What I Watched Today
(rambling, random thoughts & annoyingly detailed recaps from real time TV watching)
The Walking Dead
Rick says it’s been a while since they had a talk. He does most of the talking anyway. He’ll keep it short. We don’t see who he’s talking to, but my guess is Negan.
Today is day 35. Things are taking shape. Not that long ago, they were fighting just to stay alive. It’s not like that anymore. They’re building and growing. They’re ready to deal with world on its own terms, but not letting it define them. They’re getting back a piece of how it used to be; how things were before this. it’s all happening. They’re not just fighting to survive anymore. They’re making a new beginning. Rick looks out from a platform over the new world.
Ezekiel says Henry should be proud. Someday, he’s going to cross the bridge with his grandchildren, and tell them how he built it. Henry thinks that would be a boring story, but Ezekiel says, it’s the lifeblood of civilization. Without it, there would be no trade. The structure connects them all. Be proud. He tells Henry to be ready in an hour; he’s going home. Carol gives Henry his pokey stick. She thinks he’s taller. Ezekiel says he’ll be in college before they know it. He’d stay to drive in the last nail if Henry didn’t have school. Carol says she’ll be heading back after. Ezekiel tells her, fairy tales and heroes live forever, but in this world, it’s about finding small moments. It’s just good-by for now; he’s not giving up on fairy tales.
Eugene tells Rick that with the spring rains, they have six to nine days before the dam overflows, but he thinks they can beat it. Rick says he’ll talk to the foreman. Rosita thinks should push along the blasting. Rick asks Eugene about runoffs, and he says they’ve been down in the last six in past months Zzzz… and that doesn’t stand for zombies.
At the infirmary tent, Siddiq tells Cyndie she’s lucky her wound didn’t get infected. Tara says she’s ready to take on anything. Rick tells Eugene that there’s a bug going around. Eugene tells him that Alexandria is slim on supplies, and it’s getting slimmer by the day.
Michonne rides into Hilltop. She tells Maggie that the Sanctuary didn’t get the supplies. Maybe the delivery guys were taken out or went AWOL. She’s hoping Maggie can tide them over. Jesus thinks they can do it, but Maggie is hesitant. Until they get fuel for the tractor, their yield will be short. Michonne asks what about the plow from museum, but Maggie doesn’t have what she needs to fix it. Michonne asks how long Earl is going to be locked up, but Maggie hasn’t decided. Michonne says that’s why they need to start talking rules, so there isn’t another situation like with Gregory. Maggie asks if Michonne thinks she should have let Earl walk. Michonne says, no. She hates what he did to Maggie and Enid, but if keeping him locked up means crops aren’t planted, it’ a problem. Maggie says they’ll be fine, but until the ethanol shows up, she can’t plant. She offers for Michonne to spend the night. Michonne takes her up on it, and Jesus says he’ll get her set up.
Ricks’ crew works on the bridge. Aaron tells Daryl about an exploding diaper, and Daryl says, good times… Aaron thinks Daryl will be a great dad, and Daryl laughs. Henry gives out water. Savior Justin takes a cup and wants more. When Henry won’t give it to him, Justin pushes Henry down, and takes it. Andy uses the side of his pokey stick to knock Justin down. Another Savior tells Justin that he had his ass handed to him by a kid too – although he was six at the time. Daryl tells Justin, the kid was just doing his job. Get back to work. Justin says, don’t tell him what to do, and Daryl punches him. He throws sand in Daryl’s face, and they start to scuffle.
Eugene is telling Rick about his scheme to turn expired food stuffs into gazpacho, when Rick hears the fighting on the bridge. He runs over, and tells them, break it up. He gets in between Daryl and Justin, and tells them to go back to work. Daryl asks if that a-hole gets a free pass. Rick doesn’t like it either, but the bridge needs to get done. Daryl says some of the Saviors have walked off already. They’re not going to fall in line just because he says so. Carol says they never had to work together; he can’t expect them to just forget. Rick says it’s about moving ahead together. If they keep doing that, they’ll see they’re all on the same side. Daryl says, are they? Rick says, you tell me, and Daryl says he’s trying to, but Rick doesn’t want to hear it. Daryl walks away, and Carol says, it’s complicated. He’s been different since Gregory, maybe before. Rick wants her to talk to him, and she says, and say what? Rick says she gets what he’s trying to do. She says he’s doing the right thing, but for some aren’t ready for it. He tosses A Key to the Future on the table.
Michonne hears talking outside. Jesus is telling Tammy, not today. She asks, when? She deserves an answer. Since her husband has been locked up, no one talks to her. She doesn’t have much, but she still has rights, and they can’t take those away. Jesus says Earl tried to kill Maggie. Give her time to figure it out. Tammy says, tell Maggie that she’s not moving until she’s allowed in there. She has no place else to be.
Michonne tells Jesus that Maggie should talk to Tammy about it. Jesus says she’ll do what she wants. Maggie asks what he thinks, but he says it’s not his call. Michonne asks if he agrees. He doesn’t know if the hanging was for everyone, Maggie, or both. He’s not against Tammy seeing her husband. Michonne tells him to talk to her; Maggie trusts him. He trusts her, but no one is right all the time. Michonne says that’s why they need to build something bigger than all of them.
Anne does a sketch, while Gabriel dictates the features. He says she’s talented, coming from a half-blind art critic. She says she likes doing it; it’s intimate, and makes her feel like one of them. He says she is, and she says, thanks to him, Rick, and Morgan. They reached out. He says the others will come around. No one trusted him at first either. Anne says they had good reason not to trust her, and Gabriel says, him too. Rick reached out; he’s good like that. Anne says, he’s not the only one, and takes his hand. He says that’s his job; being there.
Maggie tells Jesus they can move the school trailer until the heat wave is over. Eww! Imagine all those dead during a Georgia heat wave. No thanks. Jesus says he’s been thinking about how much she’s done for them. He wonders if she’s thinking about joining Oceanside. She doesn’t think they’ll get tired of asking, but she’s busy building a future there. He says Tammy is asking to see Earl; he’s been there over a month. Maggie asks if Jesus thinks she’s unfair. He thinks some decisions are too big for one person. That’s why they have laws. Michonne isn’t wrong. She’s a good person, and good people disagree.
Maggie takes Tammy to Earl’s cell. Tammy tells Earl that she’s been trying to see him every day. He says he’s okay; they’re treating him fair; more than he deserves. He was twenty years sober, and brought shame on himself. She says he made a mistake, and lost himself, but he came back. She forgives him. it’s not her forgiveness he needs though. He misses their son.
Enid blows something up. Decrepit zombies trundle through the woods toward the sound.
Maggie approaches Earl’s cell. She never thought when he helped her build them, he’d be the first person in one. She asks him to tell her about the drinking. How did he get there? He says he started drinking after he quit smoking. He was always a bad drunk. He was drunk the day Ken was born. He can’t remember the first time he saw he saw him. He joined AA when Ken was two. They were barely making ends meet, and the stress got to him. On the way to pick Ken up, he saw the sign for McDuffy’s. The sitter could smell the whiskey on him, and tried to grab his keys. He put his son in the truck, and the next thing he remembers is being pulled off the road. Tammy was there; he guesses the sitter called and told her that he was drunk. She took him home, and he thought she’d be gone, but she stuck around. She said he was sick, and swore they’d stay together no matter what. He never took drink after that. He wasn’t even tempted until… Maggie knows the rest. She thanks him, and starts to go. He asks why she hanged Gregory, but not him. He was drunk and weak, but what he did was in him. Gregory didn’t make him do anything. Maggie asks if he thinks she made a mistake? He says, no, and she says, good, and leaves.
Enid watches from a cherry picker, and radios Rick on the bridge. She tells him they’re on schedule, and Rick says, okay, let’s do this. Enid tells Jerry, crank it up, and he starts up a crank siren. A Savior whose name I don’t remember tells Rick that the Saviors making the supply delivery never got there. The people at the Sanctuary are getting worried. They want guns. Rick says they were disarmed for a reason. The Savior says they’re scared. Rick says he’ll protect them. The Savior says, if they work for him, they’ll protect him; who does that sound like? Jerry can’t get the alarm to work a second time. Enid radios Rick that it’s not going off. If the zombies aren’t diverted, they’re going to run right into his crew.
The horses start to get antsy. Daryl senses trouble. Zombie start coming. Daryl does a ballet move, and spears a couple of them in the head, but a zombie crowd forms quickly. He thinks they should get the hell out, but logs tumble down from a pile, and Aaron gets pinned. Daryl tries moving the log from on top of Aaron, but the zombies are getting closer. Aaron tells him to go. Daryl kills a few more, and gets someone’s attention to help get the log off of Aaron’s arm, which is pretty messed up. He pulls Aaron up from the ground, and they try to jet, but aren’t fast enough. A zombie grabs Daryl’s shoulder, but Rick and his crew arrive, slicing, dicing, and shooting arrows, Carol and Ezekiel join them. Rick shoots the rest of the logs, and they slam into the zombies. I laugh because it’s a little Three Stooges looking.
In the infirmary tent, Enid tells Aaron the bad news. Amputation and cauterization are the only way to stop the bleeding. Aaron is like, wait a minute, as we all would be. Daryl says, sorry, and ties off Aaron’s arm. Enid tells Daryl to hold him, and reads the instructions from a book. Aaron says, do it, and she does. He screams.
In one of the tents, Carol tells Justin that she doesn’t give a sh*t. Daryl says he was supposed to turn the herd. Justin says the walkie wasn’t charged. Daryl says, it’s solar, and he didn’t check? Justin says it’s not his fault the radio is sh*t. Daryl lunges at him, but Carol tells him to stop; he’s out of control. Some of the kids stand there watching. Carol says, don’t deal with him like this, but Daryl says, it’s the only way to deal with these a-holes.
Michonne visits Maggie. She says Maggie has done something amazing with this place. Maggie says she knows what Michonne came to do. She’s thought about it; talking about common law, but she’s not giving up the right to do what she thinks is best. Michonne says, what’s best for everyone? Maggie says, what’s best for Hilltop, and Michonne says, neither will they. Maggie asks Jesus to load up the food like she promised. She tells Michonne that Earl till owes a debt. He can pay it by working under supervision. She’s going to get the plow fixed, and the field planted. Michonne asks, what changed? Maggie says her daddy drank. He was a good man, and if he hadn’t gotten a second chance, a lot of people would have been worse off. Michonne counts herself as one of them. Maggie says, but Gregory had chance after chance, and he wasted them. She doesn’t regret what she did. Some people can be redeemed; others can’t. Michonne asks, who makes that decision? and Maggie guesses it’s one of the things they have to figure out.
Justin tells Rick to keep his dog on a leash, referring to Daryl. He tried to kill him over nothing. Rick says he knows Justin. He used to be a cop. Every Saturday night, he’d pick up a dipsh*t like him, trying to blame someone else for their own damn problems. Justin says he doesn’t have to listen, but Rick says he does. Rick gave him the benefit of the doubt. That’s done. Pack his sh*t, and get out in the morning. If Rick sees his face again, even stitches won’t fix it. Justin says he wouldn’t stay if Rick begged him to, and he’s not waiting until morning.
Rick tells Aaron it’s going to be all right, which is easy for him to say. He would have died if the wound had gotten infected. Rick sits, and says he’s sorry. They were all supposed to be working together, and he thought they were. He knows he was pushing hard, putting the project first, and he paid the price. Aaron says it’s worth it. When the dead started to rise, he thought he was seeing the end of everything. Rick changed all that. It’s not the end of the world anymore. It’s the start of a whole new one. He’ll always be glad he was there to be a part of it.
Gabriel and Anne sit near a pong. Gabriel says those are frog mating calls. There’s a wild frog party going on. Anne says, that’s a strange thing to know, and Gabriel tells her that he grew up playing in the woods. It sounds like home. She asks if he knows the woman he had her draw. He says he doesn’t ask her secrets, and she asks if that’s who she was; a secret lover perhaps. He says it was nothing like that. She was the organist at his church. He cared for her very much, but was afraid and lost her. Anne thought he was supposed to be celibate, but he says he’s Episcopal, not Catholic. His vows don’t prohibit him from… He kisses her, and she kisses back. Wow. I didn’t see that coming. Gabriel says he’s supposed to be on watch. She says, then watch, and kisses him again.
Everyone jokes around the campfire. Carol asks Ezekiel if he’s still carrying the old ring around. She just wants to try it on for a while. He tries to get on one knee, and she tells him, no. He says he wrote a speech, and she says she’s sure he did. He can read it to her later. He puts the ring on her, and they smile at each other. Rick watches.
Rick says, it was a hard day. The hardest in a while. A man lost his arm; the project fell behind schedule; people were at each other’s throats. As bad as it was, when the day was done, they came together. Not all of them, but enough. They chose to be together. See what he’s getting at? No matter what happens, it’s human nature to come together. It’s what they do.
Negan (I was right) says, it’s a real pretty picture Rick is painting. When does he get to see it? Rick says, never. He’s going to die behind bars. He knows that. Negan says, then as a final request, why doesn’t he bring… Rick asks if he ever gets tired of acting still he’s still in charge. Negan asks, does he? Does Rick think because they had a weenie roast he has it locked? When everything goes to sh*t – and it will – make sure to come back and tell him. Rick says they’re thriving without Negan. They’re building a future, like he said. Negan asks, for who? Carl? Rick tells Negan not to speak Carl’s name. Negan says Rick’s family is gone; the same as his. The bridge isn’t the future. It’s a monument to the dead. Rick isn’t saving the world. He’s just getting it ready for Negan.
In the cherry picker, Anne hears something, and looks up. She sees a helicopter flying across the night’s sky.
Justin walks along the road in the dark, alone. He’s drinking, which probably isn’t the brightest idea. He tosses the bottle, so he’s a litterbug too. He hears something, and brings out a sword. Someone comes out of the woods who he recognizes. He says they could have gotten themselves killed… What the hell?
Next time, the future belongs to all of them, rioting starts, and Maggie and Daryl walk a road together.
😔 Tonight’s episode was dedicated to Scott Wilson aka Herschel.
💍 Tonight was the finale of 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days. The Couples Tell All is their version of a reunion, where at least one cast member has to SKYPE in because they didn’t get their visa or it didn’t work out. This time, there were several, and it was probably the messiest Tell All ever. Fingers in faces, walkouts, Shaun Robinson the worst host in the world. I read there’s an internet petition to get rid of her. A sad show made even sadder. That’s not to say it wasn’t the best thing since the invention of reality TV. One couple never even made it to meeting each other, and was a no show. Darcey and Jesse went from Jesse claiming he was going to file charges, to hugging it out. Karine announced she was pregnant, and Paul asked for another DNA test. Ricky decided to stay with his ex-wife, making him look like even more of an idiot, and leaving Ximena grateful she didn’t get more involved. Angela broke up with Michael, who was on SKYPE, because he brought up their age difference once again. It was apparently once too many. She ended up taking it out on Rachel when the couples present at the studio were brought together. We also found out that Michael did not steal all of Angela’s money when she gave him her PIN, and it was a bank error, probably the biggest surprise of the season. The only disappointment was that John wasn’t there in person, since I’m sure he would have had a fistfight with someone. After taking copious notes throughout the season, I’ll be submitting my analyzation of these couples in the near future.
👰 Almost Wife Meets Sister Wife…
Because being involved with one bad situation isn’t enough.
✈ Say It Ain’t So…
Looks like not-so-Juicy Joe might be getting the boot to the boot.
🐷 Best Music Video In a While…
What I Watched - TV With Theresa 