Tag Archives: Walking Dead

Apr9

April 8, 2018 – The Battle of Negan & Simon, a Little Atlanta, a Dash of Potomac & Bye-Bye Weekend

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Rick reads Carl’s letter and gazes out the window. Carl talks about his eighth birthday, and other things he remembers from how it used to be. Tears rolls down Rick’s cheeks. It’s not just the stuff that happened, but how Carl felt, special and safe. He thought growing up would mean a family and a job, but it means keeping those you love safe. He wants Rick to feel safe, like he did when Rick held his hand on walks. He doesn’t think the Saviors will surrender, but there’s regular people in there. They’re close to starting over, and have friends now – there have to be more places and people; a chance to make changes and have a real life. If they won’t end it, he has to. He has to find peace and move forward; not forget, but make it so it won’t happen again. Show them they can be safe again without killing, and maybe one day they’ll have birthdays, schools, jobs, and pizza on Friday night, like they used to. Carl tells Rick to take Judith on walks like they had, because she’ll remember. He tells Rick that he loves him. Rick sees Michonne walking hand-in-hand with Judith.

Michonne lies on the bed, pondering. She checks the nightstand. There’s a letter for Negan in the drawer. I’m hoping somehow, Rick and Negan can work together as frenemies. Not just because I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan is nearly everything on this show, but there’s a tremendous amount of story potential there. Please, Walking Dead, don’t blow another opportunity.

Gregory tells Simon that he came back to make amends. Simon is pissed because Gregory made him look like an ass. Gregory says his intel wasn’t current. Juice and momentum can give you a chance in the game. He had it, and did it. Maggie had Hilltop by the nut, and he didn’t know it. He wants to make it right with Negan. Simon tells him that he’s Negan, and not in the collective sense, but he’s assumed control. Negan no longer in the field of play. Gregory calls Simon, the man, and says he knew he could do it. Negan had a big personality, but was too unconventional. Simon is a leader. Simon tells Gregory that’s why he can’t be seen going easy on him. He has the juice and momentum, and wants to keep it. Ergo, Gregory goes. Gregory says the stupid troglodytes at the Sanctuary can’t advise him in community affairs and politics. Simon tells him, it’s ended. Gregory says he’s achieved, survived, and suffered too much. He’s been reborn as a certified sh*t-kicker. It’s not going to end with him wandering into the wilderness with his d*ck in his hand. Gregory says, he is the juice. Simon throws him to the ground. He says he wasn’t going to send Gregory away; he was going to kill him. He asks if Gregory can make coffee, and Gregory says, the best in the land. Simon tells him they’ll start with coffee, and see where it goes. Is this a date?

The Oceanside people go through the woods. Still trying to convince them to fight, Aaron is there, and is so dehydrated and weak, he can barely fight off a zombie. Cyndie says they made their choice. If wants to die in the woods, that’s his.

Eugene shows the Savior ladies the dish he’s made – mac and cheese with sardines – a staple from his college days. It’s a lasting energy source. He eats some, and says it takes him back. It’s all that’s on the menu until the order is complete. He reminds everyone that their lives are on lock. Negan is MIA, and Simon has taken over. They need to be lickety-quick, but he thinks the best they can hope for, is to squeeze out the bare minimum needed to stop Simon from finding out how short they are. Gabriel coughs up a lung, and Eugene tells him to keep his mask on. He either has influenza or cocca-something. Either way, it’s airborne or he would be dead.

He brings a bullet over to Gabriel, and asks him to feel it. Morgan says the imperfection was intentional. He wanted to make it so didn’t work. He doesn’t want anyone to die. Eugene asks if he wants to die, and Gabriel says he doesn’t want to hep him, but does fear death. He thinks maybe it’s God’s way of showing he’s still the same person who locked his parishioners out. He’s still the same scared animal, doing what he can to survive. Eugene tells him to find an unobtrusive corner; he’s off the line. He tells Gabriel to try not to cry too loud. He’s going outside to test rounds not compromised by Gabriel’s chicanery.

Eugene goes outside, and is ambushed by Daryl and Rosita. They spirit him away.

Dwight goes out for a smoke, and hears Negan’s whistle. Negan asks him if he’s surprised. He shouldn’t be. Dwight says they found his car, and Simon thought – Negan cuts him off, telling him it was a real punch in the d*ck (his second favorite word). Rick cornered him with those decomposed a-holes, and Dwight and Simon never showed. He knows what they were thinking, and wants to know if Dwight remembers who he is. He tells Dwight the conversation is just between them. Dwight says, Simon is his number two, and he thought Negan would want him to go by Simon’s call. Dwight says, he’s Negan. Negan says, good; that’s what he likes to hear. He tells Dwight that when time comes, and it will, to remember this talk. Remember what they’ve done, and can still do together. Dwight looks relieved.

In the boardroom, Simon tells Negan that he thought Negan had been killed, and he was gone. Negan polishes Lucille. Simon admits he lacks discipline, and made it personal. That’s why he moved it from infection to extermination at Hilltop. Things went bad, but he owns it, and asks for a pass. He’ll make it up to Negan; he promises. Negan smiles, and ask if Simon remembers when he took this place; when Simon helped him? He wasn’t sure he wanted to keep Simon on board before he had a system in place. Simon had killed all those people in a settlement long ago. People think that’s psychotic sh*t from a demented, broken ghoul. That’s someone you don’t want to work with, let alone stand next to. He figured he’d figure keep an eye on Simon, and everything seemed to work out until this point. He tells Simon he needs him on his knees. Simon gets ready for a bat in the head, but Negan says, all is forgiven. Get his ass up; they’re good. Simon tells Negan that he won’t let him down. Negan says he appreciates the hell out of that.

Negan has a board meeting, and a Savior takes out a map. Negan points, saying this is where they start. They don’t have to take Hilltop, but they’re going to make sure the farmers can’t leave. If they poke their heads out, the Saviors will clip their asses. They’re going to have teams 24/7, sniping them one by one, until they have full contrition. Simon is happy to have Negan back, and Negan says it’s good to be back. Negan tells them clear out, except for Dwight. He wants to kick around some things. I’m sure Dwight thinks one of those things is his head.

Negan tells Dwight he’s smart as hell. No matter what, he didn’t stew or do anything stupid. He just went about the business of getting his. Nothing shook him. He kept his eyes on what could keep him alive and well. He tells Dwight to keep on keeping that sh*t clear. Dwight nods, and Negan smiles.

Eugene suspects he’s alive because they have a nostalgia for comradery, but he’ll give them space until they’re ready to break the ice. Daryl pulls out a large knife, telling Eugene to shut his mouth or he’ll cut Eugene’s tongue out. Rosita tells Daryl to keep on moving; they’re going to be looking for him. Eugene thanks her, and she tells him to shut up. He tells her that she’s the one who told him making bullets would save lives. He thought the crack of a bat would be the last thing he’d hear, and then thought Negan would torture him, but he didn’t. He gave Eugene a chance to live. Rosita says everyone who has died since then is on him. He says Rick pushed to take the Savior’s home. Rosita pulls out her gun, calling him a selfish coward and a traitor. He turned his back on the friends he had, and didn’t give a rat’s ass about them. They’re going to stick him in the darkest hole, and the only time he’ll come out is when need him to teach them something. He’ll get his wish and live, but they’ll be forcing him to do something useful with his pathetic life.

Dwight writes things on the map. There’s a knock at the door, and he hides everything. It’s Simon, who says, it went well. The status quo has been re-achieved. He asks why Dwight was held back, and Dwight says, for a pep talk. Simon tells him they need to have a serious talk with others who are less than thrilled with the current management. It saddens him, but the time has come to gather like-minded individuals to gather strength, and do what need to do. He tells Dwight to think about what Negan has done to him. Everything he’s extracted; every indignity. He knows what he has to do. They’re meeting in the courtyard after rounds, and going to begin what’s next. Dwight says, all right, and Simon grabs his shoulders, and says, yes, my boy. Well, if it was a tossup I don’t think I’d pick Simon.

Daryl shoots some zombies with arrows.  While the zombies are being a distraction, Eugene sticks his fingers down his throat, and makes himself throw up on Rosita. Considering what he ate, that’s pretty disgusting, but she barely flinches. He takes off, and she shoots at him, but he gets through a hole in a fence. She and Daryl follow. Rosita says they can’t let him get back, and suggests they blow his head off. As soon as they pass, Eugene comes out from under a pile of ashes and mess.

Aaron is sleeping in the woods. It starts to rain, and he gets some water from a can nearby. He hears zombie sounds, and takes out his knife. It’s a mean-looking one, and he pikes it in the head. If we were in a 42nd Street movie theatre, I’d yell, look out behind you! Another zombie grabs him, and they fall together. Aaron loses the knife, and the zombie grabs at his legs. He manages to kick its brain out of its head, but here comes another one. The knife is lost, but he grabs a pokey stick, and skewers it. Yet one more comes, knocking him down, and it’s inches from his face only separated from him by the stick. He gets the upper hand, and beats the non-living crap out of it with the stick. He lies there, rain pouring down, surrounded by the now dead undead.

Someone asks if he’s dead. It’s the Oceansiders. He says they left him. It’s what the Saviors turned them into. They lie, they don’t trust, and don’t live the way they want because of the Saviors. The Saviors hurt them, and will keep on hurting them, unless they do one thing – fight. They just look at him vacantly, and I’m thinking this group seriously lacks personality. Give them a personality or get rid of them.

Commercial break. Red Machete is still not happening for me.

Dwight waits in the courtyard. The others come out, Gregory among them. Simon tells them that if they’re here right now, they’re in. They can talk about approaches and finesses, but they’re in; no take backs. They need to make it quick, quiet, and respectful. Negan has done a lot for them, and deserves it. He says Dwight has legit personal issues with Negan, so the kill is his if he wants it. Something quiet – not a knife, that’s too personal. Maybe a silencer. Then they’ll set a break to start healing. The destruction of Hilltop and its people, and then get on with their lives. He says, right, Dwight?

We hear whistling, and I literally lol. Negan says he’ll take it from here. He says, three… two… one… There are gunshots, and the renegade Saviors drop, save for Gregory, Simon, and Dwight. Two Saviors come out for Simon. Simon lunges at Negan, who says there’s the Simon he knows. He’s coming at him, instead of doing that backstabbing bullsh*t. He asks, why? After everything he did for Simon. He killed the garbage people, when Negan specifically told him not to do that. He pounds on one of the dead Saviors with Lucille. He says after all this, him being him, he’s still going to give Simon his share. If you want to be the man, you got to beat the man. If he can do that, then hell, he should be the man.

Inside everyone gathers. Simon blathers about how they have to get to work when this is done, and how he didn’t want this, but the Sanctuary must stand. As he’s talking, he catches Negan off-guard with a punch. He gets his bearings, and they fight. I’m just a little worried, since Negan is wearing his leather jacket, which probably isn’t a good idea. Negan gives Simon a head-butt. Simon goes down, and Negan kicks him in the face. Gregory inches away. Dwight grabs him, and tells him to get out now. He gives Gregory a map, telling him to give it to Rick. It’s about tomorrow, and the only move they’ve got. He hands Gregory some car keys. Hopefully, he won’t just keep driving.

Negan straddles Simon, strangling him. Finally, he lies still. Negan gets up, and says, what an a-hole. I realize my mouth is open. The crowd was certainly quiet about it. I have to admit, I’ll be glad I won’t have to work around writing Simon says anymore.

Gregory is shoved into the pen at Hilltop. Maggie gives the map to Rick. End Negan, end the risk, is written on it, along with something about where they’ll be. Maggie asks what they’re going to do.

Negan tells Dwight that Simon was a d*ckless worm. What else could he do but crush his throat? But what was bad for Simon, is good for him. They’ve had their ups and downs, but he’s always been able to count on Dwight. He’d like Dwight to be his right-hand man, if he’ll accept the promotion. Dwight agrees. He wants to help Negan finish things with Rick. Negan tells him not to sell himself short. He already has.

Laura, who knew Dwight was a traitor, is in his room. Negan says he found her on the side of the road. She says in Alexandria, he killed their team. She ran and kept running. She wanted to expose him for the scum weasel he is. Negan says it makes sense. He told RIck when to attack, and how to get to the outpost. He’s been slipping workers guns, and maybe even lied about Shari. He thinks he’s some sort of hero, but he’s a nobody and way over his head. When he said Dwight comes through when he’s needed, he meant it. He knew he could count on him delivering the plan to Rick – the brilliant fake-ass plan. He used Gregory. Negan thought he’d take a field trip, but he got a delivery boy; good for him. All that intel will lead them directly into the line of fire. They won’t know what hit them, all thanks to his new right-hand man. He’d thought about killing him, but that was too dignified for a backstabbing, double-crossing dirtbag. Negan says he has plans for Dwight, and laughs.

Looking all angry and rumpled, Eugene tells the workers that they have to prepare to protect the Sanctuary. Negan is back, and they’re going to finish Hilltop. A messenger tells him Negan needs the bullet order by tomorrow. He says to give Negan his personal congratulations on his return. His request will be filled in its entirety, and on time. If he needs bullets, he’s going to get them. All of them. They’re going to rise to the occasion, and will change Savior history forever. He tells Gabriel, all hands on deck. He’s going to be sorting shells. Follow his lead, or cry and die. He says, here we go. He quotes Rosita, saying, time to do something useful with their pathetic lives.

Yay! Simon is a zombie chained to the fence. He’s a good one too; a snapping maniac. Negan is on the deck, and Michonne radios him from a rooftop nearby. He asks if Rick is with her, and to put him on. She says this isn’t about Rick; it’s about Carl. Carl wrote him a letter, and she’s delivering it because that’s what he wanted. Negan says he can’t promise not to kill the messenger, and she tells him, shut up and listen. She reads.

Carl tells Negan that he was helping someone, and got bit. Now he’s gone. Negan might be gone, but he doesn’t think so. He wonders if Negan is working on a way out. Maybe got out. Maybe he thinks it’s a lost cause, and wants to kill them all. He wishes he could have asked if Negan feels that he has to be who he is. If this is what he wanted or wished he could have. The way out is forgiveness. There doesn’t have to be a fight. He hopes his dad offers peace, and he takes it. He hopes things can change. It did for him. He can still start over. Negan listens to every word so thoughtfully, I want to cry.

Negan says, there is no getting out of it now. He wouldn’t accept surrender if they were on their knees. Winning isn’t about beating them, but killing every last one of them. That is starting over. He never wanted this. Rick made it happen. Tell him that. No more talk. He throws the radio down and stomps on it, along with my storyline dreams.

Next week – both the finale of The Walking Dead (at 9 pm), and the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead (at 10 pm). Morgan tells Rick to finish it, the Saviors attack, and Dwight is sent to Jaundice Jadis. I can’t wait to see Fear, since they’re setting up camp in an amusement park. Abandoned amusement parks are creepy all on their own. Add zombies, and you can’t lose.

🍹 A Quick Wives Note…

🍑 The Real Housewives of Atlanta know how to pour on the glam. It was part one of their reunion, and Porsha went full-on princess with a tiara, mammoth jeweled earrings, and a blue velvet gown. Although she claimed to be a goddess because she’s grown. The earrings were all huge, sparkly, and fabulous. Only Kandi was slightly lower key with the accessories, but made up for it with the bling on her gown. NeNe was in red lace and fringe. Kenya was in a frilly yellow explosion. She confirmed her pregnancy, but she never did actually say, I’m pregnant, which made me wonder if the bun is in someone else’s oven. Cynthia had the most glamorous, Rapunzel-like side ponytail ever, and was wearing a red gown fit for a quinceañera. Marlo joined them swathed in lavender cotton candy. Only Sheree was a bit of a disappointment. Her gigantic emerald earrings passed, but she was covered all the way to her chin in a gown of silken material that did not look good on film. She said it was Gucci. Was it his nun period? I wondered if her new felon man doesn’t want her showing any skin. A viewer even pointed out that she seemed unusually covered up this season.

🏰 The Real Housewives of Potomac has mostly centered around Karen’s tax issues, since apparently her husband owes the government. They moved out of the neighborhood, although her idea of downsizing isn’t like the average person’s idea. I guess now they only have 6000 square feet and one pool. What blew my mind though, were the rest of them demanding answers from her like it was their right to know. I’m not a huge fan of Karen’s, but they were like a pack of vultures.

WeekendOver

WeekendGoodby

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mar26

March 25, 2018 – A Battle at Hilltop, Returning Fear, a Terror, a Scary Muumuu & the Worst Dread of All

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

While watching for the Saviors, Morgan sees a vision of Gavin, who tells him that he knows what it is, and says Morgan was supposed to. Supposed to what, we don’t know, but Morgan says, no! and fights with nothing. He hears a car horn beep, and beeps back. Daryl blows an airhorn, and more cars honk theirs. Back at the ranch Hilltop, Jerry says, it’s on. Henry asks Ezekiel for a weapon, but Ezekiel tells him to stay and guard the place. Carol tells him he’ll die if he goes out during the attack. I see this ending badly.

Dr. Dana complains that Siddiq has no experience. He tells her he’s already performed three surgeries. She asks if he can shoot a gun while holding someone down. She tells him that someone who doesn’t know enough, is more dangerous than someone who doesn’t know sh*t. Siddiq tells her to stop asking what he’s done, and start telling him what to do. She says she likes him, and tells him to get ready.

Everyone waits. The Saviors arrive.

Simon has his men remove a roadblock. Maggie radios for Negan. Simon says he’s Negan, although his birth certificate says Simon. He offers condolences for what has happened, and what has about to. (Shades of Roscoe Lee Brown in The Cowboys.) He tells her that he personally received her care package. It was in the box he gave her in good faith; the trick was on him. Maggie says the bill is due, and they have to pay. They have thirty-eight of his people, alive and breathing. He’ll leave if he wants it to stay that way. If he doesn’t, she has thirty-eight bullets she’ll personally fire. Alden says it’s too nice a night to spend dying slow. Simon tells her that it’s highly regrettable, but they’re damaged goods. They got into their own pickle. The idea is to avoid capture, and now they’ll have to figure it out on their own. His own sh*t way of saying, screw them. Gregory tells Maggie that her cockamamie plan didn’t work, but she says it will.

Simon tells his men the plan has changed. They’re not aiming merely for infection, but conclusion. They’re doing away with all of them. Dwight says that’s not what Negan wanted, and he could still be out there. Is Simon sure he wants to face that with him? Simon tells Dwight it’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. Daryl rides past on his bike, shooting.

The gate opens, and Daryl drives in. The Saviors begin to follow, but the Hilltop bus suddenly blocks their path, and the first car rams into it. The Hilltoppers start to shoot. The Saviors shoot back, some using arrows. Alden asks Maggie to let him help defend the place. Maggie yells something I don’t hear. There’s lots of shooting. Carol runs to Tobin, who’s been hit. Siddiq comes by to relieve her, so she can go back to the fray. Simon and Dwight sneak around. Daryl sees them. Simon throws an ax, and hits someone. Michonne tells Daryl that they have to go. They shoot out the car headlights. It’s suddenly silent and dark.

Simon is such a jerk. He Captain Obviously says he can’t see sh*t. He sneaks around with a group of Saviors, and says he wants place surrounded. He tells them, slow and quiet. Dwight asks where the rest are, and Simon tells him that they’re making a house call. If Hilltop is at home, it’s time to do some proper slaughtering. He whistles, giving me a headache, and annoying the crap out of me. The Hilltoppers shoot at them, I’m so happy because it stops Simon’s whistling. The Saviors run. Some headlights come on, and here comes Rick, gun blazing.

Rick kicks ass, and almost whacks Siddiq. He tells Siddiq to stay low. Morgan’s Gavin vision tells that he knows what it is. Maggie and Rick shoot at the Saviors who are leaving. Maggie says she wanted them dead. All of them; Negan most of all. Rick says, him too. She asks if Rick saw him. Rick says he wasn’t there tonight, be he saw him out there. He tried to kill him, but didn’t. Maggie thanks him.

Tara thinks Dwight is on their side. She reminds Daryl that she was once with the Governor. Daryl’s brother was with them too. Daryl says if he’d stuck with his brother, they probably would have ended up with the Saviors. She says maybe Dwight figured out who they were. Daryl asks if that was before or after he killed Tara’s girlfriend, or are they square now? Tara says they are; he saved her life. She saw him try to help them. Daryl says he saw what he saw too.

Optimistic Rick takes the boards off of the windows in his house. Michonne saved him a turnip, but he says he’s good. He tells her that the generators were turned off to save gas, and the kids will need air. She asks to look at his cut, but he wants to finish first. She starts to help. He tells her that he saw the convoy, and he had to try.

Jerry digs graves. I mean literally, not that he thinks they’re cool. Maggie tells Alden he can bury his people, but he says they’re not his; he’s glad to see them that way. He tells Maggie that she’s a good leader. He knew it before, but last might she saved the community; she saved lives. Maggie says it’s because they sacrificed theirs, indicating the graves. She says it came at a cost, but her only regret is that Negan isn’t in the pile of bodies.

Carol nurses Tobin. He tells her if he knew getting stabbed got him this kind of attention, he’d have done it sooner. She tells him that she’s sorry for leaving, and for what she did. He says she doesn’t owe him anything. He asks if any of it was real, and she says she didn’t want it to be. She was pretending, trying to live a lie, because she couldn’t be around any more fighting and dying. At the time, maybe it felt like it wasn’t going to be pretending anymore. Tobin tells her that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to him. He asks if she’s leaving again, but she doesn’t know. She might accept that some are lucky to live, and some are lucky to fight. He asks what about after it ends, but she doesn’t think it does. He tells her the end is what they’re fighting for. Carol says it just means they get tomorrow. Maybe one more night; one more morning. After that, there’s no guarantees. As she’s talking, Alden buries the Saviors. Henry picks up a gun, and sneaks out. We see a clock ticking.

Rick loads his gun. Siddiq says he can treat Rick’s wound; he doesn’t want an infection. He tells Rick about a prayer for the dead he remembers from when he was little. Do not send us astray after them. He says, those who die, don’t. Rick gets up and leaves.

Holding a hurricane lamp, Maggie goes through the hallways crowded with people. She asks a man how he’s feeling. He says the doctor stitched him up. She says they’re lucky to have him, and the man says they’re lucky to have her. Gregory was all about himself and what he wanted; that’s not her.

In the infirmary, Tobin is startled awake at 2:13. Another guy wakes up, and asks what’s going on. One of the patients says he’s going to get the doctor, but just before he gets out the door, Tobin grabs him, and takes a bite. Oh well. I don’t know what this clock thing is about, but we keep seeing various timepieces.

Now it’s 4 a.m., and Dana walks in. She looks down, and realizes she’s standing in a pool of blood. Tobin takes a bite of her too. We hear zombie noises, along with the baby crying. The guy Maggie was talking to is now a zombie. He ambles, no, falls down the stairs. Hey, everybody, wake up!

Henry pokes at Gregory through the fence with his gun. Gregory asks Henry to let him out. Henry asks who killed his brother, but Gregory doesn’t know. He tells Henry that he isn’t one of them. He says Henry has a dangerous weapon, and he doesn’t want anyone to get hurt. He asks Henry to give it to him, and they’ll talk. He’s sorry about Henry’s brother, but killing them won’t bring him back. Henry says it will make him feel better. He did it once before; why not there? He asks if he has to start shooting until someone tells him who killed Ben. Alden says his brother died too. Killing his murderer sounds good in theory, but won’t make him feel better. Henry says it will for now. They hear screaming from inside.

Maggie sees chaos – running and biting, Daryl stabbing zombies in the head. I’d just leave. Michonne does a nice sword through the head move. Outside, Jared says it’s music to his ears. Henry asks if it was him, but Jared doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Henry lets himself into the Savior pen. He wants to know now. Alden says words are easier to live with than actions, but Henry says be a man and step forward, so he doesn’t have to kill their friends. He’s going to start counting to ten. When he gets to four, a zombie bites one of the Saviors, and there’s a free-for-all. Jared grabs the gun, and the Saviors run out, Gregory running along with them. Henry is left lying in the pen.

Morgan pikes zombies in the head. Daryl wonders if the zombies got in with the Saviors. Morgan says it’s their own people. Tobin is busy upstairs. Carol pulls him off someone, and stabs him in the head after only a momentary hesitation, and no doubt quick trip down Memory Lane. Daryl asks if she’s okay. She says he wasn’t bit, but he turned. Rick tells them about Negan’s bat being covered in zombie blood. They realize that anyone who was wounded is going to turn. A dude in one of the hospital beds says one of them will have to do it for him; he can’t. Everyone looks sad.

Rick tells the others that the house is clear. Tara asks how it happened. He tells her the Saviors did something to their weapons. Whoever was cut up or shot, got sick, and some turned. Daryl says Tara told him that she was done waiting. He could have killed Dwight, and should have. She says, no; he wanted to be there with them, but no matter how hard he tried, she wanted him dead. She couldn’t let it be anything else. Karma’s a bitch. Rick ponders that.

Outside, the struggle is real. Alden tells Maggie that some of them are trying to keep the gate closed. She sees some of the Saviors bracing the gate against the zombies. Siddiq tells her that he went to check on the prisoners, but the pen was empty. She asks Alden where they went, but he says they just ran. He tells her that he and the ones left had plenty of chances to run, but maybe it doesn’t matter to her.

Carol looks for Henry with Ezekiel. Enid tells them that he broke into the pen before the Saviors escaped. Carol says she told him this would happen, like that helps. Morgan thinks this over. Gavin appears, and keeps repeating, you know what it is, until he’s yelling. Morgan says, no.

Jerry and Jesus bury their people. Diane asks Maggie, what is it? and Maggie says, the cost. Rick nods sagely, and we end with a crane shot of all the graves.

I wonder why they kept focusing on Rick’s wound…

Next time, Rick goes hunting, Rosita wants the bullet maker, Jadis drags Negan out of the container she’d kept Rick in, Ezekiel wants to look for Henry and calls Carol a coward.

👹 Fear the Walking Dead returns on April 15th, and looks promising. The group takes over an amusement park, and raises sheep. Morgan also joins them, and Victor sports a new hairdo.

⚓ Talking Dead was bumped up an hour tonight to make room for a sneak preview of new series, The Terror. Set in 1847, and based on a true story about a ship that disappeared, the crew of a Royal Naval expedition searches for the Arctic’s treacherous Northwest Passage. Instead, they discover a monstrous predator. The two-hour premiere begins at 9 pm on Monday. The first hour was basically a set-up for the horror to come, but it looks good.

🍑 Kenya’s husband finally made an appearance on The Real Housewives of Atlanta, when she launched her PSA on domestic violence. The main takeaway point for me though, was what the hell was NeNe wearing? A muumuu?  That outfit was worse than the one Sheree was wearing for the pictorial she sent to her incarcerated boyfriend. Next time, a Halloween costume party. I’m not sure what difference this will make from any other episode at this point.

😔 It’s Ba-a-ack…

Mar19

March 18, 2018 – Even When He’s Not There Negan’s There & a Terrorfying Premiere

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What I Watched Today

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

 

The Walking Dead

Negan smiles, Simon squints, Dwight looks like he has a headache. Negan tells Dwight, welcome home, and says it’s good having him back. He needs his top guys out in front acing this sh*t. He heard Dwight had a close call. Dwight tells him that they were ambushed, and makes up an explanation. Negan says his people need to keep their business in order. He tells Dwight to slug a beer, and put on his best clothes. They have work to do.

Negan has his men gut some zombies. He says Hilltop will drop to their knees when they see what he’s packing. Simon says it’s about scaring them. No head shots, just flesh wounds, and if they die, let them turn; don’t kill them. He tells Dwight to ride with him. Dwight says he’s going to scout on his bike, but Simon says they have more expendable scouts for that. Not that Dwight is expendable. Ride with him, and he’ll bring Dwight up to speed on the plan. Dwight gets in the truck

Negan puts the business end of Lucille into a bucket of zombie guts.

Rick cuddles Judith. Daryl approves. Rick visits the graves of those they’ve lost. Daryl thinks about the people who are gone, and the ones still there. It ain’t right or fair. He says he’d just wanted it done at the Sanctuary, and didn’t care who was there. Rick says he didn’t want to risk killing innocent people, and should have just cared about theirs. Daryl says, keep fighting. Rick is going to Hilltop, and Daryl says he’ll go too. Rick thinks they should split up; cover as much ground as they can. He insists he’s okay, and tells Daryl thanks Rick for getting them there.

Maggie wonders if they’ll come back. Rosita says they’ll just keep things going. It will be harder when it’s quiet. Maggie says, not if Negan’s dead; not for her. Rosita says not her either. Maggie looks through binoculars, and sees someone messing with a milk crate near the forest.

Simon asks what Dwight makes of the road trip. He says, let’s rap; let’s get candid; let’s get weird. There’s nobody here but us chickens. Here’s the point where I would jump out of the moving car. In Simon’s analysis, Hilltop will cower and cave when they deliver yet another warning. Dwight says they don’t get paid to think, but Simon values Dwight’s opinion. He’s been on both sides of the iron. Simon has his doubts it will deliver the desired outcome. Dwight asks if Simon thinks they should do something different, but he says, no. They’re going with the big man’s plan. They’ve thrown a lot at Rick’s people, but they keep fighting. He keeps seeing the same answer – they don’t scare. I’m wondering why they would at this point, since they live in a world run by zombies.

Maggie gets a message from the milk crate person, asking for food and phonograph records in exchange for the key to the future. Michonne says they’re not Saviors. Rosita says if it’s a trap, it’s obvious. Maggie tells them that’s what makes it a trap. Michonne asks, what if they’re trying to help? Maggie thinks there are two outcomes; they can miss out or die. Michonne says she’ll go. The last time she took chance, it changed everything. Rick might not agree or understand, but eventually he will. Maggie keeps looking through the binoculars, and decides they’ll go.

Simon and Dwight decide to stick to the plan, and don’t engage. Looking through his binoculars, Rick sees the Saviors coming through. He sees Negan driving by, and gets in his car.

Rick follows Negan, who steps on the gas, and Rick gives chase. Dwight and Simon see, but don’t realize it’s Rick. They follow, and Simon tells the others to stay in their lane; they might have company. He thinks there might be others. He meets the rest of the Saviors, and tells them that someone pushed Negan off the road, but it looks like just one driver; nothing they can’t handle. Just in case, he and Dwight are going to check it out; it might be a ploy to divide them. He made sure no one else could come that way by turning the truck sideways to block the street. He tells the others to do the same on that end, and cut down anything that comes close. He and Dwight are going to locate their benefactor.

Negan’s car is on it’s side, and he opens his eyes to a car full of guts. Rick gets out shooting, and Negan scrambles out of the car. Zombies are coming from everywhere. For the first time ever, Negan looks scared, and runs into the closest building. Rick runs after him, but Negan is waiting, and whacks him with Lucille. Negan jets, and Rick runs after him, shooting. Zombies begin to amble in. Negan runs upstairs, and Rick runs out of bullets. Negan tells him to come on up, and Rick chucks an ax at him. Dodging it, Negan crashes into the railing, which breaks apart, and he falls. He manages to hang on, but as Rick is about to bring down the ax on his hands, he lets go, but doesn’t miss the opportunity to call Rick an a-hole.

Michonne, Maggie, and Enid come to a van turned sideways in the road. Three women stand in front, and the leader, an older blonde woman, introduces herself as Georgie. The other two are her dark-haired protectors, twins Hilda and Midge. Georgie thinks they must be curious to see what they get for food and music. She adds that the records must be music; no spoken word. Because they’re out there, she sees they can take care of themselves. She doesn’t share with the weak.

Rosita pats the women down. Maggie wants them to give what they have, but Georgie says she can’t do it. What she’s bearing is knowledge, which is primarily in her head, and she’d prefer to keep her head where it is. This isn’t a trick; it’s a trade. Maggie asks, why, and Georgie says, what else should she do? Rosita looks in the truck, but Georgie says what’s in there isn’t part of the deal. She asks how many are in the community, and Maggie says not many. Georgie says they have something special. The apocalypse has brought out the best and the worst of people. So far, the worst are out-pacing them, but it won’t last forever, and the good will be worthless without a sustainable future. Enid says there’s no way people survive doing what they’re doing. Georgie says they do, and will. She can divine that they’re a fine group, manners notwithstanding. Maggie says they’re coming back to Hilltop.

Negan whistles, the thing I hate most about him. Rick asks if he’s still alive. Negan says he’s a goddam cat. He looks for Lucille, and a zombie drops down. Rick asks where Negan’s people are; shouldn’t they be here by now? Negan says they’re coming, but Rick says this is where he dies, in the dark, all alone. Negan asks what the hell Rick’s problem is. He thought they were working through sh*t, but Rick is the most stubborn pr*ck he’s ever crossed d*cks with. Was Negan a sailor before the apocalypse? Negan asks Rick to let him save them. He’s good at it. Their kids will grow up safe. They haven’t lost one in the communities he’s taken over. They were doing fine until Rick came along. Rick sees a door with boards nailed across it. One of them says EATERS!

Negan says Rick failed his boy, and failed his people. It makes him sick thinking about it; the wasted potential. He says there’s still hope for Rick though. A onetime deal made in memory of Rick’s badass son, someone he actually respected. If Rick gets his people to fall in line, the arrangement is back in place and all is forgiven. He’ll even lower his take to 25%, but Rick has to work for him doing janitorial work. His people will live like 75% kings. It’s like Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa all rolled into one. Rick says, after what he did to Tardis’s Jadis’s people? Negan is like, huh? and Rick says they killed a whole community of scavengers. A whole community wiped out; is that how he saves people? Negan says, son of a bitch. Rick says it’s times like this when you realize who your true friends are. No one is coming for him.

Rick finds Lucille.

Simon figures Dwight must have thought about clipping Negan himself. Negan took his wife and burned his face. Dwight says, no, not once. Simon is impressed, saying Dwight chose to survive instead of focusing on his own discomforts. Dwight says he did what he had too. Simon tells him their leader isn’t doing the same. If it was his call, he’d branch out, find new places, and make new relationships. He’d make sure the Saviors survive and move on from past discomforts (his word of the day), as Dwight chose to. What does he say? Dwight says, move on.

They see Negan’s car, but no Negan. Simon thinks he could be anywhere; alive, dead, or somewhere in between. They could face a distasteful moment, or walk away, get back to their people, and make things better. This is a critical point in history. Something to tell their grandkids about. Dwight lights a cigarette, which is what we’d all do at this point. He takes a drag, then flicks it at the car, which bursts into flames. Simon tells him, good answer.

Maggie tells Jerry that it will be dark soon, and to get ready. He knows what to do. Michonne says she should make a deal with Georgie, or let them go before the Saviors get there. Maggie says she can’t let them go. She has mouths to feed, and they have crates of food. Let me just stop here and say, excuse me? Is she suggesting they do basically what the Saviors do? Enid says Maggie is right. If they don’t take it, someone else will, and kill them. It’s a miracle they’re still alive. The Saviors are on their way, and they’re going to fight. Why give a sh*t about people who don’t give a sh*t? They need to stop pretending things just work out; they don’t. Michonne says Carl rescued Siddiq. Now they have a doctor and a friend. She says Carl was brave, and Enid says, now he’s dead. Michonne tells Enid to step back, and Enid wisely leaves without arguing. Maggie tells Michonne things just don’t work out, and Michonne says, no, they don’t. Carl knew that, but didn’t give up on what Rick wanted him to be, and they can’t either.

Rick tells Negan he can’t save him, his people, or anyone, because he doesn’t care about people. He uses them. The only thing he cares about is his bat, and he can’t even save that. He’ll make a deal with Negan. He can kill her goodbye. Negan says, don’t touch her, and Rick sets Lucille on fire. He tells Negan to come get her. He starts battering the boards across the door. Negan rushes him, and they both fall into the room.

Zombies grab at them. Rick tries to whack Negan, and sets a couple of zombies on fire. Negan calls him, a goddam psychopath, saying he’ll get them both killed. Rick says as long as he goes first. Negan shoves him, and they tussle. Negan gets Lucille back. Rick punches out some zombies, and Negan climbs out a window. Rick follows.

Negan comes out to the parking lot, and is like, dude, where’s my car?

Michonne brings out records. Georgie says she’s changing the terms. They can have a sizeable portion of the food. They need it more. Maggie wonders in exchange for what? Georgie says, records and good faith. It’s not a gift; it’s a barter. She’ll be back. Maybe not for a while, but she expects great things. She takes out a thick manuscript, with the title, A Key to the Future. She tells Maggie there are handwritten plans for windmills, irrigation, and such; a book of medieval human achievement. They can have a future from the past. The originals are in her head, but she made a few photocopies. Maggie thanks her. Georgie tells her to build the place up. She wants a crate filled when she comes back. Maggie says she’ll see what can do. Georgie and her friends leave. I swear, I saw the same guy walk behind Maggie in the exact same way twice during that conversation.

Enid tells Michonne that she killed Netanya. I’m hoping Enid feels like a big jerk right about now. She says Netanya was out there, killing whoever she came across, so she killed her. She killed someone, and is alive; Carl saved someone, and he’s dead. How are they supposed to do this? Stop fighting? Michonne doesn’t think Carl wanted them to stop fighting. He’d want them to fight for the future, but to get to the future, they have to do more than fighting. The Saviors are coming. They’re going to fight them, but they have to be something after.

The Saviors stand around picking their noses. Dwight and Simon return the group. One of the Saviors asks where Negan is, and Simon tells him that they couldn’t find him. Dwight says he wasn’t in his car, just blood. The Savior asks, what’s next? and Simon asks who he is. He says, Negan. Simon tells them that they’re all Negan. It doesn’t matter if he’s not there. They’re still Negan. They don’t know if he’s gone; he could be back, but their plan is Negan’s plan. They go to Hilltop, and put the fear of God in them until they get with the program. After what they just did, it’s beyond time for them to accept it, but once they do, it will become crystal clear. They have one thing left to do. They must expunge them; redact them. They’re a mistake that shall now be erased. They’re moving on. He sounds like Negan. Dwight ponders heavily about Negan.

Negan sleeps in a car, while someone else drives. It’s Xanax Jadis, who has a gun on him with her free hand. He opens his eyes, and laughs. He says, well, sh*t. She tells him to shut up, and whacks him in the head with the butt of the gun.

Next time, Maggie says, here we go.

😱 Next week, March 25th, Talking Dead will be on an hour later. Following Walking Dead, AMC will be showing a sneak preview of their new series, The Terror, which premieres on Monday, March 26th. Based on a true story, The Terror is about a Royal Naval expedition searching for the Arctic’s treacherous Northwest Passage. Instead, they discover a monstrous predator. From what I’ve seen, it looks freaky good, and I’m definitely giving it a look.

⛲ I’ve been watching To Rome for Love, but face it, we already know the end to these long-distance romance stories. Unless they end up on 90 Day Fiancé, it ain’t happenin’. Seriously, if you want a crappy relationship, you can find one here.

⚓ The Terror Trailer

http://www.amc.com/shows/the-terror/video-extras/the-terror-season-1-trailer?utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=The%20Terror%20-%20Brand&utm_term=the%20terror&utm_content=The%20Terror%20Generic-ID:1000305&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi8TV0dL32QIVmbrACh3fXgVxEAAYASAAEgINafD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

🙈 I’m Scared Already…

Terror2

Terror

Mar12

March 11, 2018 – Gabriel’s Great Escape, a Bit of TV News & Weekend Over

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

The Walking Dead

A carload of Saviors is out hunting for Morgan and Dr. Carson. Daryl sneaks around under a bridge. He’s leading a group scouting the roads. Tara tosses a zombie at Dwight, claiming it got away. Dwight kills it, and Daryl tells everyone to keep it moving.

Dr. Carson drives, and Gabriel asks if they’ve passed the Linus overpass, but the doctor doesn’t know. Gabriel says it’s going to be okay and have some faith. They’re on the right path if not the right road. He studies a map, but has difficulty focusing. Carson tells him that he’s is suffering from a serious complication. Does he really think God is leading the way? Gabriel says God is always leading the way, and Carson says maybe God should be driving. Gabriel jokes about Him leaving too many footprints, and a zombie drags itself along next to the car. Maybe Gabriel just needs glasses.

Carson asks about a mile marker, and if Gabriel can see it. Gabriel says he can’t, and Carson says he was stupid to let him leave, but he’s sick and there are antibiotics at Hilltop. Gabriel asks if he hears something, almost like a bell. I don’t. Carson isn’t too thrilled with leaving the car, but they walk through the forest, and come to a cabin. Gabriel says it’s not a bell, but might be their salvation. Carson doesn’t think so.

Rosita says the group needs rest. Daryl says, ten minutes. Tara asks why Dwight is still breathing; she’s done. Rosita tells her that he may have an angle, and tells her to knock it off; at least until they get to Hilltop.

Morgan and Henry guard the prisoners at Hilltop. Carol says she can take over. Jared yells that the kid is freaking people out, and they should move him along. The Saviors are going to roll up and let them out anyway. Henry asks Morgan, who killed his brother? Morgan tells him to go and eat. Henry asks Carol why they’re not telling him. She says he’s a child, and he’s done too much already. Morgan tells her that Henry knows how to live, and it doesn’t bother him. She says he’s not fine, and neither is Morgan. She tells him to take a break, and takes a turn as guard.

Negan is disappointed. This crap should be over. His only doctor and that creepy-ass priest jumped ship without anyone knowing. He asks if Eugene has any idea how it happened, but Eugene is not venturing any guesses. Negan says Carson is a weasel like his brother, and once their asses are caught, he’ll get the whole story – one way or another. And Alexandria – Eugene asks what went down there, and Negan asks why does he care? They tried to blow him off the earth. He tells Eugene that he’s going to be in charge of his own outpost. He needs his bullet-maker to be making bullets. He’s going to provide the next bang-bang Negan needs to settle this situation for good. Eugene asks what about people as resources, and Negan says bullets are a last resort. If Rick and his merry band of pricks decided to pull sh*t, then they’ll have to pull sh*t. It will be some that they don’t want, but it’s on them. Eugene is going to have everything he needs to keep his head in the game. Eugene asks if there will be wine, which would be my first question, and Negan says there will indeed.

Inside the cabin, Morgan shakes a piggy bank and laughs. He tries to read something from a notepad. Looking out the window, Carson says, clear so far. He tells Morgan that he should be lying down. It’s lucky they found this place. Morgan says luck had nothing to do with it. Morgan gives Carson the pad, and Carson says the owner was a radio operator. He looks through the pad, the owner writing that even if he can’t be helped, maybe he can help someone else. There are pages of radio calls, but they all say, no signal. Morgan says that they don’t know if others might have been reached, but the operator never found out. Or maybe it gave them strength to go on, even if they didn’t reach anyone. Carson opens the bedroom door. He sees a zombie cuffed to the bed with a plastic bag over its head. He says, didn’t happen.

Daryl goes over the map. Rosita thinks they should keep moving. Daryl wonders about the swamp. Dwight says it’s one place the Saviors won’t be. Negan thought it was too dangerous and not worth the risk. Tara asks if Daryl is seriously considering what Dwight has to say. If it’s too dangerous for the Saviors, why send them? Why should they trust Dwight? He could turn on them like he did his own people. Dwight says they all saw what happens if one of them gets away. If they find him, his head will be on a pike. He’s not fighting for them, and he’s not going back there. He wants to help them beat Negan. After that, he knows how it ends. Daryl says, fine; they’ll try the swamp. Tara is stunned.

One of the Kingdom Hilltoppers tells Maggie that they finished taking inventory. They’re barely going to make it through another week, and it will be worse if they include the prisoners. Jesus is still out scavenging, and might bring something back.

Carson takes a gun from the corpse, and tells Gabriel to lie down; he’s fighting a serious infection. Gabriel gives Carson some prescription bottles, and he looks through them. He says two are antibiotics, and this may have just saved his life. Gabriel tells Carson that he’s not saying a word.

Dwight says he’s doing it for Sherry. She let Daryl out and ran; she must be out there somewhere. Daryl looks at the swamp. Rosita says they can do it. Someone suggests a small group push through, and make a path for the others. Rosita asks if Tara is coming, but she’s hanging back. The small group starts to walk through.

Maggie asks Gregory what he wants. He says they haven’t seen eye to eye, and loyalties have been questioned, but his behavior has been good. She says he’s staying in there. He says she can’t keep him there forever, and she tells him give her a reason to kill him and she won’t have to. Another prisoner says they’ve been good, and she still took one out; they don’t have to be enemies. Maggie asks what Gregory wants. They want to go outside on good behavior; one at a time under armed guard. Maggie says she doesn’t have the resources to oblige, even if she wanted to. And BTW, she’s cutting off their rations in a few days, maybe longer. Her people come first; she has no choice. Gregory thinks she does.

Rosita and the others continue through the swamp. A zombie pops up in front of her, and she stabs it in the head. Daryl is impressed. Groot! Never mind. It’s just a tree. Zombies start to rise from the water like something out of Creepy comics. Daryl and Siddiq go through the water, stabbing them one by one.

Tara tells Dwight he just volunteered to kill some zombies, and gives him a knife.

Carson says Gabriel’s fever has broken. He tells Gabriel that if there’s no improvement in his eyesight soon, there will be permanent damage. Morgan is like, oh well, and Carson asks if losing his vision doesn’t scare him or piss him off. Gabriel says he’s letting Him lead the way. He tells Carson that he can’t see it, but can feel the look on his face. He’s not saying God led them there, but to find meaning in it. He knocks the piggy bank over, and it breaks. Carson finds car keys and a map inside. He looks at the map, and says they’re no more than a few miles off.

Tara follows Dwight through the forest, covering him with a gun. He stabs a zombie. He tells her that he’s sorry about Denise. He truly is. He doesn’t expect forgiveness; he doesn’t deserve it. He just wants her to know. She says he should have stayed with the Saviors. He says he hates them. He hates Negan. Tara doesn’t care. She says switching sides doesn’t make it okay; it never will. He asks what killing him will do, and she says, make her feel hella better. She shoots at him, but he ducks behind a tree, and runs. He stops in a clearing. He says he knew it would happen, but he’d wanted to help them win first. They hear people coming, and hide.

It’s the group of Saviors from the car. Tara holds the gun to Dwight’s head.

Carson and Gabriel head for the garage. Gabriel looks up, and a warning sign comes into focus. He yells for Carson to stop, but it’s too late. Carson steps into an animal trap. His leg is caught, and here comes a zombie. Oh, great. Now they’re coming out of the woodwork… er, forest. Carson shoots at one, but another falls on him. He shoots that one, but there’s another right behind, and he drops the gun. Gabriel crawls over, and finds the gun. He blindly shoots, and miraculously hits the zombie and not Carson. Carson says he did it, and Gabriel says he might have had some help.

Tara continues to hold the gun on Dwight. She looks like a nut. Dwight walks out to the road. One of the Saviors says they thought he was dead. He says he got caught in an ambush, but got away. He spent the night hiding and running, and trying to make it back. He asks what happened to Laura, and they say, sorry, no one has seen her. They’re going to Alexandria, and thought they’d check out the swamp. Dwight tells them that he just came from there, and to steer clear of it. He takes a gun from one of them, and says he’ll lead the way. Tara can’t believe it. She’s surprised all over the place tonight.

Rosita tells Daryl that she saw Tara running after Dwight. He asks why Rosita didn’t stop her, and Rosita says, no one could have stopped her. When she gets back, Dwight gets in Tara’s face, saying he told her to wait. Dwight could tell them everything. She says he saved them; he led the Saviors away. Daryl doesn’t care, and starts cursing everything. Then he sees Tobin covering Judith’s ears, and says, let’s go. They start to maneuver through the swamp.

Gabriel asks if Carson wants him to drive, but that’s a no. They get in the car, and hear, hands up, a-holes. They turn around, and it’s the Savior group now joined by Dwight. They’re deposited in the bed of the truck. Gabriel tells Carson that He’s still leading the way. Believe it, and he’ll see it. What Carson sees is an unattended gun on a Savior, and grabs it, but gets shot. As the truck pulls away, Morgan weeps, and says, no, no, no. I say, no surprise this show is a total bummer. Always.

The gates of Hilltop open. Daryl and the others walk in. Carol runs to greet them. We only hear music, so we can’t hear what they’re saying, but Daryl shakes his head. Enid cries, and sinks to the ground. Siddiq looks tired. Maggie comforts Enid.

Morgan says Henry asked about who killed his brother. It was Gavin, and he got him, so…

Siddiq thanks Maggie for her hospitality. She says it’s not much, but he tells her, its everything. He asks if there’s an infirmary, and she asks if he’s hurt. He says he’s fine, but has medical experience. He can pitch in and help. She explains they’re using the trailers, and thanks him. She watches everyone interacting.

Eugene makes bullets. Frankie (I think – whoever the redhead is) says he was destined for this. He tells her to be there, she needs gloves and proper eye protection. She thought she’d help, and he says she can help by bringing some food – eggs nicely dancing with tomatoes. He’s going to designate the northwest corner as a breakroom and motivational presentation cubby.

Negan kicks the door open, and brings in Gabriel. He says Gabriel told him an interesting story about how he made his way out of their lovely home. We hold our collective breaths for a beat or two, and he says it was Carson. Negan asks if he called it or what. Gabriel asks why bring him here, and Negan says he needs an extra set of hands to separate casings. Gabriel’s eyes don’t work for sh*t, but his hands do. Eugene says it will still be a few days, but Negan says that doesn’t work for him. They need a more Biblical approach. Eugene says they could rig catapults, and launch dead arms, legs, and heads, creating traumatic theatrics. Negan thanks him. He believes a rose sprang into the pile of sh*t. He tells the guys, let’s roll, and whistles as he leaves.

Eugene goes to Gabriel. Gabriel says he thought he found what he was meant to do. Eugene says, he has, and so has Eugene. He tells Gabriel to get to work.

Maggie approaches the prisoners and points at one. She says they’re to be taken out in pairs for work, exercise, and medical attention. They can start by cleaning the stables. Gregory thinks since they’ll be working, they should get more food, but she says quarter rations, same as always. He appreciates it, but the Saviors are still coming. He thinks they should consider evacuation. If they run, they live. He asks how they could win, and she tells him to look around.

Outside, Negan addresses his people while standing in front of three zombies chained to a fence. He says they know how it works. You get a bite, something from them gets in you, and you join the club. But what if they can use it to their advantage? He whacks at a zombie with Lucille. He tells them Lucille is getting to know their friend. He bashes and pokes at the zombie, until Lucille is covered with blood and rotted flesh. He tells them to look at that. No more smashing and bashing; just a touch, just a kiss. Hilltop will learn to comply, dead or alive. Or some kind of sh*t in between.

Next time, Negan orders the Saviors to let them turn, don’t kill them; and Negan tells Rick that he failed his boy and his people – let Negan save them.

🎭 The Good News & the Bad News

Sunday, April 15th is a big day. Sadly, your taxes are due the next day, but Fear the Walking Dead (which Morgan will be a part of) also returns at 10 pm on AMC, and Southern Charm New Orleans premieres on Bravo at 9 pm. The original Southern Charm will be back on Thursday, April 5th at 9 pm. They’ve already tried with Savannah, which was a snooze, and IMO, it would be tough to top the Charleston cast. Who can resist the Peter Pan that is Thomas; his off-again-on-again squeeze, and mother of his children, fiery Kathryn; matriarch of the South, Patricia, and her baby boy Whitney; dreamer Craig; perpetual adolescent Shep; weepy roller coaster ride Landon; and Cameran, avoiding motherhood since the beginning of time, finally having a baby?

⏰ And We Lost an Hour…

WeekendBackToWork

WeekendMonkey

WeekendDog2

 

Mar5

March 4, 2018 – The Dead, Rambling About the Dead & a Comic Book Man

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

The Walking Dead

Michonne

Michonne looks lost while Rick decorates the cross on Carl’s grave with a gun. She lets off steam by whacking some zombies’ heads off. As I like to do when I’m stressed. She looks at the half burned down Alexandria, and shuts the gate. Making sure to take half a zombie’s face off with it, and stabbing some in the eyeballs first.

Rick asks for some pudding. Just kidding. Nobody is saying anything, and I got bored. Michonne looks at Carl and Judith’s finger-paint handprints on the porch, and gets even more bummed. She goes inside. She tells Rick they have to go. They slip out the back door.

When they get to the car, Michonne grabs a fire extinguisher and runs with it; Rick following with another one. They try putting out a fire in the gazebo, but the zombies are forming a crowd, so they both run back to the van. Nice try. Alexandria has officially been taken over by zombies.

Rick asks what Michonne is thinking. Does she want to stop fighting? She says they could pull over, but he says not yet, not him. He wants to talk to Jadis. They have weapons and people, and they need them. She asks why now? He tells her that they went to the Sanctuary. They were seen, and will be a target too.

They sneak around where the trash pile is. Rick opens the door to go in, and it’s like a Three Stooges prank. A rope is triggered, and all this stuff on the roof above tumbles down. There are zombies all over the place.

Negan

Negan wants his men to check every nook and cranny. The Alexandrians had an escape plan. Rick’s kid is plaguing him; he’s built for this sh*t. Simon asks if he’s heard from Gavin. Negan says, no, but it’s coming. Gavin is perpetually pissed off, but has it together. Simon asks where Negan wants him; he’s not running down Rick. Negan says, the garbage people. Simon thinks it will be worth it to get the guns, but Negan says they may have pulled a triple-cross, but they’re still a resource. A deal with him is a lock, stock, and suck-my-barrel deal. He tells Simon to deliver the standard message. Take one out, and the rest fall in line. Just one. He asks if Simon has anything to say. Simon thinks maybe they should cut their losses. None of them can learn the lesson, no matter how many times they teach it. No one understands the situation one little bit, so maybe they should learn. Scrape the plates into the trash, move further out, and find other communities to save. Negan laughs. He’s doing his best to hold it together right now. He tells Simon to take own advice. The easy way isn’t their way. Saving people is hard, but it works. Simon says (it finally became unavoidable), not lately, and Negan tells him once he clips Rick, everything will be aces again.

There’s a knock at the door. Some guys bring in a delivery. It’s the crate from Hilltop. Negan tells them to get out, and he reads the lid: We have 38 more – stand down. We hear zombie noises from inside. Simon pries open the Crate, and Negan nail guns Dean in the head multiple times. Simon tells Negan that means the rest are from the outpost. They’re killing everyone, and he can’t let them get away with it. Negan tells him he’ll do his job. Simon is obviously not happy, but says nothing.

Enid

Enid and Aaron are shoved into a house by the Oceanside women. Aaron says, let’s talk about it, but they get chained to a radiator. One of the women tells Cyndie that Netanya was her family, and another says she should just kill them. The women leave, and Enid and Aaron are left alone.

Aaron says they’ll get out of it. Enid says it’s not about that. She had to do it. Netanya made her do it, and she’d do it again

Cyndie and her crew come back, and unchain them. They cuff Enid and Aaron’s hands behind their backs, and Cyndie says take them to the beach. Aaron says it’s her decision, but she has to own it (what is this? Real Housewives?), and she’d better have a good reason to kill them, other than making herself feel better. Killing is the punishment, but if Cyndie executes them, some of their people will come looking. They might kill a few more, but eventually, they’ll get wiped out. Her grandmother got herself killed. He tells her not to make the same mistake. Let them go. They’ll keep fighting, and the Oceansiders can keep hiding. Cyndie says, no… they live, confusing all of us

Aaron asks if she wants to know if they win, and she says, yes. He asks her to help them win. She says their contribution was not killing them, and they’ve taken everything else the Oceansiders can give. She tells him not to come there again. Aaron suggests they stop trying to kill strangers. They need to know the difference between friends and enemies. She says, don’t come back. Cyndie and her posse walk off, looking like weird Girl Scouts.

Aaron asks if Enid knows how to get to the car. She says they’re not going to help. Aaron wants to go home, but can’t leave until they join the fight. Enid says Beatrice and Cathy (which, no doubt, is spelled Kaythe) seem open to it, and Aaron thinks he can convince both. He tells Enid to go back and tell Maggie what he’s doing, but not to come. Enid thinks they’ll kill him if he goes back there, and he says he won’t go back there. No matter what happens, he’ll be okay. She makes him promise she’ll see him again, and he makes her promise she’ll be okay. They hug, and he tells her to go.

Commercial break. Talking Dead has a surprise guest. That usually means someone significant dies.

Simon

Simon is going to the landfill. He says, no worries, grabs some dudes, and they head to the heap.

Both the Saviors and the Heapsters draw their guns. Simon asks Tardis Jadis if they’re not friends, and she gives a nod. He says the bottom line is they need an apology – genuine. He knows she had a side deal with Rick, despite their preexisting arrangement. She saw them, and tried to kill them. By now, she’s had time to prepare a heartfelt act of confession. He tells her to feel free to use notes. Jadis says, no deal with Rick. They delivered him, brought him to the Saviors. Simon calls bullsh*t, but says no need to worry. They’ve cut themselves a big break. Negan is graciously willing to forego punishment. If they agree to revert to the agreed upon terms, all is forgiven. However, they will be taking all guns and ammo the Heapsters currently have. Jadis says danger is everywhere, and they need guns too. Simon tells her not when they have the Saviors. The Saviors will provide guns when they need them. Jadis nods because she’s used up her words for the day. The Saviors take their guns.

Simon asks about painting, if she learned it before or after. She says you don’t learn, you just know, which I kind of agree with. He asks why the dump? There had to be a better place to call home. Jadis says, our place. He wonders what the deal is with the helipad and solar panels (which is a clue to something, according to Robert Kirkman), and asks what it was before. She says, a dump. Simon laughs, but he’s not buying it. He wants to know if she understands they have guns and a deal, and he wants the full definition of an apology. What he got was a transgressional acknowledgment, and the guns as restitution, but no remorse. She says, there is remorse, and he shoots Brion. She repeats, there is remorse, and he shoots Tamiel. (Her two main people. I got their names from Talking Dead.) Jadis punches Simon, knocking him down, and says, there is remorse, you SOB. He says, no, no, no. He doesn’t think she means it. He says, light it up, gents. Everyone starts screaming, and they shoot… everyone? I’m not so sure Negan is going to like this.

Simon returns. Simon tells Negan that they got guns that and then some. Negan asks how it went, and he says the standard mess and delivery. They showed and told him they had remorse. There’s a call for Negan on the radio. It’s Rick.

Jadis

Michonne and Rick knock off the zombies at the trash pile. They climb up, since zombies aren’t good at climbing. Jadis is there. Michonne asks what happened, and Jadis says, Saviors. Rick asks how they get out, and Jadis says the same way they got in.  Jadis starts to talk, and loses her woman-of-few-words shtick as she goes along. She says they weren’t heaps. There was just trash far as the eye could see. She would go there to find things to paint on – metal and fabric. When everything changed, she realized the whole place was a canvas, and they were the paint. They could create something new, become something new, and they did. This was their world, apart from everyone else in every way. Rick says, you did this because of you.

Rick picks up a car door, and twirls it around. He bends some pieces of it; he’s going to use it as a shield. Jadis says she’s coming with them until they’re gone. Rick says he’s done with games. She can’t help them anyway. He goes down, and uses the door to knock some zombies around, and shoots some others. Michonne shoves the stuff in front of the door out of the way. Jadis asks them to just let her get out, but no deal.

All is quiet at the trash piles. Jadis pounds on the ground, and the zombies come toward her. They’re stopped by a chain several feet from her. She flips a switch, and a grinding machine turns on. I assume it was once used to crunch up trash. It’s between her and the horde, and she releases the chain with a stick. As they continue forward, they fall in and get chopped up. Cool. She watches as people she knows fall in. She cries. It churns out chili con zombie. When all of the zombies have been dispatched, she shuts off the machine.

Jadis digs a file cabinet out of one of the trash piles. She takes out a box that says apple sauce. I think it must be something else, and just says that to throw people off, but it’s apple sauce. She eats some, and I reflect on Carl’s pudding, and eat a piece of beef jerky, which somehow seems appropriate.

Rick

Rick tells Michonne he shot above Jadis’s head; he saw she made it. He didn’t want her dead, just gone. Michonne says they have a choice. He stops the van, and says he needs a second. He gets out and walks through a field next to the road.

He takes out Carl’s letter to Negan, and looks at it. I guess we don’t get to know what it says, but Rick looks like he has a headache. He radios Negan, who asks where he is, saying they should talk face to face. Rick says Carl is dead, and Negan is visibly shaken. Rick tells Negan that Carl left some letters, and wrote one to him. He asked Negan to stop, and asked Rick to stop. He asked them to make peace, but it’s too late. Even if Negan wanted to deal, it doesn’t matter. He’s going to kill Negan. Negan asks how it happened. Was it them? The grenades or the fire? Rick tells him that Carl went out to help someone, and got bit. Negan says, goddammit. He says he’s sorry, and I totally believe it. He’d wanted Carl to be part of things; he had plans. Carl was the future. Rick says the only future is one where he’s dead. Negan asks why Rick is making this hard. Carl is dead because he couldn’t leave sh*t well enough alone. Maybe he would have died anyway, but in this case, he’s dead because Rick wasn’t there to stop him from doing something stupid. He set the course; who’s next? Rick says, Negan is. Negan says, someone is. He stops people from dying. He’s the answer. It might be a hard lesson to hear, but it’s time. He tells Rick not to let another sh*t decision cost him the people he loves. That garbage sticks with you forever, like Carl will. He’s feeling it, and will for a while. He could have let Negan save all of them. That’s why he killed them in the first place, so Rick could say he’ll kill him when he won’t. He’s failed as a leader. He should just give up. He’s already lost.

Next time, Gabriel is up and running, Dwight says it’s too dangerous, a swamp full of zombies, and Eugene makes something.

👂 Although I’ve long grown weary of this show being so one note – now Rick even seems to have perpetual tears in his eyes – I actually got something out of the episode. Negan’s methods need some serious tweaking, but he makes sense to himself, and is better leader than Rick, especially at this point. Rick should have waited a hot minute before going against Negan, since he was originally taken by surprise and didn’t have a plan. Instead, he went on his emotions. It seems odd that now he doesn’t want to take a stab (no pun intended) at making Carl’s vision a reality. What spoke to me, is that Carl had a revelation of an idyllic new society, and instead of trying to make that happen – which seemed to be his original plan – Rick has put up his own road block. It made me think of how we often get in our own way of attaining what we say we want. Of course, zombie stories are rarely really about zombies. I just wish this one were more balanced. To be fair, I doubt Carl’s dream could be achieved. It’s like socialism. Great in theory, but there’s always somebody who is going to want more. And in this case, that somebody is Negan.

📡 As much as Walking Dead annoys me, I love Talking Dead. It’s nice to see that nerds are finally getting a voice, and not just on the Sy – we can’t spell – Fy channel. I’m sure The Big Bang Theory made a big contribution to that. Along with Comic Book Men, this show is a nerd’s dream. Lots of getting deep into things that are pretty much meaningless. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a nerd myself, and labeled myself as such long before it was fashionable. I used to stand out at Star Trek conventions. I’d probably just blend in now. Anyway, Chris Hardwick fooled us. The surprise guest was Enid (Katelyn Necon), who did not die. There was some discussion as to whether Rick did the right thing not helping Jadis get out. The general consensus was that he did, because she’d screwed him over. I’m of two minds on that. Yeah, there is that, but she got left alone with a load of zombies after she’d just poured her heart out to him about her art – and probably used more words than she had in the past two years. On the other hand, while I don’t think her wanting to get the best deal for her people was that horrible, Rick might have done her a favor in having to be on her own, and rely on herself. Who knows? Maybe she’ll end up at Oceanside. The highlight of the show for me was when they had the factoid segment. According to his portrayer, Steven Ogg, Simon is a multi-layered persona, who is a bit of a bully, but loves musical theatre. Who knew?

🏥 Speaking of Comic Book Men, glad to hear Kevin Smith is on the mend.

https://pagesix.com/2018/03/02/kevin-smith-mistaken-for-kevin-james-as-he-recovers-from-heart-attack/

✌ The Two Kevins…

KevinSmith    KevinJames

 

 

Feb26

February 25, 2018 – A Somber Start to the Dead, a Bit of Ash, an Atlanta Mention, McWhat? & a Song

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

The Walking Dead

When last we left, teens and tweens everywhere were crying into their Skittles because Carl got bit. They’re thinking he might make a cute zombie though.

Rick prays that mercy prevails over his realm. I think this is a dream. There are kids running around, and Jerry is there. Everyone is all happy, and things look normal. In the here and now, Michonne and Rick dig what I assume is a grave. He tells her to go, and we flash back to Carl fighting off a zombie. This time we actually see him get bitten. It gets shot from behind, and Siddiq asks if he’s okay. He says he is. Siddiq and Carl drop down to the sewer tunnel.

Back home, Carl checks out his wound, and the bite holes in his shirt. He waits for Rick with a guard, who gives him a note from Michonne, saying she had to see for herself. Carl writes letters to everyone. He and Siddiq go back through the tunnel. Carl sets up a cot there. He rocks Judith on the porch, and they do some finger-painting. He takes a Polaroid selfie of the two of them. Carl and Siddiq share a candy bar. I guess this is his bucket list? Such as it is during the apocalypse.

Carl does some planting, and waves to Michonne as she drives by. He enjoys the sunshine.

Across from the Sanctuary, Morgan tries to get a bead on Negan. The Saviors shoot at the zombies outside, and Morgan tells someone on the radio, it’s not now. He says the Saviors are trying to make a path, using the zombie bodies as a block. Suddenly, the room Morgan is in, is being riddled with bullets. He stops, drops, and rolls out the door.

Morgan is outside, and sees the zombies wandering to the opera music. He bangs on the fence, distracting them. They come his way. Some Saviors pop out, but he’s able to slip away while they’re busy with the zombies. A Savior caravan goes by, and Morgan jets out of the forest as soon as they’re gone.

Elsewhere in the forest, Carol tells her Kingdom group about a place the Saviors don’t know about, and tells them to hide there until she comes back. Henry says he’s going too. They killed his brother, and he’s not going to let them kill her too. He wants a gun, but she says that’s not happening, and heads toward the Kingdom.

Carl shows Rick his wound and sweats bullets. Daryl holds Judith. Carl says, sorry, like he dented the car. He says if he doesn’t make it, he wanted to make sure he said goodbye, and gives Rick the letters. There’s shooting outside, and Rick says it’s them. Carl tells Rick about bringing Siddiq back, and that he’s the one from the gas station. It wasn’t the Saviors; it just happened. He got bit.

Gavin tells Ezekiel that Negan is going to kill him, and there’s nothing he can do to stop it. Ezekiel says he buried his people, and what happens to him matters not. Gavin says he liked him. He accepted things for how they were, and didn’t get any big ideas, but then Rick planted one, and here they are. Ezekiel says he made a choice he can live with; now it’s Gavin’s turn to do the same.

Morgan sneaks around the Kingdom. He runs into Carol, who’s also sneaking around. Morgan thinks they can take them one by one, but she thinks it’s better to avoid them until they can’t. He says they have Ezekiel, and she says they have to take them now.

Michonne tends to Carl. Siddiq has some OTC inflammatory that will help with the fever. It did for his mom and dad. Rick’s son should have them. Rick asks if he was a doctor, and Siddiq says he was a resident… before. Rick asks if he’s Siddiq. Carl says he wasn’t going to make it alone, and needed them. That’s why he brought him back. He starts coughing, and Rick gives him the medication.

Michonne tells Dwight to make it stop. He’s one of them. She begs him. Rosita says if Hilltop is safe, they should go there. Dwight says they’re looking right now. Their best chance is to stay until they’re gone. They’re almost done. It wasn’t about destroying the place; they don’t have the ammo for that. After they’re gone, that’s when they go. Rosita says they wait then. He asks if she thinks Hilltop the best plan, and she asks if he has another one. He says, all of them together, and Daryl finishes, it will be their worst nightmare.

Two Saviors are putting out fires (literally), while Morgan and Carol watch. He says they have to go through the courtyard, exposed; this is it. He taps one guy on the shoulder, and knocks him out with his staff. Carol knocks out the other. Carol thinks they should just do it. Two more Saviors run out, and they knock them out too. Morgan impales them with the pointy end. He and Carol go inside.

Gavin tells everyone to hustle. He asks Ezekiel if it’s going bad; if it’s going to turn into something else. Ezekiel says he’s the author of this nightmare. I’ll have to remember that one.

Michonne strokes Carl’s face. He says she’s supposed to be resting, but she tells him that she’s not tired. He says it’s going to stop; it’s not supposed to be like this. She’s having a hard time keeping it together.

Dwight thinks it sounds like it’s letting up. Rosita says it looks like he was right – about everything. Daryl decides to take a look, and hands Judith off to Rick.

Morgan and Carol sneak around some more. They start to go inside another building, but Morgan hears something. He looks around the corner of the porch, and sees some Saviors unloading a car. He silently goes down the steps, and kills all three of them, but another pops out of the building with a gun. Carol shoots him before he can shoot Morgan. Morgan takes one of their guns, and they go inside.

Ezekiel is packed into a pickup truck, and Gavin says it’s his last ride; try to make him comfortable. He tells Ezekiel that you try, and hope, and want things to finally settle, but no. it always comes down to this. It always has to get dark and ugly and inhuman. He doesn’t like it. Ezekiel says it’s not too late to walk back from something decided. Gavin says Ezekiel did, and look what it’s got him. Gavin gets on the radio, and calls Peter, but gets no response. He starts to get nervous, and calls Gomez, and also gets no response. Ezekiel tells him again that it’s not too late. They hear gunfire, and Gavin says to get Ezekiel inside now. Morgan and Carol creep around one of the trailers.

A tear rolls down Rick’s cheek. In his mind, he sees a cookout. Eugene jokes with Judith, who is around five. Rick and Michonne continue to dig.

The gunfire stops. Michonne says they can get to Hilltop. Rick says Carl won’t make it. He has to stay with him. She says they’ll both stay. He asks her to take Judith; she needs to be there. He starts to cry, and Daryl says he’ll take her and keep her safe. He’s got this. Rick wants to let her say goodbye, and brings her to Carl. Carl tells her that his hat was dad’s before it was his; now it’s hers. It always kept dad with him, and helped him. Maybe it will help her too. He tells her before mom died, she said he’d beat this horror, but he didn’t. She will though; he knows it. She starts howling, and Rick gives her to Daryl. Daryl says Carl saved them all. Everyone starts to leave.

Siddiq says Carl helped him, and he’s going to honor his memory. Carl brought him there and gave him a chance. Siddiq can never repay him, but can honor him by showing his people, friends, and family that what he did wasn’t for nothing. It mattered and meant something, and because it did, he’s going to honor Carl. Carl smiles, and shakes Siddiq’s hand. He tells Saddiq congratulations; he’s stuck with them. Siddiq leaves to join the others.

Commercial break. They need to stop trying to make Red Machete happen. It’s not going to happen.

Gavin tells everyone what to do. They’re ending this whatever the hell it is. He smacks Ezekiel, and says it is too late. He’s the author, and Ezekiel is the dead man. He lives, and Ezekiel dies; it’s the way it is. Ezekiel says the compromises he made were done to save lives. He realizes the compromises Gavin is making are to save only his, but no more. There’s an explosion, and everything is pretty dark. The Saviors start shooting. Gavin holds up his hand, signaling them to stop. He tells Morgan and Carol to give up, or Ezekiel is dead. Carol and Morgan come out, machine guns blazing. Gavin is so startled, he forgets all about Ezekiel, who dives for cover.  Gavin gets hit in the leg, and drops his gun. Morgan has turned into a serious badass. We already knew Carol was. Ezekiel grabs Gavin’s gun, and now he’s a badass too. One of the Saviors gets Morgan down to the floor, and starts punching the crap out of him. With some bizarre burrowing skills, Morgan puts his hand into the guy’s wound, and practically disembowels – no, I spoke too soon – he disembowels him. Yep, he’s pulling the guy’s intestines out right out. Wow. I did not see that one coming.

Gavin gets up and tries to run (yeah, I’d be scared too), and Morgan shoots at him. He gets away, and Morgan picks up his staff/pokey stick. Ezekiel says they should leave, but Morgan tells him they don’t need to go, and heads after Gavin.

Violin music plays (I’m not kidding) as Rick and Michonne make Carl comfortable. He doesn’t want Michonne to be sad or angry. She’ll have to be strong for Rick and Judith, and for herself. She says she will, and he tells her not to carry this; not this one. He calls her his best friend. She says he’s hers too, and smiles through her tears. She kisses his hand. Rick says they need to get him out of there.

Gavin stumbles around like a blind bat out of hell, while Morgan walks steadily behind him like Michael Meyers in any one of the Halloween films.

The town is burning. Michonne and Rick walk out, with Carl between them. Rick says he can make it. They take Carl to the church, which is relatively unscathed by the fire.

Morgan drags his staff along the ground, like Freddy Krueger’s knife fingers, and Gavin shakes. He sees Morgan’s shadow. This is great. Morgan opens the door to Gavin’s hiding place, and he tumbles out.

Carl thanks Michonne and Rick for getting him there. He tells Rick about when they were back in the prison. When they got outside, there was a kid a little older than him with a gun. He was starting to put it down, and Carl shot him. He was giving up, and Carl just shot him. Carl thinks about him and what he did, and how easy it was to just kill him.

Morgan kicks Gavin. Gavin says Morgan is a sick man; he kept his word. Morgan’s not having it, and walks around him. Gavin says they can go back to Hilltop. Ezekiel and Carol arrive on the scene. Gavin says they think they can beat Negan. They can’t, but it can go back to how it was. Morgan says, no.

Rick tells Carl that what he lost, what happened, all those things he had to do; he was just a boy. Carl says Rick saw what he did, and how easy it got.

Gavin asks if Morgan killed all those men because of the kid. Morgan has his staff a few inches from Gavin’s nose. Gavin tells him killing him won’t make any of it go away. He’ll still wake up in the same sh*t tomorrow. Morgan drags him to his feet.

Carl says that’s why Rick changed. He brought them in, and they all lived together; frenemies. Rick put away his gun. He saw how Rick changed, so Carl could be who he is now. How he stopped fighting. It was right and still is. It can be like that again. He can still be like that again.

Ezekiel tells Morgan to cease this revenge. It’s the coward’s way. They don’t have to kill him. Let him see what he’s wrought, and let it be his to live with.

Carl says Rick can’t be who he was. He’s different now. He can’t kill all of them. There has to be something after. For Rick. For them.

Carol tells Morgan to stop. He doesn’t want to do this, and doesn’t have to. He’s the one who told her that they can be better than them. She can see he doesn’t want to do this. Morgan says he has to. Gavin looks petrified. Suddenly, there’s a hole in his neck, and blood starts pouring out. He drops to the ground, and Henry stands behind him with a pokey stick like Morgan has. Morgan looks slightly freaked.

Carl doesn’t know how it could be, but he’s seen it. We see it too, as he describes it. Rick has a beard, longer and greyer. Michonne is happy, and Judith is older, listening to songs he used to… before. Alexandria is bigger. There are new houses, crops, and people working. Everybody is living together, and everybody is helping everybody else. Rick can still be who he was. That’s how it could be. Rick says it was all for him from the start. Everything he did was for Carl and Judith; it still is. Nothing is going to change that. Carl says he wants this for Rick. Rick says he’ll make it real. He promises.

Ezekiel tells Henry that it’s all right. Henry says he had to. Carol scolds him, saying it’s not what he was supposed to do; it wasn’t for him. Ezekiel says all will be resolved, and hugs him.

Rick tells Carl that he’s sorry he couldn’t protect him. A father’s job is to protect his son. Carl says it’s just to love. Carl isn’t looking too good, and reaches for his gun. Michonne starts to say, it should be – and Carl says, he knows. It should be someone you love, but you should do it yourself if you still can. He has to do this. He tells her that he loves her, and she says she loves him too. He tells Rick that he loves him, and Rick says he loves Carl so much. Everyone is crying except me, since I stopped investing a long time ago. It’s a beautiful tableau though, with the light coming through the broken stained glass window, and the three of them in semi-darkness.

Rick and Michonne are outside, and we hear the gunshot.

Michonne and Rick dig. We see Carl’s idyllic world. Judith tells Negan good morning as he picks tomatoes.

Rick sits under a tree. Panes of stained glass hang from its branches.

Next time, Simon thinks they should cut their losses, Negan says to do the job, and Simon approaches the Heapsters.

🎶 Side knowledge: During the opening scenes, the song At the Bottom of Things by Bright Eyes was playing. Loved. It.

🍑 I’m half paying attention to The Real Housewives of Atlanta, where they’re infecting Barcelona with American reality TV. The amusing highlight of the evening – besides my husband asking if everyone was Nene, since that’s the only name he knows – was when the women were leaving their hotel. Apparently, it wasn’t up to the standard these peaches are used to, and a few of them were saying, “Goodbye, mildew,” on their way out the door. For a moment, I thought mildew was someone’s name.

👹 Ash Vs the Evil Dead had its season premiere tonight. Ash opened a hardware store/sex emporium in his home town, but his retirement from chasing deadites was not to be. The book was back, via an idiot on an Antiques Roadshow type program reading out loud from it. Why does everybody always read out loud from age-old spells? It’s really a bad idea. Ash had a wife and a daughter he knew nothing about (nor did we), but the wife didn’t matter, since she got her head sliced off with a cymbal in the high school band room. It looks like Ash’s daughter, Brandy, will be coming along for the ride this season, as well as Kelly’s boyfriend sidekick whatever-he-is, Dalton, who is also the descendant of an ancient order of knights who fight evil.

🔫 AMC has a new show coming up on Monday called McMafia. I’m wondering if it’s about an Irish mafia guy, or if the mafia is a franchise now.

👀 It Takes a While, But They Get to the Song…

 

Feb9

February 8, 2017 – Franco’s Muse is Back, Scary Chefs, a Cuppla TV Tidbits & the Truth

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

General Hospital

Kiki asks Elizabeth about the reception. Elizabeth says they’re having a hard time picking the right venue. Ava suggests the gallery, and Kiki thinks it would suit them. Elizabeth says she’ll run it by Franco. He has a lot going on

Franco paints a stairway to heaven. I don’t really know what it is, but it looks like a black light poster from the 70s.

At the hospital, Nelle thanks Michael for coming to the appointment. He doesn’t want to miss anything. She suggests calling the baby by its name, unless it a problem.

Carly asks Jason how he likes his new decor. He approves, and thinks he’ll be comfortable.

Alexis asks Sam how things are going. She says, great, all things considered. Faison is dead, and the only lead they have is his newly discovered son Henrik.

Peter tells Drew that he’ll stay on board until they find a replacement. Drew refuses to accept his resignation without an explanation. He can’t walk away without saying why he’s going. Peter says he accomplished what he came to do.

Anna asks Valentin if he ever crossed paths with Faison after leaving the WSB. He tells her that for a seasoned professional, she’s making a mess of this. He’d play this game with her, but his wife wants her gone, so he suggests they cut to the chase. Why doesn’t she just ask him what happened to the child she had with Faison? She asks what he’s talking about, and he asks if that’s all she has. She’s a wonderful liar – it’s what made her a great spy –  but he understands the paradox of a secret too painful to keep. She starts to leave, and he tells her to go ahead and run away, but she’ll never get the answers she came for.

Michael says he knows Nelle meant well, but thinks they should come up with something else. Nelle says she thought it was a good way to honor Morgan’s memory, but Michael says it brings up painful memories about their loss and the mistakes they made while grieving. Nelle assumes it’s Carly who doesn’t want it, but Michael says he doesn’t either.

Elizabeth sees Franco’s painting, and says it’s illuminating. His muse is back in full force. He tells her the best way to work things out is with a paintbrush. She asks if this is the result of his session with Doc. He doesn’t want to give Doc all the credit, but it was Illuminating. Elizabeth thinks she knows what the painting means.

Carly babbles to Jason about having the boys over. She says now it’s Jason’s turn; it’s his place. The boys will visit, and they’ll make memories. He hopes so, and she tells him, don’t hope; make it happen. He’s the most determined person she knows. When he decides to do something, he does it. She tells him to decide to have a relationship with his boys. If anyone tells him not to, they’re wrong.

Peter tells Drew that he’s still in shock from the shooting. He was lucky to come away spared, but Nathan didn’t. He didn’t see Nathan get shot, but he saw the aftermath with Maxie begging him not to leave her. He tried to staunch the bleeding, but not enough. it sounds cliché, but afterwards, he questioned his life, and if wants to spend it behind a desk. Drew asks if he’s going to the Himalayas to search for enlightenment, and says maybe he should just take some time off. Peter says he knows what he needs to do. Drew tells him that since he’s been there, the revenues are way up, and so is the readership. Peter says he told Drew the company had potential, and he’s glad to realize some of it. Drew tells him that he’s part of the Aurora family, and he hates to see him leaving. Peter thanks him, saying up until now, he didn’t know what it was like to have family.

Valentin asks Anna if she isn’t tied of running. She says she’s tired of him talking in riddles. He says he was clear; he knows she had a child with Faison. She asks how he came to know? He talks about a school in London much like Hogwarts, but it was a spy school. There was a beautiful princess at the school, and a crooked man, ugly as a troll. He knows what happened on a dark sinful night, when the princess went to Brussels where a midwife was waiting to help deliver a child. Anna runs to the door. He says he thought it was Alex, but it was her all along. She asks why he’s doing this. He asks if she doesn’t want to know, and she tells him he wasn’t there. He tells her to let him finish the story without interruption, and she comes back in.

Elizabeth says the painting is Franco crawling out of a dark place into something new and unknown. He says that’s more than Doc would say. Elizabeth is proud of him, but doesn’t want to interrupt. He tells her she’s the most important thing to him. She explains how Ava offered the gallery for their reception. He thinks that’s uncharacteristically generous, and she was probably trying to impress Kiki. He’s glad though, since he thought they’d have to set up food trucks outside the brownstone. They decide to have lunch, and discuss the plans.

Nelle tells Michael she thought naming the baby Morgan would help the contention. He says it was after Morgan died that she drugged his father and pretended to sleep with him to hurt his mother, Naming the baby Morgan will only bring back old pain. His family doesn’t deserve that, and neither does the baby. He suggests they wait until the baby is born, and come up with a name they both like. She asks if he means a name he likes, and asks if there’s anything else he’d like to dictate. He tells her that he wants to discuss anything they can compromise on, and be by her side as much as she’ll let him. She calls him exasperating. One minute, he’s unreasonable, and the next, he’s incredible.

Jason tells Carly that Danny is coming over. He’s nervous about it, since Sam has always been there. Carly says Danny knows he can trust Jason, and is safe with him. Jason asks how, and she says she’s sure Danny senses that his mom feels the same way. Sam knows that if she needs him for anything, he’ll come through. She knows she’s safe with him.

Sam explains to Alexis how Jason and Sonny figured out Faison had another son – Henrik. They think he was involved in the switch with Jason and Drew. Alexis asks if he’s still at large. Sam says she and Drew didn’t know the truth until after Faison was shot. Drew accused Jason of withholding information, but she thinks he wanted proof before saying anything. Alexis wonders if Sam had been alone, would Jason have told her from the beginning? Sam agrees that he didn’t want to put her in the middle. Alexis says, like when they kissed on New Year’s Eve?

Drew tells Peter that if he feels the same way tomorrow, he and Sam will respect his decision. Peter doubts that he’ll change his mind. They part company.

Sam tells Alexis the kiss was mutual. They talked about it, and it’s over with. Alexis suggests she keep her distance just to be safe. Drew calls Sam, and tells her something came up at work. She says she can meet him at the office, but he says he’ll come to her. They need to talk, but he’ll explain when he sees her. She tells Alexis that she needs a favor.

Valentin continues his story. In spy school, the crooked man was hopelessly in love with the princess, and hoped to win her over with a daring act of devotion. He hoped she would see the real him, past his physical defects. Her most obvious weakness was ambition. She wanted to leapfrog over the other recruits, and wanted to bring down the biggest baddie – Cesar Faison. She knew he was already fixated on her, and saw an in using his weakness. Anna says she wanted to destroy him. Valentin says he saw her when she stole away from school. He followed her. Anna says he should have stopped her, but he says this isn’t about him; it’s a story from his perspective. He asks if she wants him to stop, but she says, no. He says he followed and watched as she blended in. He watched her go through a door and come out in disguise, looking like a common call girl. She fooled everyone but him. He followed her out of London, and she went to pub where Faison would be. He was drunk when she sat next to him, and she got him drunker before she left. Rumors were flying that she’d stolen intel from Faison. No one knew how, but he did, and knows she got more than she bargained for. Anna tells him to stop it, but he says she’s made it this far. If she leaves now, she’ll miss the best part of the story.

Anna doesn’t deny her ambition, and isn’t apologizing for it. She wanted the glory of bringing him down. He was sick, and paid women to impersonate her. She thought she could pass herself off as one of them. Valentin says it was a dangerous game that went further than she expected, which brings them back to Brussels. He talks about the creaky stairs the midwife had to go up. Anna wonders how he could know that. He says she took a spontaneous leave of absence from school. There was a lot of speculation, but a contact told him where she was. By the time he got there, the room was empty with no sign of a mother with her child. Anna asks how does he know what happened, and he says he never did. She just confirmed it. She just confirmed she knows nothing whatsoever about birth control too.

Drew tells Sam that Peter tendered his resignation, saying he did what came to do, whatever that means. Sam thinks maybe he was shaken up over the shooting. Drew says he asked Peter to take time to think it through, but he seemed certain. Jim intrudes, saying the fates conspired in his favor. Sam introduces them, and Jim says he plans to be a major advertiser when the Charles Street project kicks into gear. Drew reminds him that’s if the proposal passes, but Jim thinks it will. He goes to the bar to get drinks.

Franco and Elizabeth come in. Franco sees Sam and Drew, and says it’s busy; maybe they should go somewhere else. Elisabeth says she’s ready for comfort food and beer. She tells him that if he’s going to stare, he should just say hello. He thinks Drew would prefer he play in oncoming traffic. They sit, and Jim says, hey, Bobby, small world.

Kiki doesn’t want to overstep, but asks Michael and Nelle if the baby is okay. Nelle says they’re just there to sign up for mom classes. She says she’s exhausted, and asks Michael to sign them up. She leaves, and Kiki says, so Michael is getting his Lamaze on; she wants a video. He says that’s not happening. She’s glad to see he’s getting along with Nelle, as long as she understands. She says they seemed affectionate, but Michael says Nelle understands there’s nothing between them. Actually, there is. It’s called a baby.

Ava tells Nelle it looks promising, and Nelle says the baby is bringing them closer. Ava asks what about Granny Carly, and Nelle says that’s a bit of a setback. Ava says that Carly is not going to give up without a fight, but Nelle says she won’t have fight left in her after what she’s planning. The details have yet to be finalized, but she might need Ava’s help to pull it off.

Jason tells Carly that Sam wants him to keep his distance. Carly insists Sam needs for him to wait until she can admit her love for him. Alexis comes by to drop Danny off. Danny thinks the place is cool. Carly says great taste runs in the family. Danny is puzzled by that, and Jason explains she means that she picked everything out, and is glad he likes it. He tells Danny welcome to his new place; it’s Danny’s new place too.

Danny brought Jason a present; a drawing of him and Annabelle II. Danny tells Jason about a Star Wars game he likes, and Carly says what a coincidence. There just might be Star Wars stuff in his room. He and Jason go to check it out, and Carly asks Alexis why Sam couldn’t bring Danny. Alexis says she had a work issue. Carly questions if it’s really that she can’t trust herself around Jason. Because Carly knows how everyone in the world thinks and feels better than they do.

Jim sits with Drew and Sam. He says it wouldn’t hurt to have a mayor who’s pro-business, and asks if they’re planning to endorse anyone. Sam says that would be unethical, since her mom is a candidate, and Drew is related to Ned. Jim asks if it’s Drew as in Andrew. He’s putting it together for the first time, and explains that he used to know Drew and Franco when they were kids. He dated Betsy, and used to call them Bobby and Andy. Sam asks if he knows anything else he can tell Drew about his past. Jim says, not much. He and Betsy broke up, and later he heard Drew had died, but that turned out to be untrue. He’s clearly alive and well. He says what a crazy coincidence that the three of them are in the same town. They were meant to reconnect. Drew stares at Franco.

Valentin tells Anna that he had the word of the midwife, but never knew for sure. Now he knows the truth; she gave birth to Faison’s child. Anna says the child had a monster for a father. Valentin agrees. That’s why he never told anyone. Crying, she thanks him, and asks if he knows what happened to the child.

Kiki tells Michael she’s celebrating with her mom about getting into med school. He tells her that the hospital is throwing a celebration for incoming students, but she says it seems to be a couple’s thing. She doesn’t want to go and be interrogated about where Dillon is. Michael tells her not to let him ruin her moment. She should go to the party and celebrate. She says she’ll think about it.

Ava asks Nelle how she can help. Nelle says she’ll need more flexible hours. She’ll get her work done, but needs extra time for the baby’s sake. Ava tells her to consider her hours as flexible as she needs.

Jason asks Carly if she wants to stay for dinner, but she says it’s a big night for them. They should order pizza and watch basketball. Jason asks what kind of pizza Danny wants, and Danny says whatever Jason is getting, calling him dad. Carly tells him to get used to it. It’s who he is to Danny, and always will be.

Sam asks if Jim can shed any light on Drew’s past. Jim says Drew is lucky to be alive after what Bobby did. The little psycho tried to kill him by shoving him down the basement steps. Drew gets up to go after Franco, but it’s all in Franco’s head. In reality, Jim tells Drew that he was always building things. It’s not surprising that he built a company. He’s looking forward to them doing business together. He leaves, and Sam asks if it’s her, or was he holding something back? Drew was wondering the same thing. Franco looks at his lucky rabbit’s foot.

Valentin tells Anna that the midwife said she couldn’t bring herself to look at the baby. He assumes it’s because if she did, she would never let go. The midwife told him that Anna begged her to find the baby a home; a place she could grow up happy, healthy and unaware of her father. Anna says, she? Valentin tells her that she had a girl. Surprise!

Kiki tells Ava that she wants to go to The Floating Rib, but Ava says she deserves champagne, not a bib. They’re going to the MetroCourt. She says maybe soon, she’ll have something to celebrate too.

In the hallway, Carly’s phone rings. It says unknown, and no one is there when she answers. Nelle hangs up at a payphone. I haven’t seen one of those in years. No wonder Jim thinks Port Charles is behind the times.

Franco and Elizabeth get ready to leave. Drew gets up, and asks why Franco never told him that Jim knew them as kids. Franco says it’s ancient history. Drew picks up the rabbit’s foot that Franco dropped and hands it back.

Valentin tells Anna that the story has a happy ending. The midwife honored her wishes, and found a happy home for the child. She never knew who her father was, and Faison never knew she existed. So Anna got what she wanted. He tells her good night, and she leaves. Outside, she smiles, and says she wanted a girl.

Peter’s phone rings. He answers, telling the caller they should be aware he’s leaving Port Charles. Valentin says that would be a mistake.

Tomorrow, Nathan’s funeral.

ℹ GH FYI

Mike’s girlfriend, Rita (Suanne Spoke), was also the NYC bartender who helped Jason hide when he was on his way back from Russia. He gave her Huxley’s “lucky” watch, so I wonder if this is ever going to factor in. I’m sure that watch was more than a watch.

🍰 This week’s Top Chef had the contestants cooking up desserts in the Stanley Hotel, which inspired The Shining. The challenge was to create their worst nightmare on a plate. For the most part, it was disappointing. One cook had been afraid of seeds as a child. Okay… Another cook wanted to recreate an egg exposing an unborn chick when cracked, which he claimed was a real thing. It was all I could do not to scream at the TV that this is a misconception. When you crack open an egg, and there’s a spot that looks like blood, it’s not a pre-peep; it’s a discoloration. In order to produce a chicken, an egg has to be fertilized. By a rooster. Farmers aren’t going to do that if they only want eggs. Bruce ended up having to pack his knives because of some undercooked barley. At least it wasn’t risotto, although oddly enough, he had wanted to cook it like risotto. Step away from anything risotto.

😬 This weekend, AMC will be having a Walking Dead marathon, as well as a preview of season 8B. When did seasons start sounding like apartment numbers?

🎭 Imposters returns to Bravo on Thursday April 5th at 10 pm. It’s a great show and worth checking out. Lots of fun, lots of drama, and lots of surprising twists.

✋ What’s up with this “my truth” business? The truth is the truth; there’s no yours or mine. What people seem to mean is their point of view of the truth. Everybody has one, but usually the real truth lies somewhere in the middle. #StopItPlease

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Dec11

December 10, 2017 – Alexandria is Literally in the Sewer, 90 Day Drop Out & Break Some Bad

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

The Walking Dead

Rick tries to get someone on the radio, but only gets static.

Rick is on the road with Carl. Carl says it’s not enough. If he cared, he’d do something. It takes more than hope. Carl tells Rick it will be something after the fight’s over, and Rick says not for everyone. Carl asks, what about him?

Rick comes out with Jadis and the Heapsters (sounds like a rock band), and they go to the Sanctuary. There are bodies and zombie bodies everywhere, and it’s a real mess. Tetris Jadis says, not like the picture. Gunfire begins, and the Heapsters jet. Rick ducks behind something. Carol drives up in a car with Jerry. Rick gets in.

On the road (I hate when they flip back and forth like this), Carl says Rick is going to live, and asks why they’re fighting. Because they don’t like the way the Saviors want everyone working for them? He wants something more than just killing other people. Are they just going to kill all of them? Rick says finding a way forward is harder, and something more. That’s how it’s got to be.

We see Rick, Carol, and Carl’s faces. Then Ezekiel, Jerry, and Maggie. And Negan who whistles and laughs, making me smile. Come on. You can’t help but kind of like him. He’s so devil-may-care.

Enid tells Aaron they have to talk to them after coming all this way, right? He tells her that he and Eric used to take trips like this when they were looking for people to take back to Alexandria. She says she’s sorry. She had been thinking about Oceanside, wondering if they’ll talk to them. He says it will be a risk, but they have to convince them. She thinks they should have brought guns. He asks if she wants to drive, and they switch places. She makes an unplanned turn, saying she wants to check something out; give them something they can use. Aaron says they can’t show up empty handed. She drives toward a distillery. Would there really be any booze left after all this time?

Michonne tells Judith she’ll be back soon, and she’ll bring Judith’s daddy back with her. She’s glad Daryl returned. Daryl says they’ll go in tell and them to give up, and they will. She says sorry she couldn’t go with him when he let the zombies in, but he says it’s okay; it worked.

Carl opens an encyclopedia. Tweens everywhere sigh. He looks at a note that says, just survive somehow.

Tara tells Rosita it worked. The walkers are in, and they’ll finish it like they planned. Tara asks if she found any guns. Rosita says nothing heavy, just some grenades. Tara says they can use them to redirect the herd, and Rosita stacks a bunch of crates in her arms.

Enid and Aaron sleep in the car at the distillery. Aaron sees someone, and makes a signal for Enid to be quiet. He gets out with his rifle, and she follows with her gun at the ready. Someone tells them that they shouldn’t have come here, and Enid shoots. A woman says her grandma is dead, and we see Natania on the ground. Aaron and Enid are surrounded by Oceansiders. And they have guns.

Carl messes with a sewer cap, and Michonne asks him what he’s doing, He says he met someone, a traveler. She says, in the sewer? We hear Negan speak through a megaphone, saying he bets they’re wondering why the lookouts didn’t sound the alarm. He’s being polite, and cutting through the cowsh*t. They lose. It’s over. Everyone will have to give an apology, and the one who apologizes last, dies. He kills Rick, and then it’s over. He whistles some more. Michonne can’t believe they got out. Carl tells her to come on, and they drop down into the sewer.

Rick is all shaky. Carol’s face is like steel. Carol and Jerry’s car crashes into something.

Ezekiel sits in his throne room, dejected. He reads a note from someone saying they had to bounce, but I’m not fast enough to see if it’s from Carol or Jerry. He hears a commotion and shooting. He moves quickly, and gets out of there.

Jesus drives with Maggie on the passenger side, and Neil in the backseat. He asks if Maggie thinks they’ll surrender. She says eventually, but not now. Would they give up that quick? She tells him it will be when they run out of food, water, and choices. I’m having difficulty believing they got out of that mess at the Sanctuary. Maggie tells Jesus to slow down; there’s a tree in the road that wasn’t there before. She says, it’s them, and gets on the radio, telling the others to turn around. Too late; they’re trapped.

A truck pulls in front of them. Maggie and I both say, oh sh*t. The back of the truck opens, and Jerry is hauled out. Simon gets out of the cab. He remarks that it’s a damn nice night. I think he’s trying to be like Negan, but IMO falls completely short. A couple of guys lean a crate up against the front of Maggie’s car.

Carol tries to get it together, telling Tara to meet them there. (Where?) Over the megaphone, Negan says they’ll get points for creativity. Tara says they can fight. Carl says they just need to survive tonight. It’s his show, his plan, and they’re all going to do it. They scatter, and Negan says, one minute.

At the Kingdom, Gavin says he didn’t want it to come to this, but they wanted to order off the menu. Now, they have to eat sh*t. He didn’t want to serve it, but the Kingdom and everyone in it belongs to Negan. Moving forward, everything they produce belongs to the Saviors, and they’ll let them hold on to just enough to keep going. All able-bodied men and women will repair and refurbish the Sanctuary. Since they made it a mess, the Saviors will be hanging their hats here.

Simon tells Maggie that due to recent decisions, everything has changed, yet nothing has changed. Everyone needs to hand over their guns. He tells the guy holding Jerry to kill him if anyone tries anything, and that goes for everyone in the cars.

Outside the walls of Alexandria, Negan says Rick brought this on himself. He was willing to work with them. They just had to follow a few simple rules. Now he has to go. Carl appears at the top of the wall, and says Rick isn’t home. Negan tells the Saviors to hold their fire. It’s Carl answering the door like a big boy; he’s proud. He guesses Rick will get back to a smoky surprise, and Carl says there are kids there. Negan says it breaks his heart, but there were kids at the Sanctuary; he must have seen them. There was a baby at the outpost, and he wonders what happened to her. He says none of this sh*t is fair. Hell, he knows that Carl had to kill his own mom. That’s screwed up; ergo, they need someone in charge who’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn’t happen, and that’s him. Carl says they can stop it. Negan says Rick gave his people a choice, but not him. They need a new understanding with apologies. Carl tells Negan if he has to kill someone, kill him; he’s serious. Negan asks if he wants to die. He doesn’t, but he will. If him dying can stop it, and make things different for everyone, it’s worth it. He asks Negan if this was the plan, and if it was supposed to be this way. Is this who he wanted to be? Negan thinks this over.

The Alexandrians zoom past in a caravan. Outside the town, Regina tells Dwight they should have had trucks, but he says it will hold. It doesn’t, and the trucks drive right through.

Explosions start happening in Alexandria. Negan tells Carl that he thought they were having a moment. So did I. Carl drops down, grabs his bag, lights some flares, and throws them around. Everything is burning. The church explodes, and a car blows up right next to him.

Simon tells Maggie and company that one person has to answer for this, but he hasn’t found Ezekiel. They should do themselves a favor and cooperate. I swear, if Ezekiel dies in this episode, I’m not watching next season. He says Ezekiel has to be there somewhere. There were rules, and he broke them. If they don’t give him up, this moves into something traumatic (like it’s not already), and he doesn’t want that. He tells them not to make this worse; the kids don’t need to see this sh*t. Simon gets nothing but silence, and says they’ve got five minutes. Then it’s Negan’s way, and it’s on them, not him.

Maggie asks Simon how they got out. Simon gives her three guesses, and says, let’s say they figured it out. Right now, the Kingdom is getting their innards splayed out, and the Saviors are taking possession. The same with Alexandria, as long as they don’t make it complicated. He tells them it’s the farmers’ lucky day. They’ve been chosen to keep producing. He says Gregory made fool out of him, so he’s hoping Maggie is the one to make things right.

Music is heard, and Simon tells Maggie that they need to shift into active listening. Eugene, who he was skeptical of, worked out. He helped get them out of the situation. Now his guys are leading the herd away. It can go one of two ways. One, he can kill the likeable gent on his knees (Jerry), drag them out, and put her in the box, in which she won’t suffocate like their friend Sasha. He’ll take her to Hilltop, gather everyone, and kill her in front of the whole place. After that, they’ll go back to the Sanctuary, and put her on a spike. Then his people will lead the walkers to Hilltop, and they’ll pull same the move they did – unsuccessfully. It will be a pita for everyone concerned. He tells Jesus to go home, water stuff, and save everyone, mostly him, trouble. He has to kill one of their people; then they’re aces.

Simon shoots Neil. He needed Maggie to know he means business. Now tell him he doesn’t have to go down the line. Maggie says she doesn’t need to do it, but wants to ask a favor. She’d like the box to bury Neil in. Simon tells her, favor granted.

Eugene can’t sleep. No surprise. He takes a drink. He actually might be more fun as a drunk. He weeps a little. Maybe not.

Carl wanders around. Is this his plan? Did the plan not work? Wtf is going on? Negan’s people are all over the place. Carl goes onto the porch of a house, and hears something. He runs, as it blows up behind him.  He sees everything burning. He looks exhausted. Buck up, dude, you’re still a teenager. I’d have been long dead by now, with all this jumping off of things.

In the woods next to the road, Tara says the Sanctuary attack was a mistake, but she made one too. Maybe Sasha would still be alive; maybe everything would end up the same way. Maybe they have to play it out to figure it out. Michonne asks where the hell they are. They hear a vehicle approach. Daryl throws flare in the road. Regina tells Dwight to stop the car; he’s leading them into it, and will get them killed. Daryl and the others start shooting, and gunfire goes back and forth. Regina tells Dwight it was him. She shoots him in the arm, but comes short of killing him, since she almost gets shot.

Alexandria continues to burn. Negan laughs. He says the convoy got away, but the kid still has to be there; he’ll go down with the ship. He tells the Saviors to find him, and don’t kill him. Blow up the houses. He’s going to Rick’s house to make spaghetti. Send Carl his way when he’s found.

A few of the Savior’s see Carl, but he lights more flares, and the smoke blurs their vision. He drops into the sewer.

Eugene tells Gabriel that Dr. Carson is capable of returning to Hilltop, but he’ll die en route. Dr. Carson asks what’s going on, and Eugene says Gabriel told him that Maggie will need his services for the birth. He tells them the guard at the north gate isn’t there. What they choose to do with this information is up to them. Gabriel asks if Eugene killed him, and Eugene explains that he gave him medically induced diarrhea via his coffee, and he’s “catastrophically crapping his khakis” right now. Gabriel asks why he changed his mind, and he says he couldn’t sleep. Gabriel says it’s not too late, and to come with them; they’ll take him back. I wouldn’t be too sure about that. He says he shan’t be doing that, and oops! he dropped the keys to a vehicle parked outside the unguarded gate. Gabriel tells him that he’s doing the right thing. Eugene says that assessment is relative, and Gabriel says no, it isn’t.

Ezekiel pours a line of gas, leading away from quite a few barrels of it, and sets it on fire. The whole thing blows up. He drives a bus through to the Kingdom. One of the Saviors says they need him alive. Carol asks one of the Kingdom people where Ezekiel is, and says to go to her house outside the Kingdom, and meet her there. As Carol gets to Ezekiel, he closes the gate, telling her that he can save them. Someone knocks him out from behind. I’m worried, since he’s a guest on Talking Dead tonight.

Maggie goes back to Hilltop, where the Saviors have been rounded up. Gregory says she knows he doesn’t belong here, and she tells him to shut up. She points to Dean, and says, that one, and tells them to get him out. Gregory is like, aw, man. She asks one of the guys for his gun. They bring Dean out, and Savior Al says, don’t do this. Dean, calls her cupcake, and says if she wants to put on a show, let her. She shoots him. It was probably the cupcake reference. She asks if Al wants to be next. He doesn’t. Maggie says they aren’t even, but it’s a start. She tells them to start fortifying the walls, and bury Neil. Jesus says he thought they weren’t giving up. She says they’re under attack; no more supplies are going in. They have to make a last stand.

Dwight shouts to Daryl and the others that it’s over. He made sure they could get back. He made the convoy come to the roadblock; he knew what it was. Now he can’t go back. Daryl asks how they escaped, and Dwight outs Eugene. He says he can still help them. He knows how the Saviors work, and knows how Negan thinks. He wants them to win, and wants Negan to die. Michonne says they need to get back now, and Enid helps Dwight up.

Maggie writes on the box. We have 38 more. Stand down.

Negan tells Ezekiel they had a good thing going. He felt bad for the kid. He didn’t want that, now more people have to die. Morgan slips around the back. Negan says he liked Ezekiel. Now his people are going to see their king is dead. Morgan stands outside, listening.

Daryl throws a rock into the sewer. Why? I have no clue. Everyone begins their descent. Dwight tells Michonne that he’s sorry. Michonne hesitates before going down. She watches some zombies sauntering around, and shuts the sewer cap.

Hey, it’s Rick. Where has he been? He goes to his house, calling for Carl, Michonne, and Judith. In response, he gets conked in the head by Negan, who says, sh*t isn’t funny anymore. Don’t make him do this. He says he has plans to cut Rick up in little pieces, then when he’s just a creepy stump with a head, he’s going to kill him in front of everyone. Rick asks if he ever shuts the hell up, and Negan tells him, no. He says Rick’s kid volunteered to die, and asks what kind of boy he raised. He tells Rick that he’s going to fix Carl. In a few years, Carl is going to be his own. They start to fight, and Negan says when he’s done with Rick, no one will try what he did ever again. Rick grabs Lucille, and gets a whack at Negan, who tells him not to touch her. He grabs Lucille back, and Rick snatches his gun from under the table. Before he can shoot Negan, Negan pushes him back, and they both go through the window. Rick takes off, and Negan says, sh*t

Michonne slices the top of a zombie’s head off. She looks very determined. A Savior grabs her, and says they’re all dead, and it’s her fault. Well, she’s the one with the big sword, so he dies. She spears him through the forehead, and then won’t stop hacking at him. Rick finds her, and asks where everyone is, but she can’t even speak.

They go through the sewer tunnel, and see the others. Judith is there.

We see the faces of Maggie and Jesus; Rick walking through the sewer, and seeing the others; Carol; Ezekiel, still smiling; and Morgan. Rick sees Dwight. Then we see Eugene’s face, Gabriel, and Saddiq. Carl tells Rick that Saddiq brought him there. Carl seems kind of out of it. Uh-oh. Carl got bit. He shows Rick his wound. When did that happen? Michonne falls to her knees. Tweens everywhere cry, but think he’d make a cute zombie.

We pan out on Carl through the long lens of the sewer tunnel.

As Negan would say, well sh*t.

Next time – February 25th – Dwight says they’re still out there looking, Ezekiel is still alive, the last stand is made, and Negan and Rick make love. Just kidding. And while I’m throwing ideas out there, why doesn’t Eugene put himself to real use, and invent a cure?

💍 On 90 Day Fiancé, it looks like there’s one down already. Molly called it quits with Luis, and rightly so. Very disappointing. The preview for next week showed her still toying with going through with it, but I doubt it’s happening. I hope not. He’s callous and a little strange.

🔬 AMC will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of Breaking Bad, with a marathon of the whole thing. It starts December 31st, and runs through the weekends in January. If you haven’t seen this show, check it out. Or watch it fresh if you have. The writing and acting are incredible, and there are many sardonic laughs along the way. The story actually has an ending too. Chemistry teacher turns meth lab king, starring Bryan Cranston. What’s not to like?

BreakingBadKnocks

Walter White – Breaking Bad

 

Dec4

December 3, 2017 – The Dead Invade the Sanctuary & Christmas Shopping Cheer

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

The Walking Dead

Rick sits in the container. Someone opens it. It’s Tardis Jadis and her cohorts. He tells her it’s not too late; the offer stands. Join them or die. She takes his photo. I guess this is a thing now? She tells him to turn around, and she takes a picture of his nakey behind. Her assistant drafts a letter. He asks why the pictures, and she says, after. He asks, after what? and he’s closed back into the container.

Eugene ponders his crappy life, and takes notes. What he knows, what he doesn’t know, and things he wasn’t aware of. There’s a knock at the door. It’s Dwight. He’s well aware Dwight is the fifth columnist. He’s been charged by Nathan to figure it out, so needs him to cease and desist his back stabbery. In exchange, he’ll keep what he knows to himself. Dwight grabs him by the collar, and sits him down. He says the Saviors are finished. Negan is finished. This place, what it’s been, is over. Food and water are running low, the workers are angry, and the Saviors are scared. All he has to do is nothing. Wait, and let it play out. He asks if Eugene can do that. He’s seen what happens, heard the screams, and smelled the burning skin. Dwight says that’s coming. Once you do those things, you become them, and there’s no going back. Eugene says he thinks about being safe a great deal, and it’s what’s important; what cranks his shaft. He says it’s not perfect, but they’re Saviors, and they save. He tells Dwight his cloak and dagger is on the QT. Just do nothing to anyone within the walls of the Sanctuary, and it will stay that way.

Eugene goes downstairs, where the zombies are clamoring at the windows. A Savior tells him he could use some help; Gabriel is getting worse. He has an infection, maybe more than one, and it’s only a matter of time. Eugene wishes he could help. He wishes for Razzles too (do they still make those?), but if wishes were horses and all that. Dude asks him to stay with Morgan, while he tries to find some Chinese herbs; maybe Eastern medicine will help. Gabriel nearly coughs up a lung, and tells Eugene to sit; Eugene looks worse than he does. Eugene says, he looks like a potato in a sh*t casserole, and sits.

Gabriel reaches for some water, and Eugene helps him drink. He coughs some more. He asks if Eugene is going to help him get Dr. Carson out. Eugene tells him there’s a Wilkes-Barre of walkers out there, and he doesn’t see it happening. He’s a small person, who doesn’t stick his neck out for anyone but himself, and stays in his lane. Gabriel just wants him to do the right thing. Eugene wonders what the definition of that is, since it’s different things to different people. Not going by other’s definitions has kept him staying vertical, when so many have gone horizontal. Gabriel tells him it requires faith, and the trusting belief that God is guiding him, and has a plan. Eugene says that’s absurd. Gabriel says he’s a man of science, but not long ago, would have found it impossible to believe that the dead could walk. (He has a point there.) Gabriel says maybe it’s not impossible. He’ll know what the right thing is when the time comes. He takes Eugene’s hand, and when Eugene takes it away, he sees a red dot on his thumb.

Morgan sees the zombies outside the Sanctuary through his gun site. He hears Daryl say he’s got something. Daryl drives up in the truck.

A Savior whose name I don’t remember visits Eugene. She asks if he’s fixed her boombox. He asks if she’s not distressed they’re trapped. She says she was already trapped. He asks if it’s possible for him to have the second bottle despite the delinquency. He needs it. She asks if he’s making jet fuel, but he says he needs it to sleep. She gets it; she needs help sleeping too. She tried to stop this. They came to him, and asked for help. He could have changed this place to something better, but took care of himself. She gives him the bottle, saying she hopes it helps, but it won’t. Negan summons Eugene.

Daryl says, make it happen. He tells Michonne to cover him. He’s going to crash the truck through the zombies and into the into the building. Michonne is concerned that they’ll be killed, but Daryl says  the workers are on other side. Michonne says it’s risky. Tara says they’ll work with what they’ve got, and Morgan says they’ve got him; Daryl is covered. Rosita thinks they should wait it out; it could go bad. Tara says it almost did go bad, and Daryl says they don’t have the Kingdom anymore. Rosita says Rick went to talk to the scavengers, and thinks they should wait for him. Tara says she knew about the weapons, but didn’t say anything, and look what happened. Rosita says it’s happening without her; she’s out. Michonne decides to see it through, but Rosita asks if it’s easier to risk everything than stay and wait. Michonne says she used to believe that, and Rosita says she wishes Sasha had realized it. Daryl says let’s go, and he gets in the truck with Michonne.

Negan sits at the head of the boardroom table with Lucille. Eugene sits down. Negan tells him if things don’t get fixed soon, a lot of people will die. His people, not him. He’s too good at this, but he doesn’t want to see them die. He doesn’t want to see Eugene eaten. It’s about pooling and organizing strength, and he’s strong. He wants to make sure Eugene knows he knows that. Eugene says their pages are utterly and completely one and the same. Negan holds out his hand. Eugene starts to kiss it, but Negan says he was going for a handshake, and tells Eugene to stand up. He understands the confusion; he rarely does this sh*t. Not many get mutual respect from him. Eugene says work needs getting to, and leaves. Negan smiles.

Eugene works on the boombox. He examines the speaker. He goes to the basement, wearing a miner’s headpiece with a light, looking around in the dark. He sees Sasha’s coffin, and flashes back to her bursting out of it, zombified. He opens it and finds the iPod he gave her. He sniffles a little.

Morgan tells Daryl to cut the engine before he draws walkers. This should be awesome if it works, or even if it doesn’t. Tara gets out to go for a cover spot. Daryl asks Michonne if she’s up for it. She says she came to see for herself if things would work, but she doesn’t get to know that. None of them do, but she does know things are working now, and they need to trust things will keep working. What they’re about to do, is it worth risking that? Daryl says it is for him. She hopes it works, but she can’t do it. She says she shouldn’t, and gets out, looks at Tara, and walks away. Tara says he has Morgan and the snipers; they can do this. Daryl says they will.

Outside on the second floor, Eugene sets the iPod up on a glider that looks like it’s made out of a kite. He talks into the recorder, and says stuff I don’t understand. Dwight tells him not to turn around

Tara runs around the compound, and sees the zombies trying to get into the Sanctuary. She radios that she’s there and ready. Morgan is ready. The lookouts are ready.

Dwight tells Eugene to get up, and back away from that thing. He has a gun, and Eugene gets all shaky. He says he’s attempting to save people’s lives. If Dwight kills him, he’ll be killing a great many innocents. Dwight asks if he’s aware that Negan is going to kill all his old friends. Eugene says they were former traveling companions. Dwight says he’s working with them to keep people alive. They can get rid of Negan, they’re almost there. Eugene says Negan ain’t the dyin’ type. Dwight says he is, and he’ll either execute Eugene or he can take his chances of being shot in the back. Eugene turns the iPod on, and cranks up the sound. The glider takes off, and floats above the zombies. Wtf? I guess he’s trying to lead the zombies away using Dolly Parton. Dwight’s hand shakes.

Daryl starts the truck. Dwight shoots at the glider rather than Eugene. Tara just shoots. Eugene turns around, and Dwight is gone. Morgan shoots. Daryl drives. Eugene ducks. Daryl puts cinderblock on the gas pedal to hold it down, jumps out of the truck, and it slams into the building. Morgan says, clear to the south. Daryl and Tara run as the zombies swarm into the Sanctuary.

The Saviors shoot at them, but they’re way outnumbered. Eugene has a panic attack. Dwight can’t believe it. Regina machine guns, but why bother? Just run. Eugene freezes on a landing as the bodies pile up at the bottom of the stairs, and they still keep coming. Eugene just blinks at the zombies reaching for him.

Eugene goes to Gabriel’s room, and says his invitation is declined. He won’t end up like Sasha or him. He can’t do this. Judge him, but he’s staying alive, and doing what takes to lock that down. He’s going to make sure Dr. Carson stays right there, since staying alive requires his expertise. He’ll survive; it’s all he knows how to do. Morgan is like, go to hell.

Negan tells Eugene he hopes Eugene realizes the storm of sh*t (his favorite word) he’ll be dumping on Rick as soon as he’s clear of the sh*tstorm Rick dumped on him. He asks how it feels to be his second, and to save people. Eugene says it feels great, and he’s solved some other problems. Negan is thrilled that Eugene has made more bullets, calling him magnificent. Eugene agrees he is. Regina and Dwight come in, and say that the dead have taken over the lower level. Negan tells them that Eugene has solved a way out of this mess, and he says he has a topper Dwight looks at him, I’m sure thinking he’s a gonr. Eugene says he’s fixed the intercom. Negan asks if that’s it, and Eugene says, sorry. That kind of thing cranks his shaft. He leaves.

Alone in his  room, Eugene listens to the shooting. He shivers and cries. He should cry. He drinks the liquor straight from the bottle, throws up, and drinks some more.

Rick is hauled out again. A scavenger takes him to the trash heap, and forces him to his knees. A zombie with a helmet is brought out, snapping and snarling. Jadis says, time for after. Rick pops the guy holding him in the nose, and manages to fight, even with his hands tied. He grabs the stick the zombie is attached to, and twirls the zombie around in a circle, so that it nails everyone else. Until it’s head pops off. Rick goes after Jadis, who has a gun, but he trounces her anyway. He gets her on the ground and puts her face a few inches from the zombie’s head, which is still alive and gnashing its teeth. He tells her the others won’t attack today, but they will. They can play their games, draw pictures, sculpt all the sh*t they want, but he’s leaving; maybe they should just run. I agree. They’re not super effective. Jadis signals her people to lower their weapons.

Rick asks if they’re done, and she says, yes. He helps her up. He tells her the Sanctuary is surrounded twenty deep. He tells her to come with him. When the others meet them, they’ll ask for surrender. He alone kills Negan. He asks if there’s a deal, and she says, after, the Saviors things; their things. Rick says, all of theirs; a fourth. Jadis says she gets to sculpt him, and he says no sculpting. His boots and clothes now. I think she likes him.

Rick leads Jadis and company out. He sees some zombies feeding on one of his snipers, and shoos them away. He uses the radio, asking if anyone copies, but there’s nothing. He takes the gun and climbs up the tower. He focuses on the Sanctuary, and sees it empty of zombies. He’s like wtf? but shakier.

Next time, they just have to survive the night, Maggie and Jesus join up with the others, and the big confrontation with a shocking (they promise) ending happens. It’s a 90-minute mid-season finale preceded by a marathon starting Saturday night.

😵 That’s all she wrote tonight. You try dealing with the AOL upgrade that’s more like a downgrade while finishing your Christmas shopping.

🎇 The Fantasy

Shopping Shopping6.gif

👺 The Reality

Shopping4 Shopping3

🎅 Total Delusion

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😎 Done

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Nov27

November 26, 2017 – The Aftermath Outside the Sanctuary & Weekend Thoughts

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What I Watched Today

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

 

 

The Walking Dead

Sigh.

Rick takes a note out of a microwave on the side of the road.

Carl opens the gate at Alexandria, letting the caravan in.

A memorial is created at the Kingdom, remembering Shiva, and the others that we lost.

In a voiceover, Rick says the plan is working. They’re winning. They’ve lost people, but when it was over there weren’t any Saviors left standing. Maggie says, Jesus took prisoners. They’re holding them until they decide what to do. Carol tells about the ambush. She, Ezekiel and Jerry are the only ones left. Rick says it’s scarier than he thought it would be. Sasha was the first, and they need to make it right for them. He’s headed to the next step. The Sanctuary is cut off from any supplies. They’re to meet there in two days to end it, and win it all. They fought every step of the way to this moment. The path led them to who they are, to each other, and to now. This can be their last fight.

Jesus passes out food to the prisoners. Maggie is irritated, but he says they had a bumper crop of turnips; even the Saviors didn’t want them. I understand, having had more zucchini than I could handle one year. Gregory says to build a gallows already; save the bullets, and be done with it. Maggie tells him to go inside – now. He says she knows he’s right. Maggie tells Jesus that he shouldn’t have put them in this position. He wonders what they’re fighting for, but she says they have to end it. He tells her they have to make sure what’s left was worth what they lost when it’s over.

Jerry says the King isn’t receiving visitors, but Carol knocks anyway. She says they promised to meet Rick, and need everyone who can fight. Jerry tells her Ezekiel wanted him to go away, but this is what he does. Henry asks if he can help, but Carol tells him to stay there.

Tardis Jaundice Jadis and the Garbage Pail Kids have captured Rick. These people are weird and annoying. Jadis asks what he wants, and he says the same thing he wanted before – a deal. She says they killed his people. He says they killed some of hers too, but they need him, and his people need them. She knows they have the numbers to take the place. He announces the Saviors are finished. Negan and his people are trapped by walkers. Until they surrender, they stay there. He’s there to offer a better deal; it’s their choice to forget Negan, switch sides, and be part of what they’re building together. Or they’ll be destroyed. Threats and dreams. He passes out the Polaroids that he took after the attack. His people know he’s there. What they do next, depends on what Jadis does right now. She smiles, and says no. Rick is led away. She says he talks too much. Ha-ha! He does.

In his old office, Gregory tells Maggie that people who aren’t leaders always think they know better. It’s not so easy. Maggie thinks it was easy for her not to sell out Hilltop to Negan. He says what he did was in the best interest of the community. She says he was scared, and tried to save himself. He tells her not just himself. He’s sat in the leader chair. She needs someone to tell her it’s okay to follow her gut. Jesus might try to make her feel bad, but she’s the shepherd, and they can’t have wolves among the flock. It’s that simple.

Michonne decides to go out and look for Rick. Rosita tells her not to, but she won’t listen, so Rosita gets in the car. Tara tells Daryl he was right not to kill Dwight. They wouldn’t have gotten this far without him, but when it’s over, she wants to be the one to kill him. Daryl says maybe they could do it together. Geez. It was an accident for Pete’s sake.

Jesus looks through the fence as he guards the prisoners. A Savior asks if this is what he signed up for, but he doesn’t respond. The Savior says he was by himself for a while. Different guys kept taking over, but he didn’t care since he was getting food. They sent him to put up a fence, and now here we are. Jesus tells him to stop. None of them are innocent. The Savior says he’s no angel; there’s no such thing.

Rosita asks why Michonne needed to come out. Michonne says it’s like a siren has been going on in her head that she can’t turn off. She helped get it started, and needs to see it, turn the alarm off, and go back home.  Rosita seems satisfied with her answer. They hear something, and Michonne tells her to stop the car.

It sounds like opera. Rosita doesn’t think it’s the Sanctuary. Neither does Michonne, but she says they don’t know. They walk into the woods, ready for a fight, following the music. They come out and move toward the building it’s coming from.

In the middle of the woods, an impaled zombie grabs for a bag hanging from a tree. A guy kills it, and it’s the guy from the gas station a couple of episodes back. Carl makes himself known, explaining that his dad was firing warning shots at the gas station, and introduces himself. The man says he’s Saddiq. Carl asks if Saddiq wants food and water. He remembers Saddiq saying his mom told him to help people, and Carl’s mom said to do what’s right. He tosses the supplies to Saddiq, who drinks greedily from the water bottle. Carl is glad he found him, and tells Saddiq that he and his dad are in a community. He asks Saddiq to answer honestly. How many walkers have you killed? Two hundred and thirty-seven, give or take a couple. How many people have you killed? One. Why? The dead tried to kill him, but they didn’t. Carl asks if the traps are how he killed so many. He says that’s only part of it. His mom hoped that killing them freed their souls. Maybe she was right. Carl asks if it doesn’t just make things harder, interfering with his own survival. Saddiq says you have to honor your parents. Carl says if he did that, they wouldn’t be talking, and he wouldn’t be asking him to come to the community.

Henry whacks at zombies with a stick in the woods. Carol shoots them, and says kids who go into the woods are never seen again, or if they are, they’re monsters. He says she needs fighters, and he’s fighting. He asks if she was going to the Sanctuary by herself, inferring that it’s not too smart. He wants to kill the ones who killed his brother. Carol asks if he knows how to use the stick, and Henry tells her that he watched her train people. She tells him to stay close.

Tara approaches Jesus, and tells him Maggie said to bring the Saviors in. He tells them two at a time, and they’re led into a pen. Maggie says they’ll feed them and not mistreat them, but won’t stand for anything less than total cooperation. Gregory says they can’t let people they don’t trust run around inside their walls. She says she grew up on a farm, and knows about sheep and wolves. Two guys grab Gregory, and walk him in with the Saviors. He acts like Sylvester the Cat, grabbing at things, and dragging his feet, trying to keep them from putting him in the pen. Savior Jared tells Maggie she’s going to get her people killed, but oh that’s right, she already did. He tries to grab one of the guard’s guns, and she cracks him one. She says she might regret her decision, but he’ll definitely regret his.

Carl and Saddiq hear zombie gurgles. Zombies are feeding on a deer, or moose, or Bigfoot, or something. Several zombies stagger toward them. One gets up close and personal with Carl. Saddiq stabs its throat, but they keep coming. It’s a pretty tense, oh sh*t! moment. Carl is totally trapped, and Saddiq gets one down, but he’s struggling. Finally, Carl gets a grip on his gun, and shoots them. I was starting to like Saddiq, then I remembered. Don’t like anyone on this show and invest nothing. Carl says he’s responsible for Saddiq now; that’s how it works. Saddiq doesn’t want to make trouble, and says Carl’s dad didn’t want him. Carl says sometimes kids have to make their own way and show the parents. Good point.

Michonne and Rosita follow the sound. They go inside a warehouse (?), and hear people talking. It’s two Saviors, a man and a woman, talking about saving asses and how what’s done can’t be undone. Tara and Michonne sneak around. Michonne accidentally kicks a tennis ball, and the Saviors see it. They draw their guns. Rosita takes out her gun. The Saviors shoot, and Michonne takes off. The Saviors search for them, one of them whistling. Tara looks in a box, and pulls out a drill. I think.

Michonne jumps out, getting the best of the woman, but she rallies, and they duel. She calls to her partner. He comes into view, and Tara points a gun at him. He says she’s not going to use that thing – which is like, a villain’s famous last words – and that wasn’t a gun, it was some kind of fire launcher. The second the words were out of his mouth – whoosh! – like Enoch, he was no more. The woman drives off in a truck, the back of it carrying large speakers, blasting the opera. As she gets to the intersection, BOOM! She’s T-boned by a garbage truck. Daryl is the driver, and Tara came along for the ride. Rosita says, that was too close, and Michonne says, it was.

Daryl says that was a Savior, and Michonne explains they found them scavenging. Tara asks why they’re out there, and Michonne tells Tara that she has to see the Sanctuary. Rosita says she does too. Rosita asks what about them, and Daryl says they have work to do; all of them.

Carol makes another try at seeing Ezekiel. Jerry says still not seeing anyone. She tells Henry to cover his ears, and points her gun at the door. Jerry says it’s not locked. Carol goes inside.

She finds Ezekiel, sitting on the floor in front of his throne, Shiva’s empty lead in his hand. He knows what she wants, and what he should be doing, but he can’t. She tells him the people out there need him. He says he played a part, and the stakes were their lives. He still played it; he knew, and yet he smiled. He can’t be what they need. He asks her to please, just leave him alone. Carol starts to leave, and stops. She asks why he kept coming to visit her? Ezekiel says it was his duty to make sure she was okay. She says she was okay; why did he really? He tells her that she made him feel real, not a fiction. Tears roll down Carol’s cheeks. She says he is real – to her, to the Kingdom; the people need their king to lead them. He says she could lead them, but she says it has to be him. He inspired them to build this place, to believe in something. He has to help them grieve, to move on, to end this. He owes them. Henry needs him. The people need King Ezekiel, and if he can’t be the king, do what he does best, and play the part. Carol says she has to act every day. It bothered her at first, but it’s who she is, and she’s still standing. They have to act like everything is normal. It’s what they need, and what he has to give them. Ezekiel says he can’t.

Jared works at cutting the bonds on his wrists with a rock. The guy who was talking to Jesus, slaps it out of his hand. He says Jared will get them all killed. Keep it together, and this place will be theirs. Gregory broods.

Aaron, Maggie, and Enid sit in Maggie’s office. Aaron says he keeps forgetting Eric is gone. He has moments where he thinks he’ll see him and be able to talk about how he’s feeling, and his mind catches up. He remembers, and the pain is knowing it won’t ever happen. Enid knows the feeling. He asks if it gets easier. Maggie says no, but it helps to do something about it. Jesus comes in, and tells them Gregory is trying to suck up to the Saviors; she did the right thing. He thanks her, but Maggie says, not so fast. She thinks they might be bargaining chips. Maybe they can trade them for some of their own people, so they might need them. But if they don’t, they can’t let them live. Jesus looks sad. Aaron walks out.

Aaron packs up his car. Enid asks where he’s going, and he says he’s going to make sure they win. She wants to come, saying he’s right; they need to win. He tells her to get her stuff, and some food. They might be gone for a while.

Daryl drives to an empty lot. He looks through a pair of binoculars, and gives them to Michonne. She sees the Sanctuary, and it’s coated with zombies trying to get in. Daryl thinks they should end this thing right now.

Jadis draws an A in chalk on a storage container. A naked Rick looks out from inside. She, and the garbage people (Talking Dead calls them the Heapsters), leave Rick at the dump alone.

Next time, inside the Sanctuary, Dwight has a talk with Eugene, and Eugene gets a gun held to his head.

🎆 It was a long weekend in more ways than one, and included my birthday, which included martinis. I’m trying to ignore Real Housewives of Atlanta, or at least not concentrate real hard on it, and I like to compile my 90 Day Fiancé thoughts into a once a month fiancé rant, so the Dead stands alone. Hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. Now, back to work.

🐶 For the Dog Lovers…

WeekendPup

🐱  For the Cat Lovers…

WeekendGrumpyCat

🐙 For Everyone Else…

WeekendOwl