck. June tries not to cry, and gets in another car. Morgan tells Grace that they’ll take care in way he can’t. Grace says, somehow, it doesn’t feel like the beginning of the end. Morgan doesn’t know what will happen to them, but when they were in the mall on the carousel, he felt something. It scared the hell out of him. He only felt that way one other time, with Jenny. Maybe this is different, maybe it’s the same with her, but it feels like it’s a possibility. Whatever happens, or wherever they end up, he needs her to know that. She says, okay. Ginny brings a man over, and says, he’s Doc Holt. He’s in family medicine, but did a rotation in oncology. She asks if this is what Morgan had in mind, and Morgan says he appreciates it. The doctor takes Grace’s arm, and she tells Morgan, she felt it too. She needs him know that. the doctor leads her to the car.

Morgan watches as the cars go. He walks over to Ginny. She says, ready? He asks where she’s taking him, and she says he gets to stay there. She has to protect the future by not repeating the past. She takes out a gun, and he says she doesn’t have to do this.. She says she does. Morgan whips his stick up, and knocks her in the head. He gets her good, but he’s shot near his shoulder. She struggles, but finally sits up. Morgan is having more difficulty, and tries to reach for his stick, but Ginny gets to it, and tosses it across the street. She stumbles over to a body, and takes a gun from it. Morgan crawls backward to a porch, and pulls himself up the steps. Ginny stands over him and cocks the gun. She says she resents his face so much, and shoots, but it’s a prop gun.

Ginny radios Doc Holt, and asks how sick Grace is. Morgan says, please, don’t hurt her, like begging would make a difference to this bitch. The doctor says, Grace isn’t sick; she’s pregnant. Ginny laughs, and asks how far along she is. The doctor says, it’s hard to tell; three or four months. She’s malnourished. She says she’ll meet him at the lodge. She tells Morgan, what they were doing had no future. She hopes he dies, but that’s not the point anymore. She hopes he heard her. She gets in her jeep, and drives away Morgan pulls himself inside the church.

On the radio, Morgan says if someone is listening, what they were doing wasn’t about just doing right. It was about the future. They fought for the future; they fought hard core. It was for her; for all of them. So if Grace is listening to him, live. A small crowd of zombies heads for the church. Morgan says, all of you, if you can hear me, just live. The zombies get closer.

💬 One question. Wouldn’t zombies get weaker as time went on, and they kept losing their parts and such? Just a thought. Even though I didn’t catch the whole show, it was great to see Talking Dead back again. I don’t know if it means anything, but Lennie James (Morgan) was not a guest. So does that mean he’s not dead? I went through so many emotions with this finale. There was horror, sadness, and even humor. Ultimately, I was left angry, but also looking forward to the next installment.

😞 It was also the season finale of Preacher tonight, and the end of the series. What a shame. I haven’t been able to keep up with it as much as I would have liked, but it was a fun show. IMO, it was also the show that most looked like a graphic novel.. Adios, Padre.

👹 Changes Are A-Comin’…

FTWD’s showrunners tease us.

https://ew.com/tv/2019/09/29/fear-the-walking-dead-season-finale/

💀 Okay, So It’s a Little Early…

But relevant to tonight’s TV, and you knew it was coming, right?

 

Sep23

September 22, 2019 – Living For Tomorrow, Exes Reunite, Frozen Joe, Vanderpump Spin-Off & Autumn Theft

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

A video plays, similar to the one Al made, but it’s Ginny’s group. Tom says they got lucky. Then they got unlucky. The worst was when went things went bad. They couldn’t grow food. Another guy says, they lost so much. A third says, they needed help. The story goes on, switching between various people. They were ready to split when she showed up. Everything changed. They built something bigger and better. We’re alive because of them – because of her. Ginny says it’s not about her, or any single person. It’s about how they get from today to tomorrow. She talks about going to settlement after settlement, places filled with good people, and good ideas. They needed help. A guy says they fixed water the supply and helped them grow food. Before, they were barely surviving. Now, they’re thriving. Ginny says they’re building a future every day. Each one holds a key; that’s why they wear these. Ginny shows a key pinned to her lapel. She says, it’s not about how her group helps them; it’s about how they help each other. They fix what’s broken. The world gives people every reason to doubt helping each other, but they can. So if they see someone wearing a hat like hers, or a pin, they’re here to help. They can be reached on channel five on the walkie. Each of them holds a key to more help, and more future. Al says, that’s not the truth, and smashes the TV. The opening titles are seen through a cracked screen.

June says they’ve been driving five days; it’s tough. Al says she’s making another video to show everything. She begins filming. Morgan says, it isn’t easy; it’s hard. It’s not supposed to be easy. Alicia says it imparts the way they’re doing things, and Dwight says, the right way. June says one tank of gas can get them through tomorrow. Wen says, Luci stayed, but they’re going to get her back. Sarah says Ginny told them what they’re trying to do is impossible. Tom says they’re going to make the impossible possible. Al says they don’t have to make a fake documentary to prove them wrong. This is how they did it. This is the truth.

Grace gets intravenous something, and thanks Morgan. He asks if he can get her anything else. She tells him, candy beansies, if he sees them. June says Grace is dehydrated, and it’s hard for her to keep food down. Al asks if June thinks it’s the radiation, and June says, it could be, or it could be something else. She needs to find some medical journals .

Morgan says he wasn’t there when she needed him. He wasn’t there when the rest of the world needed him in Tanktown. He’s here now. Al says he told her that he needed to let Grace know something; did he? He says, no. It doesn’t matter. Grace thinks she has an idea, but she’s not sure if it’s just what she wanted them to say. Morgan says, being away from everyone was hard, but good came out of it. Tom says he thought they’d kill him when they  found him. Virginia was scared to trust people, but here he is. He guesses he’s lucky. He flashes back to seeing Janice coming up the road toward him. He says, they found his sister. Janice says, they found her brother. They found him. Tom says he wanted to help with the documentary. What they’re doing is working. What they’re doing has room for everyone – not just who Virginia deems useful. Everyone is useful. People need to see that.

Alicia paints a tree, and Al asks what she’s going to do when they find a home. She hopes she gets the chance keep doing this. When she first started, she’d hoped to find the artist, but it helped her. It’s how she wanted to be. Art makes sense to her. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

Daniel radios from the strip mall, and June asks how the school is. He says, it burned down. There’s nothing left. On the video, June says she wasn’t thinking of anything except making sure they landed, and she picked the right direction. It felt right. Jacob says she has what some people spend their whole lives looking for. Wes says, he thought it was bullsh*t. He’s now part of said bullsh*t, and it turns out, it’s not bullsh*t. Al asks if he’s going to paint again. He says, we’ll see, and looks at Alicia painting a tree.

Grace teaches Charlie the guitar. On the video, she says she wants to be around long enough to see it. The look on everyone’s  faces when they get there. She wants to know everyone is going to be okay.

Morgan asks Grace if she has enough for one more push. John says they may have to leave some of the vehicles behind. Victor wonders if maybe they shouldn’t change direction. There’s nothing out there. Tom tells Al that she might want to turn the camera off. She might not want to document this. Al says she wants to show things as they are. Morgan says, breach, and Dwight kills a zombie that’s invaded their space. He takes something off of the body, and says, look at this.

On the video, Alicia says, sometimes the universe has a way of speaking to you. It’s a Sheriff’s badge, and John says, it’s from the Gulch. Maybe it’s closer than they thought. It was designed to operate without gas or electricity, and there’s a fence around the perimeter. Victor says John doesn’t know what it’s like; he hasn’t been there in years. Morgan says they’ve exhausted everything that’s in the area. If John is right, this will work. On the video, Dwight says, they saved his life before Maybe lightening can strike twice. June feels like it’s the right place, and Alicia says she thinks they found it. Daniel asks if it has a barbershop. Morgan says, if it’s what John says it is, it’s worth it.

Grace yells for June. Morgan runs toward the truck where Grace is resting. Tom is inside with her, and moves out of the way. June checks the pulse on her neck, and asks if Grace can hear her. She tells Morgan, Grace is severely dehydrated, her blood pressure is low, and she needs more fluids. Morgan says, or what? and June says they need to get moving.

Al films, and Daniel says he thought they should take everything they could at the mall. June says she thought she could help treat Grace, if she knew what was going on. She doesn’t even know what to do. She can treat the symptoms; it’s all she knows. Morgan asks how long Grace can go without fluids, and June says, not long. He tests the radio, and says they’ll circle back to the convoy, and get what they need. Sarah says it’s a detour, but there’s a shortcut further north. Morgan says Grace will want to see it. Tom says, this is the part you wouldn’t see on Virginia’s tape. It’s the part you never do.

John and Morgan look through stuff in a storage area. Morgan radios June and Alicia, and says, any luck? But Alicia and June are empty-handed on their end. Morgan thinks they shouldn’t have left, but John says it will be all right. Keep looking. Back with the others, John asks June if Morgan and Grace have something going on, but she’s not sure; maybe. He says, it’s a bittersweet thing, and she tells him, go ahead and ask. He says, okay. He doesn’t want wait anymore to get married at the Gulch, right away. June thinks it’s a great idea. John says he loves her, but keep it under her hat.

John radios Al, and asks how it’s looking, and Al says, got it. She tries to stab an errant zombie who gets the better of her, and they fall to the ground. Alicia nails it from behind. She picks up the fluids they’ve gotten for Grace, and smiles. On camera, Alicia says, it was the only thing she had, and it was taking over. Now it’s not the only thing she has. Morgan asks Grace how she feels, and she says, better. She thanks him, and they smile at each other. She asks, what is it? and he says he’s just glad she’s feeling better.

Sarah says they’ll take the shortcut back in the truck. Ginny can suck it. They made a detour because one person was sick. What they’re building is the future. At least he future they want to be a part of. Wen says, it was a risk. So were Christmas lights on the runway. John says, they were as good as dead, but they didn’t give up. Wes says, they risked their lives. Sarah radios that the bridge it out.

At the bridge, Charlie films. Part of the bridge is breaking down. Alicia says, the semi is too heavy, and Victor says he’s not so sure they should even be standing there. Morgan says they can leave the tanker behind, but John says they’ll never get to the Gulch. Morgan says they’ve got to figure out how to patch the hole. A cable on the bridge snaps. John yells, get off the bridge, and Morgan says, don’t back the tanker up. The bridge starts to give a little. Morgan thinks they should try to cross with one person every twenty feet. Dwight says they have company. Ginny drives up, with her entourage, and says it looks like they could use a hand. Guns are drawn.

Ginny asks if they’re having trouble with the tanker, but Morgan says it’s nothing they can’t handle. He sees they’re making good use of the gas, and Ginny says, it beats saddle sores. She tells everyone to put their guns down. If she’d wanted them dead, they would be dead. She says hi to Tom, and Al says he’s helping them get the story. Ginny asks, which story? He says where she gets her ass handed to her by them. The people need to know the truth. Ginny says, there’s truth and there’s truth. She hopes he picks the one that leaves the most people alive. Morgan asks how she knew where they were, and she says she’s had her eye on the convoy. They could learn something from each other. Morgan and his group have stretched the petrol farther than she thought possible. Then they went out of their way to get medicine, when people are dying. She can’t help if they don’t ask. Victor asks what she means by help, and she says, it means something different to everyone. Victor says, like what? Lay her cards on the table. She says she’s sorted out who provides what, and they need good people; there aren’t many left. Tom asks why she tried to kill him, and she says he became a liability. She’s not going to apologize for her methods, not when she gets results. She tells Dwight that she checked on his wife. He cocks his gun, but then lowers it. She says an engineer she met said he broke bread with Shari. She seemed worried about him. Morgan says, stop, and Ginny says Dwight never said her name. How else would she know it? Morgan says they’re here because they do things different from her. They’re going to keep doing to keep people alive. Ginny says, not much longer. They both want the same thing, they just have different ways of getting there. If anyone wants to try the way it works, they’re welcome. Morgan says, she’s right. If anyone would rather be with her, they should go now. There are no takers, and Dwight says he thinks the choice is pretty clear. Ginny says he has a good hold on them. Victor laughs, and says her strategy of following them isn’t particularly efficient. Ginny says, it’s not? Boys… Her henchmen shoot in the air, and she says it’s like calling the kids to dinner. There’s a herd down the road, and they might be the soup de jour. When they need her help, give a holler. I’m thinking her recruitment tactics aren’t the greatest.

Morgan says, get ready to cross. Everyone, out of the cars now. Said zombie herd starts coming toward them, Morgan says they’ll buy as much time as they can. Everyone grabs stuff out of the cars, and runs. Victor slices and dices. Morgan whacks the zombies with his new and improved pokey stick, and Al stabs whatever she can. The zombies barrel right through the line of cars. Dwight encourages the group to run. Morgan yells for them to get over the bridge. He asks how they’re doing with the patch, but Tom says, it’s not ready yet. Morgan tells Tom, forget it, just go, and another cable snaps. Morgan asks if they can get the tanker over the patch, but that’s a no, so they leave the truck. Tom refuses to go, and gets knocked down when the hole opens up more. The zombies fall through the bridge. I laugh, but then there goes the tanker. Tom jets to join the others, but he stops, saying, he has this. Cables snap as he’s talking, and he’s last seen on camera, screaming as he falls.

Back at the convoy, Al is editing, but the battery dies. Morgan says, it’s okay, but she says she has to get this right, for them; for him. Morgan says, then that’s what they’ll do. It’s not the end of the road. He won’t let it be. They go outside, where everyone else is waiting, sitting in front of the C&L boxcar. Morgan asks if Grace can walk. She says Tom died for the detour; for her. Janice looks in the water. Jacob asks if she wants him to say a few words, but she says, not here.

They stand in the woods. Morgan says Tom believed their story wasn’t over, and wanted to be with people who do what they did for one of their own. And he wanted Ginny to know that. Right, Janice? Janice says, he told her that he wanted to finish it, and Morgan says, then that’s what they should do. Right, everyone? They all nod, and he says, let’s go. He tells Alicia, it’s not going to be easy. They start to walk.

And walk… and walk. Wes tells Alicia, he’s been thinking when they get there, he’ll paint with her. It doesn’t have to be trees. He might need a new medium. She smiles. They walk some more. John approaches Jacob, and asks if it’s a good time for a question. Jacob says, it depends on the question. John asks if he does weddings, and Jacob says, gentiles? He’s always wanted to try one. Morgan asks if he just heard what he thought he heard. John says, it’s going to be a quiet affair, and June says she doesn’t want to make a big deal. Morgan thinks it might be what everyone needs. It will remind them why they’re doing this thing. John says if Morgan’s not busy, he needs a best man. The continue to walk. The road looks endless.

Dwight asks if Al is still filming. She says, as long as there’s a story to tell. Daniel says he doesn’t know Morgan that well, but hear him out. We don’t know how long we have in the world. If we have things to say, we should say them. They stop a moment, and Janice asks if Al is getting this. Al says, you bet she is. They see the billboard for Humbug’s Gulch. Janice says she wants Ginny to see this. See why she lost. I’m worried that it’s not going to be there anymore. Morgan tells Grace, good. One last push. He wanted to say… She tells him, don’t say it. It will make things harder. They look at each other. He he nods, and says he’s glad she’s here to see this. She says, her too, and squeezes his arm.

They finally make it, but it’s as I feared. Sort of. Al takes out the camera. Zombies have invaded the Gulch. Janice says, it can’t be. Maybe it’s the wrong place. John looks through the binoculars, and says they’re up against every gate. They’d be hard pressed to even get inside. Morgan says, they’ll find another way. Victor says, how? They have no food, no water, and their supplies are on the other side of the bridge. June says, there’s nothing else out here, but Jacob tells her that her faith got her this far. She says she needs more faith, and Alicia says they can’t give up. Charlie says they can walk back to the cars, but Wes says they’ll never make it. Daniel says they barely made it here, and Wen says, even if they could, there’s no gas for the cars. Victor says there’s one thing they can do. Al turns the camera off, and Victor asks, why? She wants people to see things the way they are. He does, and now she sees them the way he does. They got to somewhere; here they are. He reminds her there are children with them. The truth is, if they do this, they can live for tomorrow. Morgan ask if anybody can think of something else. Say it now.

Al says she thought this wasn’t going to be the end of the story, but it is. She knows what it means. Dwight says if they call her, there’s no going back. Al says, people are going to die, and Victor says they tried a different way. They can look at themselves in the mirror tomorrow. Dwight says, if they throw in with her, there might not be a tomorrow. He starts to leave, and Morgan tells him, don’t go. They’re miles from anything. Dwight says he’s walked this far before. June says she’s sorry, but John says it’s not her fault. They all thought it was a good idea. Al says, if they’re going to do this, then they should do it. Morgan tells Janice that he really is sorry. I say, don’t do this, but he radios, saying if Virginia is listening, they need her help. The camera pans out, and we see them clustered together on top of the hill.

Next time, Al thinks they can clear the Gulch, John says they have something to fight for, and Daniel says Ginny isn’t walking away without a fight.

🔥  No Disaster On This Potomac…

Things are heating up for Gizelle.

https://extratv.com/2019/09/19/gizelle-bryant-dishes-on-rekindling-romance-with-ex-husband/?adid=extra_eme_27200_2019-09-22_rightnow3

❄ Cold As Ice…

It’s not looking good for Juicy Joe.

https://pagesix.com/2019/09/21/joe-giudice-to-remain-locked-up-as-deportation-case-moves-forward-report/

But Teresa seems to be dealing.

https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2019/09/teresa-giudice-sheds-wedding-ring-as-joe-is-slapped-deportation-blow/

🐾 Paws Crossed…

I’m still hoping for that Vanderpump Dogs spin-off.

https://www.inquisitr.com/5646027/bravo-tv-confirms-new-real-housewives-spinoff/

🍂 More Like Grand Theft Summer…

Summer has been declared officially over. Moving on.

Sep16

September 15, 2019 – Grace Thinks It’s Happening, a Housewife Medley, Times Square Deuce & End

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Al films Morgan. He says, her name was Jenny. She was originally from North Carolina, but the met in Raleigh. Al asks what he wants to tells her, and he says, there’s not much to tell. She hated the water. He didn’t have the heart to tell her that he wasted his paycheck on renting a boat. Her family was there, and his brother, and it was all right then… He didn’t really sleep good for three months… Duane played baseball, but he was terrible. He loved comics… He made Morgan this card for Father’s Day… Their boy Duane was the best of both of them. You grow up and think you know what life is, you’ve seen the paths, and the clichés are all true. When you have a child, it reframes everything. Al says they’re all gassed up. He says he was just watching his video. Al says they have to get back to the convoy, but Morgan says they still have boxes to drop off. Al tells him, they haven’t been this far west, and they’re low on gas. They have about a day’s worth. Morgan says they might make a difference to someone if they drop off the boxes. She says, all right.

They get to the pick-up. Al looks in the truck bed, and suddenly grabs her gun. She tells Morgan, there were three cans of gas.

A guy fills his tank. Al comes up quietly behind him, and says, the battery is probably dead. Even if got gas in it, it’s not starting. The guy takes out a knife, and tells Al, back away. She says she just needs the gas back. Morgan joins her, and asks why they don’t talk about it. The guy tells them to get the hell away from him, and Morgan says, lower the knife. The guy puts his knife on the ground, and Morgan picks it up. He asks where they guy is trying to go. The guy sees something, and says, no; they found him. They all get in the car, but the gas cap gets left on the ground outside. Several men in cowboy hats ride up. Al lifts the camera, and films through the window. Morgan asks, how many? and she holds up four fingers. She says, sh*t, and Morgan says, what? She quietly opens the car door, and reaches for the gas cap, as the men on horseback get close. She gets back in just before one of them comes alongside the car. His horse looks in the window, but fogs up the glass, so he sees nothing. As he’s about to take a closer look, another says, over here; he went this way. They gallop off. Al tells the guy, start talking. Who the hell is that? Morgan says, it’s all right; they can help him. He says, that’s what they said.

Grace listens to a book as she works on a roof. Daniel calls up, asking what she’s listening to, and she says, Don Quixote. He says, beautiful, and long-winded. He tells her that they’re running out of room in the truck. She should take a break. He saw a case of Fanta inside. She says, orange or grape? but he doesn’t know. She says they’re going to need solar panels when they settle down. There’s nothing wrong about stockpiling for the future. He says, no, there isn’t. He’s going over to the record shop. It’s nice hear that she’s looking in that direction. He says, orange, but she says she was hoping for grape. Tess radios, and Grace tells Daniel, the oil fields. They lost them.

The guy doesn’t understand why Al wants to film, but he’ll do it. She asks his name, and he says, Tom. She asks where he’s from, and he says, this ain’t going to work. She asks what he’s running from. People need to know. Morgan says, whatever happened before, that’s not what they’re about. Tom says he lived in Paradise Ridge, a complex where there were a few dozen people. He was the president of the HOA, but he only got the job because no one ran against him. When the dead started to walk, everyone looked to him like he must know what he’s doing. Morgan says, he must have; he’s still there. Tom says, they had room to spread out, fixed the pool to filter water, and grew vegetables on the roof. They were lucky, but then unlucky. They couldn’t grow food, the fence failed, and the roof started leaking. Most of the people split before the guys on horseback showed up. They offered to help. They said they’d clean up the water, and give them food for a while until they figured out how to grow their own. Al asks, what happened? and Tom says they claimed it was his fault. They were trying to build something bigger. They said it’s not about today, but about tomorrow, and they weren’t part of it. His sister Janice is still there. Al asks if they tried to kill her, and he says they will if he doesn’t get her out. Al asks what they said exactly, and Tom tells her, they said what they’re doing isn’t about today, but about tomorrow. All they cared about was the future. Al says, they’ll go in and get her out.

They get to Paradise Ridge. The group of men on horseback ride up, and the leader pikes a nearby zombie in the head. He radios the guard to open up. The riders go inside, and the guard cleans up the zombie mess, dragging the zombie inside. And you thought cleaning up elephant poop was the worst job.

Al films, and says, they’re in and out every couple hours. Morgan says they probably shouldn’t be this close. Al doesn’t understand what they want, and Tom says, whatever it was, they didn’t want him to see. He tells them that they don’t have to do this, but Morgan says, they can get in before something happens. Al thinks they should wait until the men aren’t in there, and Morgan asks if it’s about Tom’s sister, or is she chasing a story? She can’t believe he even asked her that. He says he doesn’t want her to go alone, but she thinks she can get in and out before they even know she’s inside. Morgan says, it’s not about the story, but Tom isn’t the only one who needs something in there. She tells him to trust her on this.

The guard drags another zombie inside, and the horsemen go out. Al lures a zombie toward her, and Morgan pikes it with his pokey stick. She says, what the hell? and he says, you’re welcome. She says if she can get one close to the gate, she can get inside. Morgan says she’s not going alone, and she says he’s not going at all. She bangs the ground, and he ask her to tell him who she’s looking for besides Tom’s sister. He’s trusted her with a lot, and he’d think she’d do the same, She says, has he? He says, yeah: Jenny, Duane… Al says he hasn’t told her sh*t about where he is now. Why doesn’t he want to go back to the convoy? He’s doing the same thing he did when they first met; running from something. She doesn’t know what. She bangs some more, and catches a zombie’s attention. They both start banging, and she tells him, try not to steal this one.

The truck has stopped, and Daniel tells Grace, they’re pulling too much weight. Grace radios Tess, and says it will be a while before they can get to the rendezvous. Tess says let them know if they need help. Grace tells Daniel, they wish we were there. She says, when it happened, maybe they could have helped. Daniel says, they were helping. They got supplies and… stuff. Grace says they can come back for the truck. It’s a classic mistake. They thought they could bring back everything they found. Daniel says they had no way to know what was going to happen. A year ago, he was like she was, a realist. He couldn’t imagine he’d be here with her, helping make things right. Her, him, and a cat with serious behavioral issues. It’s not a realistic option to be a realist anymore. Grace looks at a map, and says there are some places they can hole up, a couple of miles from there. They can make it on foot. Daniel takes Skidmark’s crate and the records. Grace closes the truck.

A zombie gets close to the complex, and when the guard comes out to kill it, Al and Morgan sneak in behind him. Apparently, he’s not the best guard. I guess you take what you can get in the Apocalypse. He starts to drag the zombie in, and it’s arm comes off when he pulls it. He says, sh*t, and I laugh. Morgan sees a horse, and starts petting it. Al is like, come on. They see a gas truck pull in. Morgan says it’s theirs, but Al says, not anymore. Morgan wants to get back to the convoy. He says, if something happened to them, it’s his fault. Al says she’s heard the rhetoric about a bigger better future before. Morgan asks, from whom? and she says someone in an organization that might be working with these people. Someone she never thought she’d see again. Morgan asks if she’s looking for them, and she says she is. He says, then go look. He’ll find out how they got the truck.

Grace says, there’s a bar ahead, and Daniel says, not a moment too soon. Skidmark is particular about his dinner schedule. Grace says Skidmark is lucky to have him, and he says the least he can do is feed Skidmark. For a long time, the cat was all he had. They ate together, listened to music together, and for a while, it seemed like that’s the way it would stay. Grace says, what changed? but they hear a zombie noise. Several zombies come out of the darkness. Daniel sets down the crate and his tote bag of records, and charges them. Daniel gets a zombie down, but it falls all over the records. Daniel tries to pick them up, but a zombie comes up behind him. Grace says, they have to get out now, and grabs Skidmark, who you know I’ve been worried about the entire time. The zombies follow, stomping all over what’s left of the records.

Morgan listens at the door of a house, and goes inside. He calls for Janice, and looks around, but it’s dark and silent. He radios Al, saying, she’s not there. Did Al find what she wanted? Al says, not yet. Al crosses the courtyard. Morgan hears zombie gurgling. Al tries a door, but it’s locked. She bangs it open using the butt of her gun. She goes in, and takes a video of some charts that are hanging up; things like weekly inventory and next to harvest. Morgan hears zombie scuffling sounds behind a door, and I wonder, why open it? Al moves on to a map that has various keys pegged on it with the names of settlements attached to them. Morgan gets the door open, and a female zombie flies out. He knocks it out the window, and radios Al. He says, it looks like Janice took care of whoever was coming in. He says, they have to go now, and she sneaks back out.

Al ducks back to avoid being seen by a guy patrolling the grounds. A zombie pops out, and pushes Al backward into the pool. They’re locked together, and Al manages to come up for air, but it pulls her back down. Morgan jumps in, and pierces it through the head with his pokey stick. He says they’ve got to get the hell out, but Al says, too late. Ginny is there with her posse, and tells them, you two sure know how to make an entrance.

Al and Morgan sit in an air conditioned living room. Al wonders if they’re going to be killed, but Morgan thinks they would have done it by now. Ginny comes in, and says, sorry to keep them waiting. They left a mess in the pool. She takes out two jars of preserves, and asks, strawberry or apricot? They made both. Maybe they should try a little of each. They just look at her, and she apologizes, saying, they should probably start with the basics. She knows who Morgan and Al are, and introduces herself. Morgan asks how she knows their names, and she says she saw their tape. It was a hoot. She never considered using a documentary to spread the word until she saw theirs. Very smart. She asks what brings them there, and Morgan asks, where’s Janice? Ginny says, they ran into Tom. Janice ran off shortly after Tom left, but she left them a nice surprise in her room. Al asks if they tried to kill her,  and Ginny says, they’re trying to protect the place. it’s easier now that they have gas. Morgan asks what she did to their friends, and Ginny says their friends are fine. Unless they consider Logan a friend; then, condolences. Al says they had no right to take the gas, but Ginny says they’re both trying to do the same thing. They want to help people; so does Morgan’s group. They have different ideas on how to accomplish it. She can help them, if they let her. Morgan asks, how? and she says, how’s it been? He’s been dealing with the loss of his family. He should talk to Miss Fifer. She’s not a full-fledged shrink, but she helps with perspective. She travels to the different settlements, and talks to people. Al asks how big their operation is. Do they have helicopters? Ginny says, they just got a gas supply. Why that crazy idea? Al says she just wanted to know. Ginny says she’s an open book. She wishes they could chat longer, but she has a lot of work to do. Like she told their friends, the doors are always open. Al says, they’re free to go, and she can keep the tape? Ginny wants her to show as many people as she can. Building the future is easier when you’re not on your own. Morgan says Ginny is talking about the future, but holding onto the past no matter what the cost. Ginny says they’ll have to agree to disagree. Al and Morgan’s things are returned, and Morgan is presented with a new and improved pokey stick. Ginny says they have a worker in the community who’s a beautiful craftsman. He fixed Morgan’s stick, and it should hold up to whatever gets thrown at it. I so cannot figure Ginny out.

Al and Morgan walk out of the gate. Two zombies totter toward the. Al creams one, and Morgan uses his new stick on the other. Ginny says, this is the future. They don’t see it yet, but they will. Unless they die. People tend to do this. That’s why they’re doing what they’re doing, and why Al and Morgan should join them. Al and Morgan start to walk, and Ginny tells them, go on. Suck on a stone when you could be slurping soup.

Grace gives Daniel a breakfast pastry. He says, no way the records survived the night, and Grace says, sorry. He wanted Charlie to hear the Traveling Wilburys. Grace asked what changed; it was Charlie. Nothing felt the same after she showed up. He thought it might be his daughter who ended up joining them, but things don’t always go the way you think. Grace says, no, they don’t. He says if things don’t go the way he thinks, he wants her to keep an eye on Charlie and Skidmark. Grace says, okay, but the first thing she’s going to do, is find someone else to keep an eye on them. He says he thought she was looking toward the future, but she says, it’s not about how long she’s got. When they were at the mall, she realized she wanted to start living for something beyond today. It was a good idea at the time, but she has a bad record for making things worse. She thought she could help Morgan. She tried. Daniel thinks she helped Morgan more than she imagines. Daniel saw him in the mall. He was smiling until he ran out of cheek. Grace says, he wants Charlie to hear the Wilburys? Maybe they don’t need records. She picks up a guitar sitting on a stand, and says she took lessons. They could teach Charlie. Daniel asks what makes her think he can sing?  She plays, and sings End of the Line, and he joins her, singing harmony.

Al drives, and Tom says he’s so sorry. Janice wasn’t even there. They could have been looking for their own. Al says they needed to see it for themselves. Now they have. Morgan tells Tom, they said they’d help find her, and they’re not giving up until  they have. Al says, the tank is almost empty. They’re not going to have enough to get to the rendezvous.

Al films. She suggests they pick up where they left off. The Father’s Day card. Morgan says, that was… He asks if Al cared about the person she was looking for in that place. She says it’s not about her now. He says, it’s about both of them, isn’t it? and she says, yeah. She cared about her. She also cared about where she was from and what she was doing. She talked a lot about the future, and Al wanted there to be a connection. So about the card? Morgan says he told Ginny that she was holding on to the past, no matter the cost, but she’s not the only one. He laughs, and says he doesn’t think he needs to do this anymore. He thinks he’s good.

Morgan radios Grace. He says, if she can hear him, tell him where she is. They need to talk. Daniel answers, and Morgan asks if he’s with Grace. He says he is, and tells Morgan that they were headed to the convoy. Grace seemed fine, but she suddenly changed. Morgan asks to talk to her. She looks pretty sick, half-lying on the couch, and sweating bullets. Daniel gives her the radio, and Morgan asks where she is. They can come to her and Daniel. Grace isn’t sure. She says they were one their way to the rendezvous. He asks if she’s okay, but she’s not sure. She starts to cough, and says, what she was worried about? She thinks it’s happening. Morgan says tell him where they are, and he and Al will be there. Daniel takes the radio, and says, they’re at a bar just south of the 290 junction. Grace takes the radio, and says she hopes she sees him. She wants to see his smile again, but doesn’t think she has much time left.

Daniel puts a blanket around Grace. She thanks him for singing with her. He says, it’s going to be okay, but she says she won’t be around to sing.

Next time, no food or water, Morgan tells Al that it’s not the end of the road, and Ginny isn’t apologizing for her methods.

💃 A Little Dorinda In Your Life…

She didn’t set out to be a Housewife.

https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/dorinda-medley-real-housewives-of-new-york-unstyled?utm_source=email&utm_medium=editorial&utm_content=unstyled&utm_campaign=190904-dorinda-medley-real-housewives-of-new-york-unstyled

🗽 I’m loving The Deuce so much. Besides my amusement at it starring James Franco and James Franco, it’s eerily realistic, and gives an accurate picture of the gritty side of Times Square in the 80s. Frankly, I fail to see how Times Square was cleaned up. It was much more honest back then. Most of the seedy/criminal stuff was concentrated on 8th Avenue, so you mostly didn’t go there, unless you had to cross the street. There were a few dirty movies on 42nd St., but you could also go to theaters where you could see three or four current movies for two bucks. The best and biggest record store in the world was there, open either all night or really late – I used to go there when I couldn’t sleep. Since they cleaned it up, now they have cartoon characters groping children and trying to extort money from tourists. (I swear, I will cut an Elmo if he ever touches me.), naked women (sorry, body paint is not clothing), and God knows what else. The world is officially bass ackwards. What’s also interesting about the show is how the advent of the VCR changed everything. And the beginning of the AIDS epidemic. Sadly, this is the final season. There are few series I would purchase on DVD, but this is one of them.

🎸 For Charlie…

Easing you into your work week.

 

 

 

 

 

Sep9

September 8, 2019 – Logan With a Double Twist, Movie Sleep, Monsters & Back At Work

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

Logan sets up a take what you need box. A woman radios, asking if anyone copies. He answers, asking if she’s at the Feedbag. He set that place up. She says her name is Serena, and he asks how he can help. She says she was following him and his partner. He says his partner is on route to where she is. We hear zombie noises, and Logan says, Desert Fox to Polar Bear. Does Clay copy? He gets no response, and asks if Clay decided to sleep in. He tells Serena that he’s coming to get her himself. She says, they’re coming in the back door too, and he tells her, hang on. He’s going as fast as he can. Keep talking, and barricade the door. She says, there are too many; the door’s not going to hold. Logan’s gas gauge shows he’s almost on empty. He tries again to radio Clay, saying, SOS at the Feedbag. The truck runs out of gas, and he jumps out. He asks Serena where she is, and tells her that he’s almost there. He hears the zombies attack her. He runs inside, calling for Serena. It’s quiet, and he finds the zombie’s feeding on her. They see him, and he shoots. He stumbles out, crying, and drops to his knees.

Logan looks up the road, and sees some people on horseback. A woman asks if he’s the man who was trying to help that girl. Their condolences. He says, she is? She says, Virginia. Most people call her Ginny. He asks what they want, and she says, to help. They’ve been watching him; listening. They want the same thing he does, but bigger and better. Together, they can get from yesterday to tomorrow. He says he’s listening.

Dylan picks a rat out of a bunch of them in a box. Max says, don’t worry. They won’t eat him. They put the rat inside of a small cage, and hang it up. There are several rats in cages hung up in a circle, making zombies work a wheel, the same way a carrot is dangled in front of a donkey. (I wonder if a good zombie always goes to the right?) The wheel causes oil to pump out of a pipe. Wen tells Sarah, they’re 3000 gallons ahead of schedule. He tells Luci, this is no place to store the tanker. His pillow looks like the Shroud of Turin when he wakes up. Luci says she doesn’t mind getting her hands dirty. Wen says he’s not worried about his hands; he’s worried about everything else. They hear a truck approach the barricade. Wen asks if it’s Sarah, and tells Luci, that’s not her rig. They draw their guns, and Logan busts through. Annie tells the kids to get down, and go. Luci approaches the truck.

Wen asks what Logan is doing there, and Logan says, he has to ask? He sees some of his people; he wondered where Clay stashed them. Luci tells him not to move, and he says, no one is firing a weapon. If he was her, he’d stop giving orders and start taking them. She why he’s there. He tells her, like the box says, take what you need and leave what you don’t. And they need it all.

Alicia paints a tree, and asks Victor if it’s too much phoenix. He says, Ross had clouds; she has birds. He notices her radio is on, and he says they won’t be able to charge it. They’re almost out of gas. She says, they can’t give up on him, but Victor says Wen told them he didn’t want help. Why would he want it now? A girl’s voice comes over the radio, saying she needs help, and giving them her location, and Alicia relays the message to John and June. June says, Sarah and Wen were going to the oil field. She thinks Logan found them, and no one’s heard from Morgan and Al. Alicia says she can’t reach him either, and June says they’ll help with the truck stop. They’ve got this. Victor asks Alicia, how do they know Logan isn’t trying to draw them away? and Alicia says, what’s the point of having gas if they can’t use it to help people?

Logan watches the wheel. A worker says, it was Clay’s idea. He wanted to see them do good. Doris hands Logan Clay’s journal, and says, there’s no instructions. Wen asks how he found them, and Logan says he watched their movie. They should have been more careful where they point the camera. As Logan looks through the journal, Luci says maybe he can remember what he used to believe. Logan says, that doesn’t mean he was right, and tosses it into the fire. Doris stops Luci from retrieving it, and Luci goes back with the others. Logan says, smart girl. She doesn’t want to make it difficult. It won’t make a difference. It’s only prolonging the inevitable; the survival of the fittest. Luci asks why he’s doing this, and he says he told Morgan that he was helping people, just not in a way they can get on board with. Wen suggests he try them first, but Logan thinks they’d have no stomach for it. Are they going to give him gas, or what? Luci says, no, and Logan says he didn’t think so. He radios his guys, and says they need to start cooking. The guy Dwight didn’t shoot (whose name I still don’t know) says he’s not as optimistic as he was before; they hit a roadblock. Logan says, unblock it. They’re about to start a new batch.

Dude says they have no time to find a new route. They have to get these off the road. He starts to move a container, and Sarah pops out, saying, some fellas will do anything to avoid asking directions. Lucky for him, they know the way. Dwight is glad he didn’t shoot dude while he had the chance. Now there’s no way he’s not helping. Dude is hesitant, and Sarah shoots and grazes him. She says, of all the sh*t she’s had to live with, she can’t abide that she killed Polar Bear for nothing. Him, she can live with. He wisely  gets in the truck.

In the past, Logan checks his watch, and looks at key points on a map.

Logan asks Luci, what’s the matter? and she tells him, it’s too windy. If the tanker gets too hot, the oil won’t separate. (I guess she’s the Walter White of FWD now.) Logan says that’s why he needs assistance. Here’s his cook now. Sarah pulls up instead. She and Dwight get out of the truck, and Sarah says Logan doesn’t seem happy see her. He says he wasn’t expecting her, and she says she and Dude had a little chat. He picked the perfect day to decide to stop being an a-hole. Watching with June from a cliff above them, John shoots one of the wheel zombies. He radios, that’s a friendly warning. In case he gets an itchy trigger finger. The zombie drags along in the circle, now literally dead weight.

Sarah tells Logan, they can walk their separate ways. These people don’t want no part of this sh*t show. He says, the problem is, the show must go on. They walked on stage, and they know how it ends. She says, do they? Logan says they had the chance to kill him and didn’t take it. That won’t change now. He radios John, saying, John may be a good shot, but this is one he’s not going to take. John cocks his hat, and says, not unless he has to. Logan says he’s bluffing. Sarah says, when he’s right, he’s right. They’re not here to make their iron bark, or to take over the oil fields either. She hopes he sees reason, and stops what he’s doing, or at least gets the point. She can’t undo how she got Clay killed. She has to live with regrets every day. When she saw him in the rearview, she could have stopped, and done the right thing, but she didn’t do jack. Wen says, she’s right. He’ll have to live with his conscience. Logan says he’ll be reasonable. The kids can go, if they can go back to work. It’s a reasonable trade. Sarah says they’ll need a car, and gas. Logan thinks he can spare a few gallons. Annie says she’s not leaving; they can help. Luci says they’re leaving, and Sarah says, the convoy is at the rendezvous. Do they know where that is? Annie says, yes, and Sarah says, skedaddle. Dylan asks Luci, what about the rats? and she says they’ll take care of them. Just be safe.

The girl tells Alicia, they’re starting to build up outside. Alicia asks her name, but she thinks it’s safer for her not to give it. Alicia says she needs to stay calm. Help is coming. The girl says, really? Victor says the inevitable has happened. They’re out of gas. Alicia tells the girl that they’re on their way. Do what she has to, to stay safe. Alicia radios to anyone listening that she can use help.

Oil pumps out. Dwight says the fire is out of hand, and Luci says, it’s too big. Logan says she shouldn’t have sent his cook back. Get back to work. Sarah says, the real truth, what the hell does Logan need the gas for? Logan says she doesn’t need to be concerned. They’re going to help people. It’s just not going to be one person at a time. This mom and pop crap makes people think they have a chance. Sarah is sorry he feels that way, and Logan says he has her to thank. He got a call that someone needed help along Clay’s route. When Clay didn’t answer, he went himself.

We see Logan running. He says he didn’t get there in time. He had to listen to her get torn apart, and there was nothing he could do. All because Clay wasn’t there, because she stole his rig. He’s doing what he’s doing because of her. If she wants to help make a difference – over the radio,  Alicia says they’re close – walk away. They’ve already done their part. Nothing they do is going to make up for that.

June radios, saying she hopes she’s not interrupting, but they have to get out of there now. She looks through the binoculars, and sees zombies walking toward a cliff above where the tanker is. There’s nothing I love more than a zombie walking off a cliff. Unless it’s a whole horde of them walking off a cliff, like in the Grand Canyon episode of Z Nation. < We pause for a moment, and reflect on the passing of my favorite show.>

It’s nighttime, and John is shooting the zombies as the get close to the edge. Doris smashes one’s head. Luci watches the tank burn. Doris says she’s got to kill the fire, but Luci says she can’t; it’s burning too hot. June watches. Tons of zombies go splat below the cliff. Some get up; some don’t. Dwight says they need their weapons. John keeps shooting. June radios that they can’t take them out. They have to clear out of there.

It’s getting pretty messy, and Doris says they have a problem. Logan says they also have company. Someone deal with the dead. Dwight says they need gas, and Wen says, they need to be alive to do what they’re doing. Dwight asks if he thinks the gas in the truck will hold them over, and he, Wen, Luci, and Sarah head for the truck. Doris tells Logan, they need to bail, but he says, no one needs to be bailing. A zombie clutches at his pant leg, and he tells her, don’t just stand there, kill it. It starts crawling up his leg. Doris shrugs, and jets. The tanker burns hotter. Sarah gets in the truck, and looks at Logan. She says, sh*t, and gets back out. Dwight asks, what’s going on? and she says she can’t leave him. Dwight says Logan told them to walk away; he doesn’t want help. Sarah says if she’s not back in two minutes, get in the truck. Wen tells her not to go, but she says, don’t try to talk her out of it. She’s going to do what she should have done back then. Wes says, what they both should have done . Sarah goes into the fray. Man, I hope they don’ kill her off. I really like Sarah.

Alicia asks if the girl copies. She says she’s not sure how much longer the doors will hold. Alicia says there should be a generator, and she can broadcast from where she is. Does she copy? There’s nothing. Alicia and Victor look at each other.

The tank burns. Sarah drags Logan inside. He’s pissed, and says she should have left him out there. She tells him that he’s a real  sh*t-ass at thank yous. She just saved him. He says she prolonged the inevitable. If something else doesn’t get them, the dead will. They tried to help others, but no one is coming to help them. She says, maybe he’s right. The girl Alicia was talking to comes over the radio, saying she needs help. Logan says, more people to save, and she asks if anybody is there. Sarah picks up, and Logan says she’s got be sh*tting him. The girl says she’s trapped, and Sarah hands Logan the radio. He asks if there’s an ad for sunscreen on the wall. The girl says Alicia told her that he could help. Sarah asks if Logan knows her, but he says she’s like the one he was trying to tell her about. They’re giving the poor girl hope. He tells the girl,  the sooner she accepts this, the sooner she’ll understand what she has to do. She says she can’t kill them; there’s too many. He tells her there’s a gun in there. She sees it, and asks how he knew. He says he left it there.

John keeps shooting, and a zombie comes up behind him. June shoots it, and it looks like there are more coming, but it’s Tess and Jacob. Tess says they couldn’t stay with the convoy, and Jacob says they thought the group might need assistance. John says they need to keep the ones on the ridge from falling in.

She says, there’s only one bullet. Logan says he knows; he’s sorry. She sees the zombies clamoring at the doors, and coming through the trap door below. She says, don’t be. It’s better this way. I heave a huge sigh, along with Logan. She cocks the gun, and closes her eyes. They start to come in. Everyone listens on the radio. Logan says, no, and we hear a shot. Then more shots. Everyone is like, wha…? Sarah asks if she’s okay. Who’s there? Wes takes the radio, and says, the name’s Wes. He heard Alicia on the radio. She helped him, so he figured he’d pay it forward. Sarah looks at Logan, and says, what happened before, she’s sorry, but that’s no reason to throw this all away. They help people. We see clips of everyone helping  each other, and Sarah says, they help people. it’s hard to get bigger than that.

Alicia and Victor arrive at the Feedbag. The girl is surprised Alicia made it, and Alicia is glad she’s okay. Alicia introduces Victor. She says she was hoping Wes was listening. Victor asks, what happened to people are people? and Wes says, sometimes they’re not. He wasn’t going to listen to someone die over the walkie. He tells Alicia that he saw her trees. Not bad. He likes the phoenix thing. The girl says they shouldn’t stay. They’ll find her. The place she’s from, there are people she couldn’t be with anymore. She was trying to get out. That’s why she ended up there. Alicia says she’s with them now. Those people aren’t going to bother her anymore. They leave. Victor lingers, but then follows.

A zombie climbs out of a ditch, and Jacob pikes him with his trusty bayonet. John stomps another one’s head. Sarah and Logan come outside. Sarah says, this sh*t is worse than a tequila hangover. They all meet, and Logan says he recognizes Tess from the movie. Jacob, not so much. John says he couldn’t have cleared the place without him. June says these are people they helped. What’s left of Logan’s guys come out with guns. Logan tells them, guns down. There’s been enough horse sh*t already.  Doris tells him  that he said they’d take it all. Logan says he thought they needed it. She says he claimed it was their ticket to the Promised Land, and he says, it still could be – if they put the guns down. Doris lowers hers, and the rest follow suit. John says, okay, and they all lower their guns. Logan says, sh*t happens. Then more sh*t happens, and it makes you start to doubt what you’re about. double Some people do better with a partner. Clayton never did. He may have burned Clayton’s journal, but he didn’t snuff out what Clay was trying to do. Shocking us all, someone shoots Logan in the head, and then picks off the rest of his group. John and the others draw their weapons. Ginny rides in with a few people, and a bunch of others ride along the ridge above, and wait there.

Luci says she killed Logan, and Ginny says they had to do this for a reason, and don’t take it lightly. She then says something in Spanish. She says they all know Logan was a liability who couldn’t be trusted. June asks what she knows about them, and Ginny says they’re not exactly hermits. They’ve been watching them for a while, on and off screen, and like what they’re doing so much, she thinks there’s a way they can all help each other. She gets down from her horse. She says their biggest weakness is, they think too small. Their convoy works – mostly – but mostly it doesn’t. Luci says, who is she to tell them how to help? Sarah says they don’t take tips from a killer. Ginny says think of them as pioneers. Settlers, settling everything, everywhere. It’s no different than what they’re doing with the outposts, but it’s bigger, and if she may, better. A hundred years from now, people might look back and think their methods are ruthless and unkind, but there will be people to look back. They have people everywhere, and they can help each other. She says, Dwight. If his wife is still alive, they can help  him find her. June. They can help find her the sweet little place she’s looking for. She looks at Sarah and Wen, and says they need someplace to brood. They can find that too. They brokered a deal with Logan to help expand on what they built; to help keep it going. There’s no telling what they can offer each other. Sarah says she can take her offer, and shove it straight up her poopshoot. June says, Sarah is right. They saw what Ginny does to people who take her deals. Ginny says they only eliminate what’s not essential. That doesn’t describe them. Dwight says, they’ll take their chances, and Wen says they can cook for themselves. Ginny says, leaving them high and dry, without what they came for? That makes them less essential. She raises her hand, and her people raise their guns. John and the others raise theirs, and John says, don’t. Everyone freezes.

Luci says, wait. She can stay. She tells Ginny, let them go. She can help make it. John says, they can get out of this. They’ve gotten out of worse scrapes. Sarah says, no, but Luci says, this way , they can keep everyone going; keep them alive. Ginny says, sounds like a deal to her. Luci tells her to give them a tanker of gas, and Ginny says, they can do that. Luci tells June, use it. Everyone leave, and then prove them wrong. Ginny doesn’t see that happening, but if they change their minds, do reach out. At the rate they’re expanding, they won’t have a hard time finding them.

The tanker pulls out, along with the other cars, leaving Luci behind. Ginny smiles.

Next time, Al and Morgan meet a group while on their way back to the convoy; Daniel says  it’s him, Grace, and a cat with serious behavioral issues; and Ginny says someone knows how to make an entrance.

😱 It’s Déjà Redrum All Over Again…

I need to hurry up and finish the book before the movie comes out. Even though it’s the sequel to The Shining, IMO, it stands on its own. I’m hoping the movie doesn’t disappoint – it looks promising.

https://the-line-up.com/doctor-sleep-trailer-1?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=The%20Lineup%20Weekly%20Friday%20Newsletter%202019-06-14&utm_term=The%20Lineup

👹 Nothing Better Than a Good Monster…

And a good quote. What’s scarier than a regular shambling zombie? Zombies that can run real fast.

https://www.themarysue.com/scariest-horror-movie-monster/

🚶 How Does It Happen…?

Here we are again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sep2

September 1, 2019 – Charlie Meets a Rabbi, Deck in Thailand, Cashew (Bless You), What’s On & Workin’

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What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

A rabbi celebrates Shabbat. He sings in Hebrew. Someone – or something – bangs at the door. He says if they were alive, he’d  let them in, but they have nothing to talk about. He’s sure they’re not so good at conversation. The banging continues. He extinguishes his candle, and says, you want to talk, let’s talk. He goes to the door, taking a gun with a bayonet down from the wall. He pushes the door open, and smashes a zombie in the head. He looks around outside. Everything is quiet, and he closes the gate of a metal fence around the property. He hears something and picks up the gun again. He sees some zombies messing around a car, and dispatches them with the bayonet, but one grabs him and pulls him down. The car door opens, knocking the zombie off of him, and he shoots it. Charlie peeks out, and he asks if she’s okay. She nods, and he asks her name. She says, Charlie, and they shake hands. He says he’s Rabbi Jacob Kessler, and welcomes her to his temple. She picks up his yarmulke, and says, sorry. She saw the light. He says, it’s not a light. It’s the flame of truth; the presence of God. God led her there, but God needs new batteries. He suggests getting her something to eat, and maybe a towel. She is pretty dirty.

I’m loving how the opening credits change every week. A tie-in object in the empty field.

The convoy flattens a zombie into roadkill. They get out of the trucks, and put up a fence, then make a circle of vehicles with the camp in the middle. John says this is the second time they’ve had to set up. Traveling by night, and watching by day is taking its toll. June says it might take Morgan, Alicia, and Victor a while. Sarah says they need gas, and June says they’ll do another run. John says, it’s not just about gas. They need to stop, and take a breath. June says, this isn’t the place to do it. Dwight approaches them, and says, the headcount is off. Someone is missing. June asks, who?

Charlie opens her eyes and looks out over the temple from the balcony. Jacob pikes a zombie at the fence. Charlie tells him, that she can help. He says she’s not the first person to fall asleep there. She says she’s mostly been sleeping in cars lately, and not getting much sleep. She stabs a zombie, and he asks why the dead are following her. She says she was looking for something, and got separated from her group. He says, she has a group? They have to get her back to them. She asks if he thinks God led her there, and he says, she doesn’t? She says, why would He? and Jacob says, why wouldn’t He? She asks if he always answers a question with a question, and he says, does he? Maybe she’s there because there’s something she needs, and she’s finally going to find it. He says, Yeshua calls, and goes back inside. Charlie follows.

Jacob puts on his prayer shawl, and Charlie asks what happened to his people. He says, what happened to most people. He used to talk to his congregation about souls rising to be reunited with their bodies at the end of the world. He got it half right. She asks why he still does it if no one if there. He says it works for him, and because it’s tradition. Tradition is important. More now than ever. The lights dim, and he says it’s his last battery. It can’t go dark; he has to find batteries. She  tells him, wait. She knows where they can get some.

Charlie radios the convoy. June asks if she’s all right. Sorry; she thought they were all accounted for. Charlie says it’s not her fault. They didn’t leave without her; she ran away. June asks, why? and Charlie says she can’t keep living the way they have. She wants to find a place where they can settle. She’s checked some places, and none seemed right, but she thinks she might have found a place to call home. She tells June, come see for herself. And bring car batteries.

Jacob kills another zombie, and Charlie asks where they’re coming from. He says, there must be a gap in the fence. He’ll find it. She says her friends are coming to help. He tells her, helping to keep the flame going is a mitzvah. He’ll take care of the fence. She can wait inside, and make herself at home. On his way back out, he looks at the zombie on the ground. From the look on his face, I think he knew them. He hears zombie noises coming from another building. The door is boarded up, but the bottom board is gone, and a zombie is stuck halfway through the opening. He pulls the zombie out, and uses the bayonet on it. Another is starting to wiggle out, and he shoves it back in, then puts the board back. The crowd inside bangs against a double glass door that’s chained and padlocked. Jacob tightens the chain. He puts his palms on the glass, and prays in Hebrew.

June tells Jacob she can’t tell him how much it meant. John says, it’s the least they can do; he kept Charlie safe. Jacob hooks up a new car battery. He asks how big the convoy is, and June says they’re up to 36. Jacob says, the mystics believe there are only 36 righteous people in the world at any given time. Maybe he’s met three tonight. June says they should go, but Charlie says she told Jacob that they’d help fix the fence. Jacob says they’ve done more than enough. Charlie says he helped her; let them help him. John gives Jacob a caramel candy, and Jacob gives John a yarmulke. John puts it on, and asks how he looks. Jacob says, goyish. Kind of like the Pope, but not bad. John puts his cowboy hat on over the yarmulke, which is both charming and funny.

June pikes a zombie near the fence, and Charlie tells her to pull Al’s tank in, but June is afraid it might bring whole thing down. She knows Charlie wants a place to settle, but it’s not big enough, and there’s no water source for miles. Charlie says, it’s not perfect, but it’s better than what they’re doing. Going on a run, and not know if home will be there when they get back. June asks if it’s about how it used to be, and Charlie asks if it’s really that different. June says, they’re different. They might have been in a caravan that went bad, but this won’t. Charlie tells her, she said the same thing then. June says the tanker is unprotected. This place isn’t what Charlie wants it to be. They need to get back to the convoy.

Dwight sips beer with Sarah, and says, not bad. He looks through the binoculars, and Sarah asks if there’s any sign. He says, not yet. They’ll be back. Sarah says, here’s to the road. Dwight says he can’t remember anything but. Sarah hears that. She and Wen have pounded the pavement since before the munchers started munching. Dwight says, at least they had each other. She asks how long he’s been hoofing it solo, and he says he lost track of time. She says, she’d go off the deep end, that long with no one to talk to. He says he almost did, and she asks if his gal kept him going. He says, walkers too. He’s been watching them, wandering around. Who knows how far they came from, or where they’re going. Life on the road forever. Sarah says, the hell with that. Dwight looks through the binoculars again, and says, sh*t. Logan’s guys. They found us.

Charlie asks if Jacob makes his own wine, and he says, Mogen David isn’t not easy to come by. He has a small vineyard out back, and a bit of a green. She says, he told her God led her there for a reason, and she thinks he may be right. Jacob says she looks better, and the eternal flame looks better; what the have is a win-win. Charlie wants to live there. They all can. John doesn’t think it’s a good idea, and she asks, why not? June says they need to get going, but Charlie says, they can go. She’s staying. Jacob says she should be with her people. He appreciates what they’ve done. Sarah radios June, who asks, what’s wrong? Sarah says, Logan tracked them down. June asks how he found them, and Sarah has no clue, but they’ve got to get the hell out. June says they’re on their way. The convoy abandons camp.

Inside the temple, the group hears zombie noises outside. Charlie wonders how they got in. Jacob tells Charlie, don’t worry. They’re not there because of her. They’re there because of him. She asks who they are, and he says, his congregation.

Jacob says, they put up fences, gathered food water, and managed for weeks. They ran low on supplies, so he left to find some. When he came back… June says, he found them like this. Sorry. Jacob says he’s sorry. They’re only there because they’re helping him. John says, they’re not done yet. Charlie says, if they stay quiet, the zombies will go away, but June says, that could take days. John says they’re on a tighter timetable than that. He has an idea.

John starts climb down a fire escape from the roof – the kind that’s like ladders hooked together – and June follows. It’s outside the reach of the zombies, but they’re still pretty close. John says, they can do this, and unhooks a ladder, dropping it onto the top of a truck. He hands June his gun. The zombies reach for him, as he jets across. One grabs his pant leg, but he kicks it good. June goes next. She’s a little slower, but makes it.

Sarah radios June, saying they’ll meet at the rendezvous. What these guys want, is what’s in the tanks. They’ll make sure they don’t get it. A voice on the radio says Dwight should have taken a shot while he had the chance. Sarah says, he knows this d*ck? and Dwight says, he had him, and let him go. He thought he was doing a good thing. Sarah says, no good deed, right? She radios June, and says they can use the assist. June says, working on it, as she and John struggle moving the ladder.

They move the ladder to the next truck. June goes first, with John following, but as he gets to the middle, he falls, still staying on the ladder. June shoots some of the closest zombies, and John scoots on his butt the rest of the way. Charlie and Jacob watch, and Charlie radios June, saying, they’re almost there. June starts across, but the ladder falls. She’s able to scramble back, but John and June are left stuck on top of a truck. Charlie says, what happened? and June says they’re not going to make it. She radios Sarah, and says it could take longer than they were thinking. John says they might be on their own.

John wonders how it happened. He guesses June was just in the right place. She says if she could explain it, she would. The zombies crowd around the car. Charlie says, okay. They’ll pick them off one by one. She asks Jacob how many bullets he has, but he says he can’t use bullets on them. John doesn’t think they have enough time. June says Charlie knows how to fix this; same as they used to. Charlie shakes her head, and says, no. She’s not giving this place up. Jacob says, it’s okay, but she says, it’s not, because she saw the light. He said God led her there. He says he shouldn’t have told her that. He doesn’t believe in God. He hasn’t for a long time. She says, because of what happened to them when he left? He says he didn’t go to get supplies. He started to lose faith. He  saw what was happening; what people were doing to each other. She asks why he left, and he asks how he could lead them if he didn’t believe? He looked for something to change his mind, but he didn’t find it. When he came back, they were already dead, and locked inside. It wasn’t pleasant. He’s alive because he left. He’s alive because he didn’t believe in God. If that isn’t a clear message, he doesn’t know what is. She says, what about the prayers? The lamp? He says it’s all he has left. Now he’s put her and her friends at great risk. He couldn’t let go. Don’t do the same. He tells her, don’t lose her people because she can’t let go of what thinks this place could be.

Charlie radios June, and says she’s right. They can fix this. She wipes tears from her face, and asks Jacob if he has anything that makes a lot of noise. As they shoot zombies, June tells John, maybe she missed it. He tells her not to get introspective at a  time like this. She says she’s one who kept them on the road. She thought it was the right thing. Every time they  settled… John says, it’s not the way she’d hoped, but maybe it would be the same on the road, or if they were stationery, given the current circumstances. Jacob blows the shofar, and the zombies all turn in his direction. They begin to stream into the temple, and Jacob tells Charlie, come on. She runs in, and they both run up to the balcony.

John and June pike the few zombies that are left, and run to the temple. They shut the doors and put a pole across, so the zombies can’t get out. Charlie and Jacob watch from the balcony. He says, sorry it didn’t end up being a place she could call home. The light sputters out, and all of us feel sad. Charlie says, it’s okay. Jacob says, Yeshua calls. He and Charlie leave out the back. I’m not Jewish, but this is breaking my heart a little.

Sarah says, turd in a toilet bowl, and tells Dwight that they’re running out of gas. He says they’re driving a tanker, but she says, it’s not bottomless mimosas. The tank isn’t connected. They come to a stop under a bridge. Sarah says, sh*t, and they get their guns ready. The cars following them pull up next to the truck. They just stare at each other, and Sarah tells Dwight they’re going down with the ship. She hopes they don’t end up crispy critters. He says it’s been fun riding with her, and she says, him too. Sarah stares at the driver in the car next to her again. He looks back for a moment, and the cars leave. Dwight wonders where they’re going, and Sarah says, something scared them off. She sees Al’s tank coming up the road, and breaths a sigh of relief.

June tells Charlie, it’s lucky she ran into a rabbi and not someone else. Charlie says, sorry. June says maybe she kept pushing everyone too hard. Saying they should find the right place. Maybe she’s holding onto an idea that’s not out there. Jacob asks what makes her think it is out there? and she says she doesn’t know. She just feels it. Jacob doesn’t know about them, but he’s going start looking again. Charlie asks, for what? and he says for what he needs to find. And he won’t stop until he finds it. John says they’ll have as much gas as they need after they make a run to the oilfields. June says, they’ll keep driving, and keep hoping they find the place they’re meant to be. Charlie says, they will.

Sarah puts gas in the truck. She introduces herself to Jacob, and says it’s good to have him with them. She asks if he knows how far it is to Yom Kippur. She has some things to atone for. He says she has some time yet. Dwight asks if she’s Jewish, and she says, Rabinowitz, card carrying member of the tribe. She asks Jacob if he’s every celebrated Shabbat with beer, and he says he makes his own wine. She says, her kind of rabbi.

John tells Dwight, at least Logan’s crew is off their back for the time being. Dwight tells John they’ve burned through a lot of gas. John bets he didn’t count on the cavalry showing up. He says from what he’s seen of Logan and his guys, they don’t do anything by accident.

Logan radios one of the men, who says, those a-holes are as far away as possible. All clear. That’s what Logan likes to hear. A woman in the car with him says they’re almost out of gas. He says, no, they’re not. We see a sign that says Lonesome Quarry, and the woman says they’re looking for oil, not rocks. Logan says, Doris, hang onto your hat. We’re about to buy ourselves a ticket to the Promised Land.

Next time, a roadblock, a showdown, and Doris calls Logan on his statement about the Promised Land.

⚓ A New Deck…

This time, Thai style.

https://people.com/tv/below-deck-season-7-trailer/

https://celebrityinsider.org/below-deck-season-7-premiere-date-revealed-315417/

🐶 Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut…

Behold Cashew, a French bulldog who loves his Cheerios.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BnCDcQVFiwR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

🔄 No and Yes…

No new General Hospital on Monday, but there is a new Below Deck Mediterranean.

😃 On Friday, It Was Exciting…

But a long weekend seems to go just as fast. Enjoy your extra day, if you have one.

Aug19

August 18, 2019 – Zombies At Bridgeview Mall, Competing To Be Real, the Newest Larissa & Sunday Blues

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

Fear the Walking Dead

A voice on the radio says he saw their video at the gas station. His name is Charles. He was called Chuck when there were people still around to call him Chuck. He asks, when they get there, do one thing – kill him. He got bit, and wants to help like they asked. Where he is, has everything they need under one roof; bookstores, places to get clothing, a food court, and even an urgent care unit. Anyone listening – if anyone is listening – by the time they get there, he’ll already be gone. He doesn’t have a gun, or he’d do it himself. We see zombies in a mall, and someone putting up boards to make a gate. He says he’s wearing a red jacket, and should be easy to spot; he’s holed up in the security office. He asks to be buried someplace outside. Under the stars.

A zombie toddles up to a wooden gate. A hand comes through from the other side, grabs the zombie by the collar, and repeatedly smashes it’s head against the gate. Dwight walks through, and says, sh*t. He wasn’t kidding. Morgan follows, along with Grace, and says, it’s like before. Dwight asks if Morgan thinks it will be enough, and Morgan says it will be. Grace grabs some jelly beans from a candy store, and says, let’s go find him. Dwight says he’ll stay there and pick up the strays. Morgan takes some candy, and Grace tells him, careful. The candy beansies could be jawbreakers now. He says, candy what?

Grace and Morgan go to the security office. They see one of their boxes there, but no Chuck. There’s an iPod in a charger on the desk, along with a note. Morgan asks if Grace talked to him, and shows her the note. It’s addressed to her, saying the iPod is loaded with some of Chuck’s favorites. He hopes they’re okay at double-speed. Grace says, no. He must have remembered what she said on the tape. He said he’d be there. They see a chair with broken ropes tied to it. Morgan says, it looks like he tied himself to it, until he turned. He must have broken loose and wandered off. Grace says, he couldn’t have gone far. Morgan asks if she’s okay, and she says her blood sugar is low. That’s why she grabbed the candy beansies. He says, what does she keep calling those? Dwight calls them to come.

The three of them look down at the zombies gathering on the ground floor, and Dwight says their voices must have drawn them out. Grace wonders if Chuck is down there, and Morgan says it might take a while to find him. Dwight says they’re thinking of going down there to kill someone who’s already dead? Morgan tells him, Chuck said he’d have on a red jacket. Suddenly, Grace keels over. Morgan asks Dwight to get the first aid kit. He tells Grace to stay with them.

Ooh. This week’s credits are creepy cool. The background is a weird-ass carousel in an empty field, and a little calliope music to go with it.

At the Lone Oak gas station, Daniel loads up Skidmark, and tells the others, they need to keep moving. He plays some music over his walkie.

Morgan says Grace’s name, and asks if she can hear him. He tells her that she passed out. She says, candy beansies aren’t what they’re called? and he says, no. Jelly beans. He asks if she’s all right. She says her mom was an interesting woman. She made up answers, and always had to be right. Grace says she thought jelly beans was a brand name. She’s glad she didn’t find out too late. He says, the generator is downstairs. It’s the best they’re going to do. He asks if what happened had anything to do with… Grace says, radiation? He asks if it’s just a matter of time, and she says, it could be anything; she doesn’t know. Morgan asks if there’s anything he can do. Dwight joins them, and asks if she’s okay. She says she just got a nap on a real mattress, with fresh sheets, and she faced the truth about jelly beans. She’s good. Dwight turns on his walkie, and they hear Daniel’s music. Dwight says Logan’s people were at a truck stop not far from there. What if Logan finds out where they are? Grace says they were careful, but Logan might have heard the same messages that brought them there. Dwight says, Logan is pissed about the gas, and Morgan says if Logan is hitting truck stops, they’ll need what’s in the mall more than ever. He tells Dwight to go back, and bring the trucks, so they can load them up. Send the kids out through the back roads. Grace says she’ll stay with Morgan, and Dwight goes to get her some water from the car.

Outside the mall, Dwight gives a flat of water to Morgan. Morgan tells him, be careful. Dwight says Morgan isn’t being careful. They both chose something else. They could have given up the oil fields. Morgan says, but other people needed them. Dwight says he’s already been on the wrong side. You turn off your conscience and heart. When that happens, it’s harder to turn back on. He wonders if they’re now going to live looking over their shoulders. Is that how it’s going to end with them? Morgan says he has faith in people; he has to. He has faith in Dwight already. If Logan’s men come at them, they’ll redirect them, and try to make it something other than a fight. Dwight says they might need more than that, but Morgan thinks he already said it. They’re not being careful; they’re doing right. He hopes Logan and his people see that. He goes back in, and Dwight takes the radio out. He calls Daniel, and asks where he is.

Grace listens to A Tale of Two Cities on the iPod. She watches the zombies, and loads a gun. We see a sign that says Bridgeview Mall. She’s about to walk down the escalator, when Morgan calls her name, and she stops.

Morgan tells her, they said they’d bury Chuck, but he wouldn’t want her to be in the ground next to him. Grace says she wasn’t going down there for him. She going for herself. She’s seen people die from radiation poisoning. She’s seen them get cancer. Every time she coughs or loses her breath or feels a butterfly in her stomach, she wonders if this is it. The beginning of the end for her. It’s no way to live. Morgan doesn’t understand, but she says, there’s an urgent care clinic off main concourse. They have an X-ray machine, and maybe an ultrasound machine, if she’s lucky. She wants to know. She needs to know. He asks how he can help, and she says help her get to the generator, and she can take care of the rest. He asks if there’s nothing that can be done, and she tells him there isn’t. He says, they’ve got work to do. Grace says, after that, they’ll find him.

Dwight stops to pee by the side of the road (why?), and someone holds a gun to his head. He asks if they’re with Logan. Whatever they came there for, they’re not going to find. He was hoping they’d follow him. Why else would he say where he was going on an open channel? A dude knocks him out with the gun butt. Dude says Dwight is right. He didn’t think Dwight would say that.

A remote-controlled car with metal scoops tied to the back (like tin cans on a newlywed’s car), lures the zombies. Morgan works it, and we can tell he’s having fun. He tells Grace, when they get to urgent care, they can get to the generator from the back halls. Morgan keeps moving the car toward a carousel, and they follow the zombies at a distance. Morgan sees the urgent care sign, but Grace is gone. A zombie kicks the car, and it gets trampled on. Grace follows a guy in a red jacket, and takes out a knife. She steps on something, and it makes a noise. The zombies turn around. Morgan sees what’s happening, and doubles back. Grace kills a zombie in a red jacket, but now they’re coming from the other side too. Grace and Morgan lock themselves in a GNC-type store.  Zombies clamor at the door. Morgan says, it’s done, and Grace says she thought it was Chuck, but the zombie was dead too long. Morgan says she was trying to help. He checks a door, and says, it’ll be all right. Dwight will be back in the morning. They’ll get to the generator. They just have to wait until Dwight gets back,

Dwight wakes up in a boxcar. Dude says he can’t figure out why Dwight would do a dumbsh*t thing like walk around with an unloaded gun. Dwight says, dumbsh*t like following him with a walkie, so he can find out where everyone else is? Dude says he reloaded Dwight’s gun. Dwight says, and Dude is going to shoot him unless he tells where the others are. What does Logan want with them anyway? He’s sure it started with good intentions, until it became their bread and butter. The question Dude has to ask himself is, is he just an a-hole now, or has he always been an a-hole? Dude says he’s always been an a-hole. At least according to his mama. He hits Dwight, and Dwight says look at his face. He’s been through worse, and from worse people. Dude says he’s sure he’ll think of something if Dwight doesn’t give him what he wants. Dwight says he can keep trying, and when Dwight gets free, they’ll see. Dude leaves the boxcar, pulling the door down.

Grace listens to her book, and Morgan gets them some protein drinks. She says it’s all her fault. Morgan says, she’s brave; making most of what she’s got. They should all be doing the same. She says she’s so not brave. He says she is, and he’s seen it. She says when she was eight, she loved horses. Her parents took her to a dude ranch. She’d never seen one up close, and saw a white mustang. She went up to it and put her hand on it. The horse turned away a bit, and it looked funny. She ran to her mother’s arms, and her mother tried to tell her it was a natural reaction. She tried to get Grace on the horse, but she wouldn’t go. Morgan says she was just a kid, and Grace says she kept screaming. She never went back. She started a life. She was great at her job, but not much else. It doesn’t matter now. Morgan says she can always find another horse to ride, and she asks if he’s seen one not torn to pieces. He says he has, and he’s ridden a couple. She says she’s still playing it safe. Doing what she can today, because she’s too scared to start something she won’t see to the end. Morgan asks, what if the ultrasound tells her something is wrong? Is there anything to be done? She says, before, she might have had a fighting chance, but no. She asks if he raced cars with his son. She doesn’t think she’s seen him smile like that before. She saw the tape. They’re here because he’s helping her with her problem. The least she can do is help him with his. She’s cooking pad tai and listening books on double speed; let her do something while she can. He says, it’s not the type of problem that can be fixed in a day. He looks at the zombies still at the door, and says they have another problem to deal with. The door starts to crack, and he says, let’s get to that generator.

Dude comes back with a gym bag, and Dwight asks if he brought back a pair of pliers. Dude says he’s been thinking about Dwight’s question, but he has no clue why Logan wants the gas. When you go that long without something, it makes you do crazy things to get it. He can understand that. Right, Dwight? Dwight asks how Dude knows his name, and Dude says you can’t go a mile without finding one of their tapes. When he saw Dwight’s part, he thought, he gets this guy. He’s broken up about what gets them all –snatch. He takes a plastic bag of letters out of the bag, and Dwight says, don’t touch that. Dude says, when you get good snatch and lose it, watch out. He tosses the letters on floor one by one. He reads from one, honey – that’s cute. He lights the corner on fire. Dwight starts to get up, and Dude says, that’s not a good idea. He’s going to burn them until Dwight tells him. Maybe he’ll find her himself. She sounds like a sweetheart. In a blink-and-you-miss-it move, Dwight gets the gun from Dude. Dude says, do it. Dwight’s an a-hole too, right? Dwight sees the letters, and says, right, knocking Dude out.

Morgan and Grace go through the back hallways. He tells her to turn off her headlamp. She says she won’t be able to see. He says he knows. He sees the zombies coming, and says he needs her to turn it off, and get down. Don’t overthink this. He’s got it. She does as he asks. He starts fighting the zombies, and she hears his stick fall. She turns her light back on, and sees that a zombie has Morgan down. She stabs it, and says, got it? He says, he would have, and thanks her.

They find the generator, and Grace says they always seem to end up around them. She tells him, it might take a minute, and she tinkers with the generator. He says, his boy was six when he got him one. He can’t remember why. Maybe good grades. Grace asks his son’s name, and he says, Duane. He used to race that car up and down street until it was too dark to see, and Morgan would smile. He’s always been a serious guy. Grace says, really? He says, except with his son. That’s how he knew it was right on the first date. He had on a giant, stupid smile all night afterward. Grace says she wouldn’t want to say goodbye to that either. He asks if she has somebody, and she says, no. He says, why not? and she says for the same reason she didn’t get on the horse. She met a guy who was smart and kind, and let her keep thinking jelly beans were candy beansies. It was right. That’s why she didn’t let it happen. She says she’s jealous of him. He did it. He went for it. He’s the brave one, not her. Now he has that smile. She gets the generator going, and everything in the mall turns on. Homage to Dawn of the Dead, I suppose?

They open the door, and Morgan pikes a zombie. They see the urgent care center. The zombies are headed for the arcade (no surprise), and Morgan and Grace struggle with the gate. The alarm goes off, and the zombies turn in their direction.

Grace shoots, and Morgan uses his pokey stick as they go to the escalator. Grace starts going up, and Morgan follows, but a zombie pulls him down. He struggles with it until Grace finally gets a clean shot. Morgan runs back up. He says, it’s the only way out, and asks how many bullets does she have? She gives him the usual answer of, not enough. He tries working the off switch, but the escalator keeps going, and the zombies keep coming. Grace tells him that she’s out. Morgan looks around for something to block them. As he pikes zombies, she finds an electrical box, opens it, and stops the escalator. She makes it go the other way. Morgan nearly slips down, but she pulls him back off. They go into a maintenance office, and Grace starts shutting things off. She finds a set of keys, and says, let’s go. They look out to a roof landing, and see Chuck. Morgan says, he’s alive.

Dwight opens the truck, and tells Dude, get out. He walks out behind Dude, and tells him, turn around. Dude says, just get it over with, and Dwight asks if Dude knows why the gun isn’t loaded. It’s because Dude is right. He’s an a-hole, or used to be one. The way things are going, he didn’t trust himself to not be that again. Someone gave him a second chance. The same chance he’s giving Dude. Dude asks what the hell Dwight is talking about. Dwight says, when Dude walks out of the woods, he has a choice to make. Go on being an a-hole, or figure out someone else to be. This is such a great moment, I almost cry. Dwight cuts Dude’s wrist ties off, and tells him, go. Dwight walks back to the truck.

Grace says, Chuck. Chuck says, they came. Morgan says they’ve been looking for him, and Check says, sorry about changing things up. He didn’t know how much time he had, and figured he’d make his move while he could. The zombies followed him up the stairwell. He hopes they didn’t cause any headaches. Grace says they had no problems whatsoever. She asks why he’s up there, and he says he wasn’t sure how long they’d be. He’d asked them to bury him under the stars, and he got to thinking if he could make it to the roof, he could see them one last time. It was his luck that it’s a cloudy night. At least he’s got company now. Grace says she’ll be right back. She has something she thinks could help. Morgan sits next to Chuck.

Grace brings back one of those things that makes stars on the ceiling. She sets it up so that it shines on an overhang. Chuck says, it’s perfect, and thanks her. They all smile.

Morgan buries Chuck outside. Grace puts a stuffed turtle on the grave. They stand in silence.

Back inside, they go to urgent care. Morgan says he’ll wait by the door, in case any more stragglers come by. Grace says she doesn’t want to know. He says, sorry; what? She says she doesn’t want to die.  She wants to make it. She believes there’s more, no matter what happens. He says, that’s brave, and she laughs. She says, it’s being alive; really alive. She tells him, sorry to make him go through all this, and he says they did what they came there to do. She says, they did. He says Dwight will be back with the others in a few hours. They should get some sleep. She says she’s not tired, and says she knows there’s juice left in the generator.

Grace rides on the carousel. She asks Morgan if he’s going to make her ride by herself. He says he is, and she tells him. come on. He gets on, and they laugh. She says he looks like a natural.

The caravan gets to the mall. Morgan and Grace come out to meet them. Daniel hopes there’s a Cinnabon; he really likes those. Morgan says he didn’t see one. Daniel asks if there’s a Sin City, but Morgan doesn’t think so. Daniel says, a Bunnery? and Morgan says, no. Dwight walks up, and Morgan asks, what happened? He says he ran into one of Logan’s guys on the road. He let the guy go. He’s not doing careful. Morgan says, he’s doing right. Dwight says they should get out, so Logan’s guys don’t find them here. Tess says they passed a ranch that needs to be cleared, but they’ll help.

Daniel cuts Dwight’s hair and gives him a shave, as Grace listens to the end of her book. I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss. I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous and happy. I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts, and in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence. It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known. Dwight is now clean shaven. Morgan looks around and smiles. Daniel asks what he’s smiling about, and Morgan says, no reason.

Morgan approaches Grace’s truck. She says she’s got them gassed up, and she grabbed some protein bars. He says he’s not going. I say, nooo. He says, Al is out there on her own. She should have backup. He thinks that’s where he ought to be. Grace says, of course, and he tells her, be safe. He’ll see her soon. She nods, and says, see him soon. He leaves, and she looks as disappointed as I feel. She watches him get in his car, and a tear rolls down her cheek. He sees her in the rearview mirror, and watches her as he drives away, wiping tears from his face.

The episode ends with us all feeling cheated out of a romance we were sure was coming.

Next time, Alicia is in trouble, Logan demands to be told where the oil fields are, a new guy joins the crew, and Morgan says, what if?

🍸 The Struggle Is Real…

I don’t know about Desperate or Real, but these two would be perfect on Mob Wives.

https://pagesix.com/2019/08/17/meet-the-women-vying-to-become-real-housewives/

🗽 So I Guess She’s Staying Here…

I can’t keep up with Larissa’s court saga any more than I can keep up with how many procedures she’s had.

https://radaronline.com/photos/ex-90-day-fiance-star-larissa-shows-off-body-after-messy-divorce-plastic-surgery/

😔 Almost Right…

Not so much a blue Sunday, but blue because it’s Sunday. I will never, ever get the 60 Minutes clock ticking out of my Sunday head.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aug12

Augest 11, 2019 – Spreading the Wealth, October Return, the Days Before 90 & Sarah’s Anthem

Posted on by
Standard

What I Watched Today

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

 

Fear the Walking Dead

A lot of this episode was comprised of interviews with the characters, being put together for what’s basically a PSA.

Al is filming. We see one of the boxes that says, take what you need – leave what you don’t. Morgan says he was on the run. Al asks, from what? and he says, people. Somebody helped him, and that’s what this is all about. A zombie goes by. Alicia says clean-up was her job. It’s what she was good at. She took a step back, and figured out what she needed to keep going; keep helping. Daniel says he thought that’s where he’d be spending the rest of his days, alone with that cat. This is better. Grace says, she gets up, counts her regrets, puta them on her shoulders, and starts the day. Want you do with the time you have left? That’s the question. Victor says the universe is testing them. One becomes born to do something else; a survivor. There’s power in that. John says, money means nothing now. People who were sitting on piles of money, eating caviar out of ladles could have done something in the world. They missed their chance. This group is lousy with skills. That’s wealth today, and they’re glad to spread the wealth. He tasted caviar once, and it tasted like bait. June says, things change. She reached out to someone, and someone else reached out to her. If they make it spread, it means everything. Duane says he has a chance to do what he needs to do, and he’s taking it. Charlie says when they helped as people, things got better. Luci says, everything else was training for this.

Morgan says they landed the plane, and they did the impossible, a few people noticed. That’s all they needed. Al asked if they’ve saved people, and he says, at least a few. He hasn’t stopped driving since he got the radio message. We flash back to Morgan hearing a woman’s voice on the radio, saying, can you help me?  Al asks, what about communal living? He says they’re still working on that. It’s easier to see what other people need help with. A zombie comes toward the camera, and Morgan kills it. He asks if she’s okay, and she says, let’s get back to it.

Al says after what happened, she wanted to make sure she wasn’t the only one doing this. She’s not used to this side of the camera. It’s been a long while. She knows how important the story is.

John opens a truck. In a voiceover, Morgan says, after they were contacted, they knew there were more out there. So they picked up more trucks, and covered more ground. Morgan asks Sarah if she’s heard anything, but she says. the radio is all quiet.

Sarah fills a big gas truck. She says this is how they keep humming. Polar Bear’s dudes hooked them up. They fill it every couple of weeks. Logan was right about one thing; gas is going kaput. It’s hard enough to get around. Daniel says someone drives behind to keep everything safe. People want to get it, and hopefully, their presence discourages that. Sarah says Logan wanted the gas for himself. He thought he’d fool them twice with the good Samaritan stuff, but they got him good.

Logan runs after the truck, yelling for them to stop, as they leave him in the dust. Sarah says, karma is a bitch. Technically, what they did to Logan wasn’t any different from what they did to Clayton, but this felt good.

Duane says he got lucky. He fell in with the right folks this time. He’s doing the polar opposite of what he used to do. If he does this for the rest of his life, he won’t make up for what he’s done, but he’ll know he did good. And being on the road, he can find her… Maybe. Daniel says, Duane won’t let him give him a haircut. Duane says, it doesn’t matter what he looks like. Daniel says it wouldn’t take much to make him look presentable.

Alicia explains that she rides in the lead vehicle. Morgan gives Alicia a pokey stick lesson. In her interview, Alicia thinks change is good. It’s what she needed. Victor kicks some zombie ass. Al says tell her about Alicia. Victor says she’s his friend. He wasn’t there when she needed him, but he’s with her now, and doing what he can.

June says she and Grace are in charge of the caravan. Everyone they’re helping is spaced so far apart. Grace says they try to keep the people comfortable between outposts. She and June set up a little camp. Grace makes a list. A zombie wanders in, and June tells everyone to get in the truck. In her interview, she says they’ll find a place to call home – eventually. There has to be a right place. June plays with her pseudo engagement ring. Al asks, when’s the wedding? but June says they have more important things to do. As far as she’s concerned, they’re already married. In John’s interview, he says June has his word and heart. That’s all that matters in this world. Al notices Grace checking her lymph nodes, and Grace says she wakes up wondering if today is the day she’ll feel sick. It used to stop her from doing things, but now she does as much as she can with what she has.

Morgan says when they were on the plane, he never pictured them coming this far. He feels good about what they’re doing, and seeing what it’s doing for everybody. Al asks what it’s done for him, and he says he might not have had the answer before he met Tess.

Luci radios Morgan, saying they need some help, and he asks where they’re going. He pulls up to a farmhouse. Luci says they tried to reach her husband on the walkie. From inside, Tess radios Luci, saying she doesn’t know what’s taking so long. Morgan asks if she can come out, but she says she can’t. They rigged the field, and she doesn’t know where they are. John joins them, and Morgan wonders what she’s talking about, when a zombie comes through the gate, and blows up. John says, landmines. Pieces of zombie rain down on them. Morgan asks, how many more? but Tess doesn’t know. John says the noise is going to bring more, and Morgan says they have to fix the fence.

Sarah listens to Convoy in her truck, and sings along over the radio. In her interview, Charlie says, they like their trucker music. Duane says, it’s all they listen to. Daniel says, this is not music. Sarah says, it’s not just music; it’s their anthem. It’s how they stay in touch when Wen is watching the kids in tanktown. Daniel says, they should have shot Logan in the mouth as soon as he opened it. No more words. He’s proven worth of his words.

Tess says the landmines were put everywhere. Morgan says they have to keep the zombies away from the fence. He asks where Tess’s husband went, and she says to the drugstore for an inhaler. Their son has asthma. Morgan asks if he’s okay, and she says, yes… no… yes. Morgan says they’ll send people to look for him. He asks her if she won’t come out in the meantime, and see what they look like. She asks about the cameras, and John suggests turning them off, but Al says, no. It’s important. Morgan says they’re recording so they can show people what they’re about. Al says not many people saw what they did, and they’re trying to figure the best way to get the message out. So people know they’re not full of crap. John radios Alicia and June. Morgan asks why Tess can’t leave, and Tess says she hasn’t left since things went bad. They have supplies. John says a map of the landmines would have helped. Morgan says it took him a long time to leave the first place he was in. Tess says her husband will be back soon. Morgan wants to make sure her boy gets what he needs. A zombie starts to come through the gate, but John shoots it. John tells Morgan, he said it would draw a crowd. Does he think they can find her husband? Morgan says they crashed a plane and put it back together. They should be able to find a husband. In John’s interview, he says it hit close to home with each of them in their own particular way.

June looks for medical supplies in a pharmacy. She radios Morgan, saying, there’s no inhaler. In her interview, she says, Tess needed to leave the house, and couldn’t. That’s what happens when you settle in one place too long. Things go bad. In Alicia’s interview, she says they thought they should split up to cover more ground. Alicia finds the tree with the message, if you’re reading this, you’re still here. June radios, asking if anyone sees anything. Victor says, nothing, but Alicia says she sees a message on a tree. In her interview, she says her mom looked for a little bit of good when she went out in the world. She would have liked this. We go back to Alicia by the tree. A zombie approaches her, and Victor pikes it from behind. She says she hasn’t killed since after the plane crash. She doesn’t want to go back there.

Morgan goes around the fence. In his interview, John says, a woman with a son; that’s what Morgan lost. Al asks Morgan if he wants to talk about it. He says, no. John says when he was a cop, he and his partner went for whole shifts without saying anything. They knew what made each other tick, and had each other’s backs. He was a good partner. Morgan says, John’s not a good talker. At least not always. Neither is he. At least not always. John tells Morgan that he’ll cover him. Al follows with the camera. Morgan starts to follows the fence, but the zombies pressing against it are too heavy, and that panel falls in. They blow up, and John says it’s the ugliest mustard he’s ever seen. His grandfather worked in a deli, and used to say that. In his interview, Morgan says, it was intense. John says Morgan has to get to the porch before… There’s another explosion; Morgan and Al duck. In Al’s interview, she says, words can’t describe it. Zombies keep blowing up. Morgan asks if everything is all right inside, and Tess says, yeah. Morgan radios June, asking where the inhaler is. Victor says the tree wasn’t the only remarkable thing they came across. June says, a walker came at Alicia. Not just any walker. Alicia says, it was him. June says, it was Tess’s husband. June takes inhaler out of a backpack.

Morgan says they don’t know how close the mines are to house, but runs toward it. In his interview, he says it was loaded for him. He knew from the moment he talked to them. Al says, because what happened to his wife and son? and he says, yes. He continues to move toward to house, and slams a zombie. Al says, don’t move… your left foot… sh*t. Morgan tells John not to come any closer; he doesn’t want anyone else get hurt. John says it could take a while, he might as well have company.

Victor drives up. June has the inhaler. John says they don’t know how many of these things there are. Tess asks what’s going on, and Morgan says they have the inhaler. She needs to come out. She says, Ben will be back. He can get it, and help them too. Morgan tells her, Ben’s not coming back. They found him. He got what they needed. Can she come out? She insists he’s coming back, and Morgan says she can’t bring herself to say goodbye. June gets it; it’s hard. Morgan says if she’s not coming out, he’ll have to get inside. June wonders if Al should put the camera down, but Morgan says, they need to see this. Al says she’s dealt with landmines before. It’s either a dud or a pressure release device. They won’t know until they see what it is. Al tells Morgan to dig the dirt from around it gently, so they can see what they’re up against. John gives him a pocketknife. Once the device is exposed, Al tells him how to rig it, so it doesn’t explode. He asks how sure she is, and she says, 50/50.  He says he had something planned for tonight. Something he thinks they all need. John tells him, don’t make any final pronouncements, but Morgan says he’s not doing that. He’s saying it’s still on. He says, on three, but Tess comes out, and tells him, wait. What he’s using won’t work. She’s seen Ben do it a hundred times before. Morgan tells her, stay back, but she says she can help. She wants to help. She knows he’s not coming back.

She carefully walks toward Morgan, and gives him some kind of clip, saying, he used these. Al explains to slide the pin in where the holes line up, and lift his foot slowly to release the pressure. He follows her instructions, and June asks if they think it will hold. John thinks Al should back up, and Morgan says they all should. They back away, but Luci has the camera and keeps filming Morgan. He steps away, and says, let’s go. In her interview, Luci says, she hadn’t gone out in two years. June says, she did today. To help Morgan. Morgan says, because he was there to help her. June asks how he feels, and there’s an explosion where he’d been standing. Tess comes out with her son. In Morgan’s interview, he says he didn’t think she’d come out. Al asks, why not? He says, you can hear somebody’s gone, even see for yourself, and you still can’t believe it. Sometimes you just can’t say goodbye. Morgan hands the boy the inhaler.

The group makes dinner at the campsite. Morgan says he’s been wanting to do it for a while, and they finally could. Grace is making pad thai, and says the recipe has been on her refrigerator for years, and this is what it took for her to make it. She’s just missing peanuts. I wonder if she memorized it, or took it with her just in case. Tess is interviewed, and she says Ben didn’t think everyone was bad. He just thought they needed to stay put to survive where they were, and help would come. He was right. She thanks them, and hugs her son. John says, there’s a proud tradition of eating noodles around a campfire with this group. Morgan asks Alicia if she wants to practice tomorrow, but she says she’s working on something on her own. In her interview, she says she wants to know who’s painting the trees. She wants to find them.

Sarah pulls up, with the others. Everyone laughs and eats. At their happiest, I don’t think they’ve ever looked this content on The Walking Dead. In his interview, Morgan says, you never know where help will come from, but we all need it. Al asks if he’s talking about Tess or himself. He’d said he didn’t think he could answer before Tess. He says he knew he needed help with something, but he didn’t know what it was. It’s been long time since lost them. He still hasn’t said goodbye. He thinks he needs to, but doesn’t know how.

On camera, Alicia says she needs help finding her own way to make things better. John needs to figure out how to make the world like it used to be. June needs to find a place for them. One that won’t be like other the other places they’ve been. Grace says there are things she wants to do. Victor wants to make the most of his second chance. Daniel wants to be a man his daughter would have been proud to call dad. Duane says, he wants to end the day knowing he tried to make someone else’s day better. Charlie wants to do right by the people who took a chance on her. Sarah says she’s keeping the rig chugging for the poet of pavement. Al says she’s making sure their stories aren’t just interviews on paper. She started filming so they’d have it, but it’s become so much more.

Each person says a piece of the end (and I paraphrase). No one can do it on their own. That’s why they made the tape. They need people. That’s how they’ll last. When everyone is helping one another. So if you’re watching, pick up a radio, or leave food, do something, anything. Help yourself. Help us. Help everyone. When everyone starts helping, that’s how they’ll help everyone.

A TV goes to black. A guy (whose name we’ll find out later, is Wes) picks up his knapsack and radio. He listens at the back door, and notices there’s a padlock on it. He takes some snacks, looks at the take what you need, leave what you don’t box – with the phrase help how you can now added – breaks the lock on the door, and walks out of Long Oak Gas. He fills his bike tank. He sees two cars coming, and says, sh*t. A bunch of uniformed people with guns get out of the cars, led by Logan (sans uniform). Wes says he doesn’t want trouble, and Logan says neither does he. There’s something Wes needs to see. He tosses a worn-through pair of boots down, and says, that’s what happens to shoes you walk two hundred miles in. The dead walk; we weren’t meant to. He spent a lot of time clearing the roads, and can’t make use of his own handiwork because their gas was taken. One of Logan’s people takes Wes’s bag, while another siphons the gas out of his bike. Logan asks Wes where the oilfields are. Forget the horse sh*t. Wes says he’s ignorant of said horse sh*t. He’s not with those people who made the tape. Horse sh*t of a different kind. Logan says he likes Wes, but wants to make sure he can’t follow. Two of Logan’s people shoot the tires on Wes’s bike. Logan says, unless Wes wants to join the marching band – he points to a few zombies headed toward the station – he might want to get out.  Wes asks, how? Logan says, call them. When they pick up, tell them they’re making more enemies than friends out there. He tosses Wes a radio, and says they have more bullets than they know what to do with. One of his cronies shoots in the air.

They drive off. Wes looks at the radio.

Next time, Morgan says they’re doing right, Dwight is knocked out by an unknown assailant, Daniel says they need to keep moving, and a working escalator!

💀 Not to rush the season, but The Walking Dead will be back on October 6th.

💍 Two Repeats and a Catfish…

Meet the couples on the new season of Before You Even Think Of That Green Card 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days.

https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/pictures/90-day-fiance-before-the-90-days-season-3-cast/

https://www.tlcme.com/shows/90-day-fiance/photo-galleries/meet-the-new-couples-of-90-day-fiance–before-the-90-days-season

🚚 Thanks Sarah…

Because now it’s stuck in my head. Just sharing the wealth.