Tag Archives: zombies

Nov8

November 7, 2021 – Morgan Visits Victor, Blackout At the CRM, Pollyanna’s Return, Valuable, Now They Did It, Pup Parade & Way

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

A zombie trips over a fallen warhead sticking out of the ground. Sarah opens her eyes, not sure of where she is. She goes downstairs and says, hello? She looks around at what seems to be a castle, and checks herself out in a mirror. A zombie wanders in, and she quicky grabs a rifle, but can’t get it to work. She says, hell, as the zombie gets closer, but a shot is heard and it drops. Al says, she’s awake, and Daniel, Luci, Charlie, and Wes come out. Luci says, welcome back, and Sarah asks how long she’s been out. Luci says, two days, and Wes and Charlie check the radioactivity coming from the zombie. Wes says, it’s off the charts. He wonders how it got there, and asks if Sarah brought any in with her. She says, no, and Charlie says, the zombies shouldn’t be able to go past the gate. She asks if Daniel closed it, and he says he did. She asks if he’s sure, but he says, no. Luci tells him not to worry, and Sarah asks where they are. Al says, Fort San Vincent, or it used to be before a rich guy bought it in the 60s and turned it into a bed and breakfast. Sarah wonders how she got there. She remembers the bombs going kablooey, and her engine overheated. What the hell was that? Al says, it’s better she doesn’t know, and Daniel says, she’s not only one Al isn’t telling what happened. Wes says, Sarah had a rough landing, and was knocked unconscious. Luci says, there are so many dead, and Al says, they took turns, but mostly Jacob was keeping an eye on her. He’s out working the east boundary, but he’ll be glad to see her back on her feet. Sarah asks if Wendell made it there, but Al shakes her head. Luci says they haven’t heard from him, and Charlie said when they went searching for him, the only thing they found was this. She hands Wendell’s cap to Sarah, and Sarah asks what they’re sitting there for. They have to find him. She starts to leave, but Luci stops her, and says, it’s not safe. Sarah tells her to step aside if she wants to keep her teeth, and Al says if Sarah goes past the safe zone, she’ll end up like that corpse. Luci says, if they go out, they’ll die, but Sarah says, however hard they think they looked, she’ll look harder. He’s alive, and she’ll find him.

Sarah sits on a hill with the radio, and some supplies, and asks if Wendell hears her. She’s trying every channel on this damn radio. She looks around with binoculars, and tries the radio again. She keeps repeating the pattern. She says, if you can hear me, give me a sign. If he’s out there, she wants him to know she’s still looking. She looks at a map, and says she’ll be riding the airwaves again tomorrow; over and out. She packs up. and a voice comes over the radio, asking if somebody is there. She says, Wendell? and Morgan says, is that her? She says, Momo? and he says, that’s what they call the baby. She says, whose baby? and he says, it’s a long story. She says, hearing his voice is music to her ears, and he says, it’s good to hear hers too. She says she thought he was dead, but he says he’s all right; Grace too. She asks if he’s seen Wendell, but he says, no. He’s holed up at the Pennsylvania. She says, she’s holed up with Al and the others; Al saved their keisters. She’s at a place called Fort San Vincent. Things look good in the immediate vicinity, but she thinks there’s a warhead dud somewhere near there. The radio goes dead, and she asks if he’s there. Morgan? She tries to charge the radio, but it’s not working. She says, sh*t in a sandbox, and throws it in her bag. She sees an SUV down on the road, and says, who might you be?

Sarah looks around the truck, and asks if someone is there. She looks inside, and a dog barks. She says, Rufus, and asks how he got there. Where’s MoMo? She lets Rufus out, and looks in the car. She sees the box with Emile’s head in it, and hears a gun cock. Josiah tells her, step away from my brother, and she asks, who the are hell you, and what’s your brother’s head doing in a box with my friend’s name on it? He says, his name is Emile. Her friend’s head is supposed to be in the box, not his brother. Mr. Jones killed him. She says, another psychopath who wants to try and kill Morgan. What’s his beef have to do with her? He says he wants her help finding Morgan, and she says, that’s kind of hard to do when she doesn’t know where he is. He says he heard her on the radio, and Morgan said he was in the Pennsylvania. What is that? A hotel? A restaurant? Wherever he is, she’s going to take him there. A zombie pops out, and Emile kills it. Sarah says she doesn’t rat out her friends, but he says he thinks she should reconsider. He’s the only hope she’s got of finding her brother. She asks how he knew about Wendell, and he tells her that he heard what she said on the radio. He suggests she accept his offer, unless she wants her brother to end up like this. He gestures toward the downed zombie, and holds out his hand. She gets up without taking it, and says, he can find Wendell? He says he and Emile share more than blood. When he needs to find somebody, he’ll stop at nothing, and he does mean nothing. Morgan in exchange for her brother. Tell him to meet her outside of the rest stop on 7489 at dawn. He holds out the car radio, and she says, find Wen first. He says that’s what he intends to do. He works fast. She asks, what’s going to happen to Morgan? and he tells her that she’s asking the wrong question. She should be asking, what will happen to Wendell if she doesn’t accept his terms? She takes the radio, and asks if Morgan copies.

Josiah stops by the side of the road, and he gets out of the car, along with Sarah and Rufus. He asks what makes Sarah so sure Wendell went this way, and she says, it’s the only place she hasn’t checked. He says, if he gets exposed, she has to give him the pills; the same for Rufus. She says she only swiped enough for her and her brother, and he says he agreed to help her look for her brother, not die for him. She asks what his name is, and he says, Josiah. She says, she’s Sarah Rabinowitz, and he says, well, Sarah, time to get to work. He dances through the air with a battleax, downing two zombies. He starts digging inside one, and Sarah says she doesn’t think he’s going to find Wendell in there, but he says, he will if they ate him. How long has he been missing? She says, 78 days, and he says she still thinks he’s alive? She says, he’s a fighter, and he says he’s warning her, if her brother is dead, they might not find him. Zombies can travel a mile and a half to 36 miles in a day; he’s a dead man walking. She says, he’d love that. He hasn’t taken a step in 40 years. He’s been in a wheelchair since he was a kid. Josiah asks if she has anything that belongs to him, and she gives him the cap. He whistles for Rufus, saying, Rufus is a cadaver dog; he can smell the living and the dead. Rufus sniffs the cap, and Josiah says, go find. Sarah asks if they should follow, but he says they need to give these two a proper rest first.

Josiah is tamping down the dirt over a grave, and Sarah says, things would go quicker if they didn’t have to bury every skinbag they came across. He tells her, the dead deserve respect, and she says, if he respected the dead, he wouldn’t be toting around his brother’s head like a pet rock. He says, it makes him remember what he promised his brother, but she says she doesn’t think his brother would hold him to it. He’s so full of sh*t. All he wants to do is kill, and he’s using Rufus to help him. She knows a psychopath when she sees one. He says she doesn’t know anything about him, and she’s got the nerve to call him crazy. She asks what makes him think he can do what his brother couldn’t? and he says, when you’ve been through what he’s been through, it makes you capable of doing things you never thought possible.

Rufus barks incessantly at a Stalker herding the dead toward a wagon drawn by horses. Josiah tells him, don’t move, and the Stalker says, he didn’t do nothin’, but Josiah says the guy put his dog in danger. He should kill him. The Stalker says Rufus came to him, and Josiah says he intends to find out why. He tells the Stalker to take his mask off, and the Stalker says his readings are clean, but Josiah says, that’s not what he’s asking. What’s he got in there; more like them? He looks in the back of the wagon, where there are a bunch of naked zombies. Josiah asks Sarah if any of them are Wendell, and she shakes her head. He asks the Stalker what the hell he’s doing. What happened to their clothes? He thinks the guy is hiding something, and tells him to take off his clothes. Sarah protests, but Josiah asks if she wants to find her brother or not. He tells the guy, strip now, and the Stalker takes his clothes off and stands there. Rufus smells the pile of clothes, and shows a particular interest in a red bandana. Josiah pulls it out, and asks if Sarah recognizes it. She nods, and takes it. Josiah tells the Stalker to show them where he found it.

They go to a barn where livestock were kept, and now zombies are in the stalls. Josiah says, this is what he does? Strip them and take their possessions? The Stalker says, something like that, and Sarah says, you’re a real twisted POS, know that? She says, Wendell’s not there, then looks hard at something. Josiah says, what? and she looks closer. She sees a wheelchair all mangled up and disgusting with guts, and says, that’s his chair. She asks the Stalker, where is he? The man in the chair. He asks if she means the skinbag tangled up in it? He had no use for him. He’s probably crawling around somewhere. She lunges at him, and he swings one of the gates open, letting loose a bunch of zombies. He takes off, and Josiah and Sarah run after him, but he’s way ahead. Josiah says they have to get out of there, and Sarah runs to the car and starts it up. She hears Morgan on the radio, saying he’s on the way to the rendezvous. Tell what this is about; is she okay? Does she copy? Please tell him what the hell is going on. She takes off just as Josiah gets to the car, but he jumps in. He asks if she’s lost her mind. He kept his end of the deal. She says Wendell isn’t dead, and pushes the passenger door open, tying to shove him out, but he hangs on. They crash through fence and over a cliff. Oddly enough, they land right side up.

They sit in the car for a moment. Josiah tries his door, but it’s not opening. Sarah says, sh*t, and he says, what? She says, it’s a goddam warhead. They’ve got to get out of there. Her door won’t budge, and she wonders where the hell her bat is. He asks if she’s injured, or punctured anything, but she says she didn’t puncture sh*t. She’s hyperventilating, and Josiah tells her, there’s no use having a panic attack over a warhead; her brother died. Zombies are starting to gather, and he says, they’ve got to get out. He promises, it’s what he does. He was a park ranger; search and rescue for fifteen years. It was only a matter of time. She’s got to call Morgan. She asks if he can’t call somebody, and he says he only had to be rescued once himself. He was searching for hikers trapped in a fire, and twisted his ankle. He didn’t think he’d get out alive. Emile wanted to look for him, but the other rangers said it was too dangerous; it was too late. Emile wouldn’t listen. Sarah asks how Emile found him, and he says, Emile didn’t; Rufus did. Later, his brother told him that he could feel Josiah’s heartbeat all the way across the woods. He thought it was bullsh*t until the day he felt his heart stop, and knew Emile was gone. He didn’t need to see it; he just knew. Maybe it sounds crazy, but that’s how he knows Sarah wouldn’t be looking if her brother was dead. She’d feel it; she’d know it. They can still find him. She radios Morgan, and says she’s in a little bit of trouble, a mile south from their rendezvous. Josiah tells her, be ready to honor their deal, and she says, they’re going to keep looking for Wen, and he’s not going to kill Morgan. He asks, why is that? and she says, he’s not a killer. He’s just mixed up because of his brother, like she was when she saw that chair. That wasn’t her back there, and this ain’t him. She tries the radio again, asking if Morgan heard her, but Josiah tells her, it’s safe to say the radio ain’t working no more. Zombies are starting to collect outside the truck, and he says, it’s time they take their chances. He gets out through the back, and does some slicing and dicing. Sarah jumps out, smashing heads with a shovel. They kill a dozen or so zombies. Sarah stands on truck, and puts the bandana over her nose and mouth. Josiah goes after a zombie, and realizes it’s Morgan.

Morgan and Josiah fight. Still standing on the truck, Sarah yells at them to stop. After a good headbutt, Josiah gets Morgan on the ground. Morgan punches him, but Josiah still has the upper hand. Sarah tells him that he’s not a killer, and he says, he’s not going to kill Morgan; his brother is. He takes out the head, saying, he made Emile a promise, and he’s going to keep it. He puts the head near Morgan’s face, but Morgan pushes him off, and the head goes flying. Rufus goes to investigate, and the effing head bites him. Now they did it. They touched the dog. Josiah says, what has he done? and cradles Rufus. Bastard. I hate him now. Sarah goes over to Emile’s head, and smashes it in two. Good.

Sarah and Morgan join Josiah at the campfire, and Morgan asks how Rufus is doing. Josiah says, he’s hurting pretty bad. Beans are his favorite, and Josiah thought they would bring him peace. Morgan says he’s sorry, but Josiah says Morgan didn’t do anything; he did. Morgan says he shouldn’t have to suffer, and offers to put Rufus down, but Josiah says he’s the one who has to do it. Rufus saved his life twice. He thought he was doing the right thing, keeping a promise. He thought it was about Emile the whole time, but it was about him. He didn’t want to let Emile go. Sarah says, she gets it. She and Wendell aren’t twins in conventional terms, but she was born prematurely. Her mom died, and she was in the neonatal unit. Every time they took the tubes out, she stopped sucking in air. When they put her next to a baby born on the same day, she started to breathe. She took her cue to breathe from Wendell. She knows why Josiah didn’t want to let him go. Every moment without Wendell, she can’t catch her breath.

Mercifully they don’t show us Rufus’s passing, and Josiah is tamping the dirt down on Rufus’s grave. He puts a bean can upside down on top of it. The three of them stand in front of one of the most incredible silhouettes of trees I’ve ever seen. Morgan says, sorry about Josiah’s brother, and Josiah says, he’s not like that. Morgan says, none of them were, and Sarah asks where Josiah is headed. Morgan says, Wendell needs a chair to get around; he needs help. He might know who would be helping him. Victor is collecting people because he wants to prove something to Morgan. If they leave now, they could make it by dawn. Josiah says he’d like to come. He can still hold up his end of the deal, and make sure Sarah sees her brother. Sarah asks if it’s okay with Momo, and Morgan says, yeah. Where they’re going, they’re going to need all the help they can get.

Standing on a wall outside Victor’s city, they look down to the zombie laden parking lot, then at Victor’s building. Sarah says, that it? and Morgan says, yep. On the wall, there’s a semi-enclosed guard post with a phone, and a sign that says,  history begins with a single step, will you take it? Sarah suggests Victor enjoys the smell of his own farts. Morgan says he’s got June and John’s dad, and Sarah says, let’s see if he has Wendell. She picks up the phone, and Howard comes up with a female guard. He asks why they’re here, and Sarah hangs up the phone. Morgan asks if Victor is too much of a coward to come himself. Victor comes up the stairs, and tells Howard, it’s okay. He’d rather have a face-to-face conversion to dispel any misconceptions. They were seen from miles away. He guesses Morgan came to see what Victor has that he doesn’t, but Morgan says, it’s not about him, and Sarah asks if her brother is in Victor’s town. Victor asks why she assumes he’s there, and Morgan tells him, because of what Victor said he was going to do, and Victor says, their instincts are correct; Wendell is there. Sarah asks if he’s okay, and Victor says, more than okay; he’s thriving. He has a knack for supply logistics management . He imagines it’s from his days of keeping Sarah on the road. She says she needs to see him, and Victor says, he remembers who stood by him when it mattered. She wasn’t among them. Josiah says, Sarah went through hell, and nearly died trying to find her brother, but Victor says, she’s not going in; none of them are, but Wendell can come out. However, it’s not a revolving door. If he comes out, he can’t come back in.

Victor asks if they think Wendell will make it out there, and Morgan says, they’ll manage. Victor says, like Morgan? Or didn’t he tell them? He, Grace, and the baby are barely scraping by. Howard says, it’s true. He saw it for himself. Sarah asks what he’s talking about, and Victor says, this new world is punishing. Does she really want what’s better for Wendell? He can protect Wendell from it. Sarah looks at the building for a moment, and says, don’t tell him she was there. If he knew, he’d come looking for her. Having been ignored since the beginning of the scene, Howard says, she’s in no position to be making… and Sarah says, please promise her that. Victor says, agreed, and leaves. Sarah starts to cry, and drops to her knees. Josiah tells her to breathe with him, and she says she didn’t want to let him go. Josiah says, she did the right thing. She did what he couldn’t do, and she’s still breathing. She says, yes, she is, and thanks him. He says, no, thank you; the both of them. She asks where he’s going, but he says he doesn’t completely know. There’s got to be other places. Morgan suggests Josiah come back with him; both of them can. What Victor said was right. They’re stretched thin, but they won’t always be. Josiah says he was exposed to the warhead for too long. They don’t want a sick man on their hands. Sarah says, he’s not getting sick, and gives him some medication, saying, she’d been saving it for Wendell, but she knows he’s save. Josiah says he still needs time before he’s ready, and she tells him, if he changes his mind, he knows how to reach them. He and Morgan nod to each other, and Josiah leaves. Sarah says she’d better get back to the fort, or they’ll wonder what happened to her. Morgan says, not for long. It can’t be safe there with the open warhead nearby. They need to keep everybody safe, and get ready for what happens next. Morgan goes down the stairs, and Sarah takes a last look at Victor’s building, then follows.

The Stalker with the wagon meets another Stalker on the road, who tells him, good job. The wagon Stalker says, they need to show Donald. He’s going to want to see this himself. The other Stalker says, what is it? and the wagon Stalker says, it’s the thing that’s going to get them exactly what they want. We see the warhead in the back of the wagon.

Next time, Victor says it’s a new world now, and wants to show everyone around; Teddi says, they’ve got to find Padre; and a boxing ring.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond

Leo remembered trekking through the woods with Lyla, and other researchers, in his early CRM days. The guards with them were about to shoot a zombie, but Lyla said it was one of theirs, and it was corralled instead. Lyla told Leo, their geo-tracker was misfiring. She asked what Leo thought of research facility, and he said it was more than he imagined. In the present, Leo and the others looked at the paperwork Huck found, and Leo said it documented a large scale chemical event. They wondered if the CRM was covering up a chemical weapon, and Leo said, whatever it was, it was real, which sounds like something a genius researcher would say not at all. Felix said they had to make a decision or it would be made for them. Hope said they had to stay, and figure out what it meant. Iris said they’d told Silas not to wait for them if they didn’t show, and agreed Hope was right. They needed answers, and needed to make sure the CRM didn’t get away with it.

Huck said she was trying to find out if the research was part of something else, and admitted that her mother had overseen the Campus Colony and Omaha. Only Major General Beale could take on something that big, but her mother had to sign off on it. She explained that everything was kept in balance, and something must have jeopardized what the CRM had built. They must have thought Omaha and the Campus colony were a threat to the balance (sounds like Snowpiercer.) Leo told Huck that he needed more time, and the papers had to stay with Him. Huck told them it was smart having Indira turn them in, and they knew where to find her. Iris went off to send a message to Will.

Jadis ran into Huck, and said she was there doing a security audit. She took great satisfaction in investigating corruption and betrayal. She said Huck had been the one who trained her, and she hoped they could catch up. She saw Huck as her mentor, and the most dedicated soldier, who would slash her face and break her limbs for a cause. She asked Huck to come by for some rum later. She had weak links to find.

Percy helped Iris smuggle out a message to Elton. Lyla went to Leo’s lab, with some clothes for the Iris, Felix, and Elton aka Percy. They made plans for dinner, and when the tote bag holding the clothes fell off the table, Leo remembered Lyla dropping papers in the woods way back when. Papers just like the ones Huck swiped. The message was delivered to Elton, which he had to decode. Elton said the group wasn’t leaving the CRM, and Barca wondered what else they’d be doing. Will grabbed the note and instead of just saying their departure had been postponed, Iris said they were going to stop the CRM and burn this place to the ground. Indira said they were going to start a war.  

Leo met with Iris, Hope and Felix, and told them that he needed to know just how much Lyla knew. If she was there for dinner, she wouldn’t be in her lab, which was a broad hint that they should break in and look around. Felix went to Huck, who said it was way too dangerous, but he said she didn’t get to drop the problem in someone else’s lap, then walk away. In the middle of Huck trying to transfer Lyla’s information to her own keycard so they could get in her office, Felix wondered, what if what they were looking for wasn’t in her office? Huck looked on the computer, tracking where Lyla had been, and they determined her research was in a subbasement. Ah, the old using the subbasement that no one has access to as a hiding place trick.

Brody was not thrilled with Iris’s note, and said they had to take action. They should turn in the remaining two – i.e. Elton and Will – and warn the CRM, who had been their allies. Indira said she’d given her word to keep Elton and Will safe, but Brody said she’d given their word to keep the town safe. Indira said they’d been living with the CRM’s boots on their necks, and Brody said they needed to pick a side. He had no choice, but to vote no confidence in their chairperson. Outside, Will paced, and Elton said it was even worse than the note. Indira was sick, and needed dialysis and blood thinner to keep her alive. She got them from the research facility, and if they were planning on burning it down, they would destroy what she needed to live. Asha came out, and said they could stay for now, with zero explanation as to how that decision was made, since Brody was just saying Indira was incompetent. Will said, thanks, but no thanks. HE needed to get back inside the facility.

Felix said it seemed like Huck had done this before, and she told him about her husband making a mistake on the job training recruits because he’d been drinking. He promised to clean up his act, so she made the camera footage used to document the exercise he’d messed up couldn’t be used as evidence. Felix asked why, and she said she loved him; maybe she still did. She told Felix, once the power was cut, he’d only have two minutes inside. He wondered why he wasn’t the one cutting the power, and she said she knew where everything was, and could cover her tracks. What the CRM did wasn’t her, but there was nothing they could do to bring them back.

At dinner, Iris asked Lyla what she did before working there, and Lyla said she worked in Big Pharma. She’d worked on a variety of diseases, and Iris questioned her about animal testing, obviously being against it. Lyla asked if sacrificing a few mice wasn’t worth saving lives, and Iris asked, what if what they were doing was worse than the disease. In the end, it came down to how much of your own humanity and soul you were willing to sacrifice for the greater good. It was just life. Iris said it wasn’t just life; you always had a choice, and saying you didn’t was just an excuse, Hope suggested they go check on Felix, and Leo seconded that. Lyla wanted to jet, but Leo asked her to please stay.  

Iris walked outside, and Hope followed her, saying, Iris was supposed to stop her from doing stupid things, not the other way around. Iris said she didn’t know how Hope could stand it, but Hope said there were good people in there, helping with a breakthrough. It didn’t change what was done, but those people weren’t them. Iris told Hope that she’d killed a soldier because he was the enemy, and she’d do it again because that’s what they are. Everyone was ready on the outside. She told Hope what she’d written to Elton, that they were going to find out what the CRM was up to, stop them from doing it again, and then burn this place to the ground.

Huck radioed Felix from the roof, asking if he was ready, and told him that he had two minutes until the generator kicked in. She messed with the power supply, and it shorted out. Everything went dark, and Huck told Felix, go now. He went inside, and saw the zombie test subjects with patches of skin their missing, and the areas labeled in felt-tip pen. He went into another room, and found a cabinet with vials in it. He took one, and went into the next room. He radioed Huck, and said, whatever was used to take out Omaha, there’s more of it. He saw he had one minute and twenty-nine seconds, and heard an alarm. He ran to the door, but it had automatically locked. He frantically radioed Huck, but got no response.  

Will went over a map with Barca and Asha. He told them that when he got in, he’d let Iris know about their mom, and not to jeopardize her medicine. He owed Indira this. Asha asked him to take her and Elton, but he said if it went sideways, he needed them safe. Instead of Indira taking care of everyone else, someone was taking care of her for a change. Barca told Asha that he was sorry he broke his promise by telling their mom’s secret, but she said she was worried about her mom too. That was the thing about secrets, they didn’t stay secrets. She told Elton that she was going to pray, and he asked if he could come. The last time people left him who he cared about, they never came back, and he didn’t want be alone.

Lyla wanted to check on her lab, but Leo convinced her to stay, since the labs would be run by back-up generators. She said tonight brought up some things for her. There was something she hadn’t been honest with him about, but it was better if she showed him. He followed her out, taking the knife from the cheese board as he went past it. Just in case.

Felix kept trying to radio Huck, and said she couldn’t walk away from him, or what they did. Lyla brought Leo outside to a bench, and said he’d asked if she had a family before all this, and she should tell him what happened to them. At the start, she had a daughter, Mia, who was six. She was bitten by a zombie who’d gotten into the backyard. Her husband Kevin slept with Mia in her bed – she’d gotten so sick so fast, and he loved her so much. She went to check on them in the morning, and Kevin was on the floor, bleeding out, his neck almost chewed through. Mia… she’d changed. She wasn’t Lyla’s little girl anymore. A few hours later, Kevin wasn’t her husband. The phones had stopped working, most of the neighbors were gone, so she just kept them there. One day, she heard a crash, and found them pinned under a bookcase. That’s when she knew what she needed to do. She rigged up some extension cords and belts, so they couldn’t attack her, and found her medical kit. She did everything she could to fix them. She did things to them, horrible things; whatever she could think of to bring them back, but she couldn’t. She’d spent her life looking for cures for diseases, but couldn’t cure her family. They’re the reason she’s here doing this work. She couldn’t fix her family, but maybe someday she could fix the world.

Now freezing, Felix tried again to radio Huck, asking if she was okay. He needed her to say something. The door suddenly opened, and Huck said, let’s go. He asked, what hell happened? and she said, the back-up generator came on early. She needed to reprogram the card to open door. Now she had to wipe the access log, or she’d have a repeat of two years ago, but it would be worse. He handed her the vile, and told her, whatever it was, there was more of it. She said she’d give it to Leo, and to keep her posted. However it ended or whatever happened to her, she was with him.

Huck went to see Jadis, who said she’d been worried when Huck didn’t respond, and poured her a hefty drink. They sat down, and Jadis said she’d never talked about what she did get into the CRM. She’d been living by her wits in the wilderness, and had created a society. She told Huck, give them their own language, and give them theater, and it will bond them and separate them from everyone else. She loved her people, but lost them because she made the wrong alliances. Afterward, she had the opportunity to give the CRM something valuable, and got a new life. She felt she had safety, but her purpose was gone, then she realized it wasn’t; she’d just expanded her purpose. It was still to survive. Huck said Jadis was an ambitions survivor, and moving up. Jadis said her purpose was to create a new era. She said Huck’s mother had told her to keep an eye on Huck. She wondered if Elizabeth thought Huck had been out there too long and formed bonds. Before the world ended, she wasn’t Jadis, but the identity had helped her to live, so it’s who she is. Huck was stronger than most, and it was understandable if her mom was worried. Help her prove that her mother didn’t need to worry. Huck asked if she was under investigation, and Jadis said she could prove Huck was still herself, and Huck could talk her up to the people who mattered. She needed a promotion by the end of the year. Huck said she’d done everything to prove what she made of, and Jadis said Huck had done a lot, but there was always more.

Why anyone would slow walk through zombie laden woods at night, I don’t know, but Asha and Elton did. They fought off some zombies, and afterward, Asha explained her flower thing to Elton, saying it was to free their souls and hope their energy found its way back to creation. She had Elton place the flowers on their eyes, and they held hands to pray. Then there was an artistic shot of the moon…

Barca led Will on a path outside the Perimeter, saying, he knew the place from sneaking out. Will said he owed them everything, and Barca gave Will a gun that belonged to his dad. He told Will that his mom didn’t know the gun existed, and he’d never used it. Barca was suddenly shot from behind, and Will grabbed the gun and ran. Some guys on all terrain vehicles shot at Will.  

Next time, Silas claims he was lost, Iris asks why Hope is willing to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, and Jadis says, something valuable is missing and they need it back.

🗣 Jadis Speaks…

The comeback of the season.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-jadis-return-pollyanna-mcintosh-rick-grimes-movies-interview-season-2-episode-6/

💰 The Value Of Rick…

What Jadis gave the CRM.

https://screenrant.com/walking-dead-world-beyond-crm-rick-fate-jadis-valuable/

🐶 They Touched the Dog…

Farewell Rufus. We barely knew ye.

https://undeadwalking.com/2021/11/07/fear-walking-dead-another-first-death/

🐕 And To Recover…

Some very cute doggos.

https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/photos-all-best-costumes-tompkins-square-halloween-dog-parade-2021

🎃 Turning Into a Pumpkin…

See you tomorrow for soap and the one and only Stud of the Sea. Until then, stay safe, stay wishing on stars, and stay never carrying around a zombie head. No good will ever come of it.

Nov1

October 31, 2021 – Living Six Feet Under, Plan Fail, Brothers, Stop the Music, New Old Face, Still Busting Ghosts & Halloween

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

John Sr. and June listen to A Hazy Shade of Winter on the phonograph They have dinner, and John uses an exercise bike. He uses the radio, asking if anybody is out there. He polishes his gun. He and June play board games. There’s a chalk board where it says, Day 26; Days until opening 339. John gets on the radio, and says, they’re six feet under, but very much alive. They have plenty of food. They don’t know their exact location, but doesn’t think far from the coast. They play games and drink. John uses the radio again, saying they leave it on in the daylight; or what they think is daylight. If anybody is out there, give them a holler. Because it’s not too late. It’s never too late. He and June clink cups. The days change to 69 there, and 296 until opening.

John wakes, hearing a rumble. Everything shakes, and a bookcase holding battles falls. Behind it, there’s a hole in the wall. June runs out, and they both looks at it, wondering what it is. John looks deeper, and she asks if he sees anything. He says, it’s another room. He breaks the wall open, and goes inside. He opens a gate, and goes into a room where there’s an examining table with straps, and tubes going into jars. There’s blood on the table. He and June look around with flashlights, and June asks, what is this place? They see blood all over, and John says, it’s where Teddy killed all those women. This is where it all started. They could never find it, and it was under their feet the whole time. June says, Teddy can’t hurt anyone again. Forget the room, and pretend it doesn’t exist. He says, it’s not too late. It’s never too late.

June suggests they close the room up, but John says, no; leave it open for now. He has questions. He’s been looking for 40 years. Teddy confessed to 23 women, and kept doing the same thing since he went to prison, embalming them, so they’d never have a new beginning. She says, they stopped him, but he says, only for a spell. June says, going over it isn’t going to help anyone, but he says, it might. He didn’t find them all. He knew Teddy killed 23, but they only found 22 bodies. Teddy finally admitted he killed the last victim. That’s what cracked the whole thing open, but they never found the body. He looked her mama in the eye, and said he’d find and bury her baby. He couldn’t keep his promise then, but maybe he can now. June says, even if he figures it out, he can’t leave. Some plaster comes down from the ceiling, and he says they may not have a choice. He asks how the suits are coming, and she says she’s still making them airtight. They need a go-between; not just to protect them out there, but so they don’t drag anything back in. He asks why they’d come back, and she says they don’t know what kind of radiation is out there. He tells her to keep working, and he’ll buy time in case they can’t go out. He saw some 2x4s. He’s sorry. He knows he’s not the Dorie she thought she’d be spending her days with. She says she’s happy to be where she is, and hopes he feels the same, and he says he’s a guy who was alone for decades. He gets the wood, but stops by the room. He looks at the instruments, and sees a notebook. He nails up the boards to the ceiling, and says, that should do it. She says, lights out? and he says, yeah; another one off the board. He asks, where’s the hooch? and she says, it got smashed along with the preserves, but there’s plenty of Tang left. He says, that’s all right, as we all would, and she tells him, goodnight. She pulls the divider curtain over, and he says, goodnight.

John lies awake, listening to the groaning of the structure. He turns away from the hole in the wall, but then sits up and goes inside. He reaches for a box, hesitating to open it. He finds a news clipping inside, with a necklace attached. He says he’ll keep his promise. He calls to June, but she’s sleeping. He wakes her, and goes to where the access to the outside is. He goes up the ladder stairs, and bangs on the door, asking if anyone is up there. There’s silence, but then a voice startles him and he falls back to the floor. He sees the suits and masks, and puts one on. He goes out, and sees a wasteland. He pulls himself out, looks around. He asks if anybody is out there, and sees a skeleton. He wonders if this is the beginning Teddy had in mind. He sees a zombie, and picks up a knife, and says, Dakota, you poor girl, and stabs its head. He sees a woman, and says she shouldn’t be out there with no protection. She disappears, and he turns to find her right behind him, her mouth stitched shut. She struggles to speak, finally breaking the stitches apart. She grabs him, but a shot rings out, and she falls. June is halfway out of the hatch holding a gun, and asks, what’s going on? He says June shot her, and June says, who? What is he talking about? He looks on the ground, and only sees a zombie. He sees two more on their way, and June says, get inside. He also sees three people in protective gear with guns.

June tells John that she needs to check him over. It’s not just about him or the contaminant or whatever is out there. he could have been bit. He says he wasn’t, and she looks, saying, it was just a scratch. Why was he out there by himself? He says he heard her, and she asks, who? He says, the girl he never found. She says she doesn’t understand, and he says she was calling to him. He heard a voice, so he went up, and there she was, plain as day. June asks if he’s sure he didn’t hit his head, and he says he knows what he saw, dammit. He put Dakota out of her torment. What Teddy did to the state of the state ain’t pretty. She says, if they go out, they need to make the trip together out there. He promises he won’t do it again, and looks around the kitchen area. She asks what he’s looking for, and he says she thinks a drink might take the edge off. She says, they lost all the whiskey, and he tells her that Teddy stashed liquor around the place. Teddy liked to have a good time when he wasn’t causing a bad one for someone else. June asks if he’s been drinking without her knowing, and asks how much? He says he wasn’t keeping track, and she asks if he was drinking before. He says, he was alone a lot, and she says he needs to tell her exactly how much he was drinking. He says, a half a bottle a day of whatever he could find. She asks what about down there? and he says, here and there. He thought there was enough to get them through. She says, he’s shaking. When was the last time he had a drink? He says, the day before last, before the ceiling collapsed. There’s more banging, and dust comes down. He says, it’s a helluva time to go cold turkey, and wonders if it’s the masked folks; they don’t sound dead. She says, this is why she didn’t want him on the radio. He doesn’t know who’s listening. A voice on the radio says, open the door, and let them in. They know they’re in there. John says, they can’t just ignore it, but June says, he’s in no position to fight them, and it’s only going to get worse; fever, sweats, and he might see more than he did up there.

June hammers at the entrance, and John hears A Hazy Shade of Winter coming from the secret room. He turns on the light, and goes in. He sees the woman on the table. She tells him, please, he’s going come back, and he asks, is it now? She says, he’s here, and he takes her hand. He asks what he has to do for her to leave him alone, and she says, keep your promise. Find me. June says, John? and he quicky turns, drawing his gun. She asks what he’s doing in there, and he sees an empty table. He says he couldn’t sleep because of the hammering, and she asks why he’s in there. It can’t be helping. He says he needs something to occupy his mind. He didn’t solve it before, but maybe he can now. She asks if he’s still seeing things, and they hear pounding from outside. He asks if she’s checked the radio, and she tells him, it’ll hold. He says, no one was meant to be down there. She says, he saw up there. Getting through the fallout is not an easy journey, and with his condition, they might not make it far. Even if they did, the radiation would kill them. She tells him that some people find detoxing easer if they go through it under sedation. He asks if it will put him to sleep, and she says, for a couple of days; through the worst of it. He says he’s sure he’ll be fine, and she says she knows it’s hard being down there; being reminded of what Teddy did. He says, that’s not what this is, and she asks, then why does he want to run out to a world that’s going to kill him ten different ways? She knows he thinks he saw her, but June doesn’t think she’s the one who’s not at peace; he’s the one not at peace. He’s not going to fix it by leaving. He says, she’s right, and she says she thinks she knows something else that might help.  

She hammers over the hole, and tells him, go to sleep. He says, that’s a tall order, and she changes the days on the blackboard. She shuts off the lights, and John tosses and turns. He sees dust coming down from the ceiling, and the woman is there. She says, look what he’s doing to her, and John says, stop. He looks at the hold, and she says, find me. She disappears, and he sits up. June is sleeping, but hears him ripping the boards down, and tells him, don’t do that. He says he has to, and she says, he’ll bring the whole place down. He says he has to get her to stop. The answer is in there. Then he’ll be able to think straight. He pulls all the boards off, and she stabs him with a syringe. He asks what she’s doing, and she says, what she should have done. Part of the room collapses on the both of them.

A voice on the radio says, that place ain’t going to hold up. He know they’re listening. It’s their final warning. John calls to June, and sees the syringe in his arm. The woman says, June is still breathing; she’s not. It’s not about June; it’s about what Teddy did to her. He says he’s not going to leave June, and the woman says, no one is going to get in. Teddy built this place to withstand a nuclear blast. Teddy said, that’s why no one would hear her scream. She says, Help me, then help her, and he looks through the clippings in the box. He asks where Teddy took her from, and she says she doesn’t know. He asks if he took her from the diner parking lot after her shift? They turned the place over, but if he took her from somewhere else, that’s where her body would have been. June calls to John, and he says, she’s awake. The woman says, June can take care of herself; she can’t. He asks if she was wearing this necklace, showing her the necklace attached to the newspaper clipping. She says she only wore it when she saw her boyfriend; she told him that she was on her way. John wonders if that’s where Teddy nabbed her, and she says, maybe. He says, then maybe that’s where he dumped her. He looks at a map on the wall, and says, her boyfriend lived here; across from this abandoned lot. He remembers going there to talk to him. She says, then that’s where she is. She tells him, if people out there are still alive, maybe it’s not as dangerous as June says it is. He questions June, asking if it’s really as dangerous out there as she says, and she says, she doesn’t know. He asks what she means. Where did the numbers come from? He thought she said she got them out of a book. She says she did what she had to, and the woman says, June is lying. He asks if June found them in there or not? and she says she was being safe; cut her lose. He says, not until she tells him the truth. She says she made them up, and he says, why? She says she doesn’t want go out, and he shouldn’t either. She was lying to him, but not about the radiation. She knows what it’s supposed to look like in there, but not what it’s supposed to look like out there. She doesn’t know what anything looks like. He says, none of them do. He has to leave. She doesn’t have to. She asks where he’s going, and he says to keep a promise. She says, do not go out there, but he says he knows where Teddy dumped her. He can put her to rest. She says, there’s nothing left up there, but the woman says, she’s out there. Find me. John says he’ll come back for June. Just let him free her; then he’ll free June. She says he almost died last time. If the people on the radio don’t kill him, the dead will. He says, they’re already living six feet underground. He’s not sure what the difference is.

Outside, John sees nothing but desolation. He looks at the map. He says, which way? Where are you when I need you? He keeps walking.

Inside, June hears banging from outside, and dust comes down.

John hears banging, and sees people trying to get into the entrance to the hideout. He hides behind a car, and the woman asks what he’s doing. He says she’s not real, and she asks how he knows they are. He says, June is real, and he can’t leave her. She says they’ll come after him, and he says, June is still alive; he can save her. The woman says he can’t even save himself. He shoots at them, and they run for cover. He hits one, and they shoot back. His hand is shaking badly, but he steadies it. One of the men reloads, and John shoots again. It’s quiet, but then he sees one of them trying to get in the hideout, and says, no. June hears someone coming in, and sees the guy in the gear. Outside, John trips on his way to the entrance, and sees the women Teddy killed walking toward him. He asks the woman why she’s doing this. They didn’t stop Teddy; he still destroyed everything. The woman says he has to help her or he’ll just be another dead body in the ground, and she’ll be just like them. He says she’s not real. He sees how the women were when they were alive, and sees himself looking at the clippings. The women walk toward him, and turn into zombies.

Inside, the dude in protective gear sees June. She grabs a board. Outside, John slumps, and grabs a knife he sees on the ground. He closes his eyes, and says, they’re not real. When he opens them, he sees a group of full-on zombies coming toward him. He gets up, and gets to work stabbing heads.    

The intruder points his gun at June, and cocks it, but he’s shot in the back. He falls, and John is there. He asks if June is okay, and she says, yeah. Him? He says, yeah. She’s right. There’s nothing much up there. He frees her from the rubble, and sees an arm. It’s the woman’s body, and he says, Teddy must have still had her there, got too spooked, and buried her in the wall. June says, he kept his promise. She’s at rest. He says, not yet, and puts the necklace on her.

John and June are dressed in their June-made gear, and John says he knows June doesn’t want to go up. She says she’s afraid there’s not much choice. He says they’ll help each other see which way is up, and she nods. They go to the stairs, and suddenly a ton of dirt falls in on them.  

John opens his eyes, and June says, he’s awake. He’s been out for days. He collapsed, and had the DTs. She was afraid he wasn’t going to wake up. He asks where they are, and she says, not underground. She opens the blinds to let the light in, and he asks, how? She says, someone heard his radio messages. They only survived because they had masks on when the dirt collapsed on them. The only reason she’s alive is he talked her into leaving. He says he wanted to help her see which way was up, and she says, it’s pretty clear it’s not what they thought it would be. She opens the door, and Victor comes in. He says, good morning, and she says, Victor wanted to know as soon as John was up. John asks how Victor survived, and Victor says, better than him, but that will change now that they’re here. John says, does Victor think they’re going to join him after what he did to Morgan at the sub? Victor says, he did what he did, but he’s here, and Morgan is out there. John says, that doesn’t make it right, and Victor says, it does make staying here they’re only choice. June says he’s right. John can’t go out in his condition; in the condition anything is. He asks if Victor has any idea who the people in the masks are, and Victor says he’s been asking  himself the same question. They can answer it together, providing John’s sense of direction is good. He pours the three of them a shot, and says, to new beginnings; to doing whatever’s next. John hands it back, and says, no thanks. He’s off the sauce right now. Victor says, maybe later. He assumes John has many questions, but for now, rest. The grand tour is still to come. He leaves, and John tells June, they can’t stay. He’d rather face whatever’s out there. John joins June at the window, and they look down to the horde of zombies in the parking lot. She says, leaving’s not an option, and John says, he should have taken that drink.  

A man in protective gear stabs a zombie in the head. He’s at the entrance to the underground hideout, and digs at the opening. We see it’s Morgan, and he calls to June. He says he heard them on the radio, and needs them to tell him if they’re down there. On the radio, Victor says, they’re not, and Morgan says, where are they? Victor says, they’re with him, and they’re safe, which is more than Morgan had to offer. Morgan says, listen to him. Victor needs to tell him where they are. Victor says, he’s such a bore. How about if they do this every night, and it will put him to sleep? He’s done listening to Morgan; everybody is. Everybody tried it Morgan’s way, and look what happened; death and destruction. Face the truth. He failed. He’s a failure. Morgan says, they’re here because of what Victor did, but Victor says he doesn’t see it that way. Now it’s his turn to do what Morgan couldn’t. He’s going to rebuild the world, and help everyone who Morgan let down. The ones he sees fit anyway. All while Morgan watches from the outside. Morgan says he hopes Victor does, and Victor says he didn’t think Morgan would give up that easy, but Morgan says he’s not finished; he’s not going to stop. Victor should rebuild the world and help people, but if Morgan hears that’s not what he’s doing, if Victor hurts anybody Morgan cares about, he swears to god… Victor says, what? and Morgan says he’ll come for Victor, and do what Victor tried to do to him on that submarine. Only he won’t miss. Victor looks at the radio, and nods, and Morgan travels on with his super pokey stick.

Next time, Emile’s head in a box, Josiah wants Sarah to help him find Morgan, and Sarah drives her car off a cliff.   

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond

Iris, Percy, Will, Felix, and Elton were traveling together on a path through the woods. Iris told Elton, by this time tomorrow, they’d be talking to Hope. Will said he thought they were close, and Elton said it wouldn’t be long before the music flooded the area with zombies. Will said they needed an exit strategy, and Felix suggested he stay back, but Will wasn’t leaving him alone. Percy said, they’d go in, make contact, and get out. If it looked dicey, they’d just split. Felix told them to stay low, and keep to the shadows. He and Will stayed behind while Iris, Percy, and Elton ran for the decontamination site where Silas was working.  

They followed the music until they saw Silas. Elton went on ahead, and Percy told Iris to wait, but she didn’t listen. All three of them approached Silas, who was startled to see them, and wondered what they were doing there. Elton said he was glad Silas was okay, and tried to give him a bro hug, but it ended up being kind of half-assed. Percy said it was good to see Silas, and Iris just smiled.

After hearing what happened at the Campus Colony, Silas asked if they were all dead. Iris said they were, and they took Hope. Percy said the CRM had been playing them the whole time. Silas was sure Hope was safe. They treated him okay there, so maybe Hope and Leo were okay. Iris said, if they were right, it was genocide. If they were right, the CRM was guilty, and they weren’t wrong; not this time. Percy brought out a map, showing Silas a terminal on the outskirts of the CRM that was used for biohazard waste. They made a plan where Silas would ask to use Dennis’s car and card to get into the CRM, and open a door at 2 pm. Iris and Felix would talk Leo and Hope into coming with them, and all of them would head for the a CRM affiliated facility in Portland. Silas said, what if he couldn’t do it? They’d just starting trusting him. Iris said it was the only chance they had, and she thought Dennis would help. Percy said Dennis was one of them, but Silas said Dennis wasn’t like Huck, but he didn’t think Dennis would be okay with it. Percy said the CRM was the reason the only family Silas had was dead, and Iris said they couldn’t do it without him.  

Huck looked at a newspaper article titled, CRM Requests Emergency Delay of Civilian Oversight, where apparently the military was being slow to hand over governmental power as was promised. Dennis brought Huck coffee, and she thanked him for trusting her. He said they were still married, and he used to know what she  was thinking, but now he just had to trust her. Huck said everything was different now after Omaha; they were back to square one. He said there was and always would be friction between the military and politicians. She told him they’d bought into what the CRM was doing.

Iris wondered if Silas would help them, since they’d exiled him, but Elton said he exiled himself, and he’d come around. Silas told Iris, it was a lot, and she said they had to get Hope and her dad out of there; Silas too. They needed him. She begged him to help, and he agreed. He’d be at the terminal at 2 pm. Iris said, if anything happened to her and Felix, just go. Don’t worry about them; take care of himself. Iris gave him drawing of the four of them; him, her, Hope, and Elton.

Leo told Hope that raising hell had finally paid off, and he was going to look for Iris and Felix. CRM guards shot him in the back, and we saw it was just a dream. Hope hunted Leo down at a meeting with some professors, and Lila said they’d been discussing Hope’s yeast theory. She introduced leading researcher Amanda Segal, who said they’d ID’d three strains that might speed up the necrotic condition. She thought it would lead to neutralizing the dead. Hope remembered her dream, and pulled her dad aside. She told Leo about seeing Iris.  

Iris and company told Indira and Asha about her and Felix’s plan to turn themselves in and rescue Hope and Leo. Asha suggested Indira turning them in, and Indira said it would look less suspicious when they escaped. She thought it was dangerous though, since Hope hadn’t seemed eager to leave, but Will said that was before she knew the truth. They had a plan to head west when things blew over. Indira told them things didn’t blow over with the CRM, and asked if Felix was sure he wanted to do this, since he had so much to lose. Felix said it was the CRM’s turn to lose, and he was going to make damn sure they did. Percy wanted to go with them, but Iris said he couldn’t risk it. She’d see him on the other side. Percy asked Elton what was up with Asha, but Elton said there was no point in anything since they were moving on.

Indira drove the group in a wagon, but found Percy following them on horseback, wearing Elton’s jacket. He said he could pick pockets or locks, and begged to come. Iris wondered if it was about helping them or killing Huck, but Percy insisted that he didn’t want Huck dead if it meant putting others at risk. Whatever he had to do, he’d do it to get her out safe. It was a hard no from Felix, who said they couldn’t risk it. Indira said it was too late; they were coming. We saw headlights behind them.

Huck went through stuff in Elizabeth’s office, and found data sheets that she didn’t look too happy about. She left the office, and Elizabeth’s assistant said Huck’s mother was looking for her. Iris, Felix, and Percy (now Elton) were being contained, and Elizabeth stopped by to visit. Iris was indignant that they were being kept there, and said she wanted to see her father. Elizabeth said it was a process. Afterwards, she met with Huck, and asked if Huck still didn’t consider Iris and Felix a threat. Huck said they wouldn’t be happy to find out who she is, but when they realized Hope was there and they had no home to go back to, it would put things in perspective. Elizabeth told Huck to keep a close eye on them; trust needed to be earned. She said she knew Huck had been nosing around her office, and Huck said she was trying to find out Elizabeth’s dinner plans.

Leo told Hope that the CRM wasn’t a prison, and Hope said, it was, but it was also a future. Not the CRM itself, but the researchers and research. Hope and Leo were brought to see Iris and the others.  

Silas explained to Dennis that there were some empties he wanted to clear out. He asked if he could borrow Dennis’s truck to take them to the dumpsite, and Dennis gave him the keys, telling Silas that he’d been doing good work. It was going to be tougher when the rain came in come summer and new recruits were there, but it would all be old hat by then.   

Huck told Elizabeth that she was exhausted from the weight of everything, and was sorry she’d questioned her. Being undercover had taken more out of her than she thought; lying to everyone, all day, every day. Elizabeth said she could only imagine. She knew she favored the tough side of tough love, but when Huck had her own child, she’d want to make them stronger so they could do the hard things. She talked about summers pre-apocalypse when Huck was a kid, but Huck didn’t remember them. Elizabeth said Huck was so gentle and trusting, she couldn’t bear the thought of anyone else destroying that in her.

Felix and iris told Leo and Hope the plan, and Percy said if anyone noticed, he’d hang back and cover them. Leo said they could all be killed, but Felix said the CRM wanted Hope and Leo working for the future. If they were caught, they could use it as leverage for their safety. Iris said it was their best and only chance to be family again on their terms. Hope said it was about making choices, and right now it was the only chance they had. Leo said he wanted to say goodbye to Lila. Maybe she’d want to come; she was the only persona outside of them who he could trust. He had to talk to her first.   

Asha told Elton that her mom wasn’t thrilled about Percy coming along, and Elton said he wasn’t thrilled about it either. Asha admitted that it was Indira, not her, who was sick; she’d lied to him. It wouldn’t be good if people knew Indira was ill. There were people who had different ideas about how the Perimeter should be run, and if Brody, or anyone, found out about Indira’s private agreement with the CRM, they could use it against her. Elton asked if Indira was going to be okay, and Asha said, as long as she got what she needed. Maybe there was no avoiding it being a mess. She said, it was nice meeting him, and he said, likewise.

Silas drove Dennis’s truck into the facility, while idiot Leo was on his way to talk to Lila. Huck stopped him, saying she needed to talk to him; it was a matter of life or death. Silas went to waste processing, and saw the clock said 1:46. Leo told Huck that she had one minute, and she showed him copies of the data sheets she’d found. She said the military had brought the zombies to the Campus Colony. She didn’t know how it fit in in; she knew they’d been used for research. They needed to find out what was going on and who was involved, so they could stop it.    

Iris, Felix, and Percy got ready to make a break for it. Elton and Will waited in the woods. Suddenly, Silas was surrounded by guards, telling him to get out of the truck. He stands there with his hands up, the guards pointing their guns at him.

Next time, Jadis and Huck meet not for the first time, Iris says they have to find out what the CRM is up to, stop them from doing it again, and burn the place to the ground.

BONUS ROUND: After the preview, we saw Lila with her newest test subject – Percy. Lila was impressed that he was a soldier, and said they had to keep him sedated while she established his vitals. She knew it was her last chance to get this right. Jadis came in Elizabeth was called away on urgent business, and they’d be answer to her in the meantime.    

👬🏽 Quit While You’re Ahead…

It’s the old twin brother soap opera trick.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-emile-josiah-laroux-bounty-hunter-mistake/

🎶 Turn It Off…

Grace had her reasons.

https://screenrant.com/fear-walking-dead-grace-song-not-listen-reason/

🚁 A Little Bit Of Jadis In Your Life…

So is Rick still single?

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-jadis-returns-world-beyond-easter-egg-new-name-father-gabriel-stokes/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-jadis-returns-crossover-twd-world-beyond-season-2-episode-5-spoilers/

👻 Then and Tomorrow…

Who you gonna call?

https://parade.com/1284860/maramovies/ghostbusters-movie-cast-then-and-now/

🎃 Happy Halloween…

Whatever your Halloween proclivities, even if none at all, I hope it was a happy and safe one. See you tomorrow for some soap and OG Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay keeping the hootch in a safe place if you’re underground, and stay not stealing all the good stuff out of your kids’ trick-or-treat bag.

Oct4

October 3, 2021 – Negan Teaches Maggie To Walk, Huh, Hope Makes a Choice & Stand

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Maggie says they’re about three miles out, but Negan says Daryl told them to go home. Maggie says, Daryl knows she would never turn back, and Negan asks, with what army? He asks Gabriel to back him up, but Gabriel says his family is starving. Negan says, at least admit they’re walking to their deaths for a sack of beans, and Maggie says Negan has always been more interested in himself than helping the people back home. Go; she doesn’t need him. He says, they both know that’s not true. He wants her to make him a promise in front of the goddam priest that if he sticks around – if he does this for her – he won’t have to keep looking over his shoulder. She says they’ll never be even, and he says, then she’s down a soldier she desperately needs. It’s her call. She says he’d take a promise from her? and he says, yeah, who wouldn’t? Assuming she’s a woman of her word. He’s always been a man of his. He holds out his hand, and she barely shakes it, Gabriel tells them, listen, and they hear the traditional garbled noises of zombies headed their way. One comes closer, and Maggie stabs it in the head. She says, it was Elijah’s sister’s best friend; she was just a kid. They have to get them; all of them. More zombies come toward them.    

Stephanie and Eugene fight with some zombies in an empty building, and Eugene says Stephanie is doing great. She says she’s doing okay, not great. It’s not like riding a bicycle. He says it’s the cerebellum protecting her from unpleasant memories. He has to ask. She’s known Lance a long time… She says, pretty long, and he asks if Lance is capable of taking care of their transgressions. In other words, will their labor truly lead to their freedom? She tells Eugene, if Lance says it will, then it will. He has his own way doing things, but Eugene can trust him. He’ll see.

Ezekiel and Princess work together in another building. Ezekiel insists he’s fine, but Princess doesn’t think so. She tells him that they’ve got to get the space back, and need to clear the bodies. He starts dragging them out, but he’s having a hard time, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s fine, and she apologizes for snapping. He says, it’s cool, and starts coughing. She asks what she can do, and he says, it’s dusty. He’s sure that’s it. Eugene and Stephanie join them, and ask if they need help. Princess asks Stephanie, how much longer? and Stephane says she guesses a couple more. Princess says, Ezekiel isn’t going to make a few more days, but Ezekiel assures her that he’s fine. She says he needs to see a doctor, but he says he’s not leaving her to work alone. She tells him not to be stupid; they have real hospitals and sh*t here. She asks if Stephanie can make it happen, and Stephanie said she’ll talk to Lance right now. Eugene says they’re most obliged, but Ezekiel wonders if they’ll incur another debt. Princess says she’s not afraid of hard work, and a couple of guards come by with a young couple who look like Preppies from the 80s. The boy says they’re way too close to where the masses are working. The smell is revolting. Eugene says, who the hell was that?

A man tells Yumiko that the recruiters were impressed with her, and she says she thought they’d found her difficult. He says he expected someone with her pedigree to have high standards. She’ll have no trouble finding a position there. She says she’s happy to work for them, but she’s not staying there permanently, and wants to make that clear. He says, after meeting Ms. Milton, she might reconsider, but she says she’d rather see her friends. Can someone take her to where they’re working? He says, they broke the law, and Lance arranged for them to be released with a fine. They’re clearing the buildings. She says, of what? and he says, the dead. She says, they’ve been assigned to clear the buildings for days, weeks, months? And she’s expected to provide legal services for… He says, Ms. Milton and her cabinet, and she says she’d like to speak with Ms. Milton right away. He says, that would be difficult. Lance’s expectations of the timing were different. She asks if Lance is his supervisor? And he says, no. She says, then she’d like to speak to her right away.

We see a zombie tied to a tree, and Gabriel prays over a grave (we assume Elijah’s sister’s best friend). Maggie says if Elijah’s sister is out there, they’ll find her, and every last one of these murderers. Elijah says, but the one… is his. Maggie tells Gabriel, there are scouts everywhere. If he gets a chance to kill one of them, do it. If they’re alone, he has the advantage. Gabriel says, if he gets a chance to kill one, he will. He leaves, and Nathan asks if Maggie is ready. She says she’s not cutting up anyone she knows, and Negan says they just need two. He kept his mask for practical, sentimental reasons. She says, it’s not fun, and he says, not with that attitude. She tells him, let’s get this over with, and they walk, leaving the tree zombie snapping at the air.

Two soldiers return to the Commonwealth, and tell Pope, they’ve done three sweeps, but there’s no sign anywhere. Pope asks if they checked along the train tracks and the underpass. Come on. There are dozens of those a-holes out there, and their brothers are dead. They’re not ashamed? Leah says, they were following her recommendations. She told them where the team went, and where to go next. If he wants to scream at somebody, scream at her. Daryl watches, and Pope asks if she’s trying to be noble. Get them to like her? Try keeping them alive. She asks if yelling is going to help do that, and Pope tells her, take your boy out there, and find those goddam idiots. She tells Daryl, come on; we have orders. She leaves, and he follows her. Ever notice how no one goes, hang on, I have to go to the bathroom first? Like they would in real life?

Daryl and Leah walk, and he asks if she’s all right. She says she’s fine. He says he’s sure the guys are grateful, and she asks how he knows. He says, he’d be. She says she may have been stupid. Daryl has a good place. If he spends time with these people, she’s sure they have their side. Does he have something to say about it? He says he’s just surprised, and she asks, why? He says, they won. They have walls and food; why keep hunting? She says, they need to make sure they don’t come back. He says he doesn’t understand, and she says, it was easy for him on his own. He only had to worry about himself. They have a whole community to protect. They have structure and a leader, who got them this far. What happened back there isn’t normal. He says he’s met guys like that before, and she says, Pope has puzzles to solve; he’s riled up. How can their people be so hard to find? Daryl asks if Pope is just going to kill everybody, and go back to being a good guy, and she says Pope is like a father to her. He’s made her strong. He believed in her when no one else would, and it made her strong. Daryl says she doesn’t need anyone make her strong.

Maggie walks, wearing the mask, while Elijah watches, and Negan gives her instructions on how to walk. He unties the zombie, who walks up to her and keeps going. Maggie trips, and gasps. The zombie does an about-face, and she tries to get the mask off. It comes toward her, but Elijah gets it back to the tree. She says she hates this sh*t, but Negan says it’s not going to fit perfectly; it’s someone else’s face. This might actually work. If he can do it, she can do it. They’ll fix it, and try again. She did good.

Gabriel watches from the woods, as a guy in an old-fashioned cloak approaches a cemetery at the edge of the forest. He kneels for a moment, takes out a dagger, and gets back up. He  seems to sense Gabriel, and says, help me, father. You who guided me during the darkest of times. I treasure our conversation and the guidance you’ve given me. Is there anything I should know? He listens, and says, thank you, father. Gabriel has his sword ready, but the guy leaves.

Yumiko and Tomi walk into the terminal. She asks how long of a break he has, and he says, just long enough to show her his dorm room. She says she doesn’t understand why he wouldn’t want the life that comes with being a doctor there, and he says he doesn’t want to go back to how it was before. She liked that type of life; he didn’t. Everything moved too fast, and people burned themselves out working until they died or wanted to. He asks her to sit, and says, no one can know he was a doctor. Promise him. She asks what he means, and he tells her, trust him. He likes things the way they are. This place makes sense. She says, okay, fine and tells him that she has a meeting with Pamela Milton later. Is there anything she should know? He says it’s nice for her. Someone like him would never meet her. She asks, why not? and he says, they have to know their place. Some stormtroopers come out of nowhere and grab him, taking him away. He says he did nothing wrong, and Yumiko says she’s his lawyer. He’s entitled to his rights. We hear, the Commonwealth way, over the loudspeaker.

Maggie walks with a few zombies in the woods, as Negan watches. He says he told her that she’d get it right. Congrats and you’re welcome. She takes her mask off Elijah says, he’s changed, but Maggie says, they can’t believe that. He’s helpful, or would be if there’s something in it for him. Elijah says, so her promise? and she says she hopes she can keep it.

Yumiko tells Lance that she needs to talk to him. Where the hell is her brother? He says her brother is fine, and she says, that wasn’t her question. He says she has an appointment with Pamela Milton, even after he told her that he was taking care of things. He needs some time, and she says, for what? He says, it works like this. Her people need help. Her friends broke the law and she wants them free. Those are big asks, and he can deliver, but there needs to be something in it for him. She asks, what? and he says, a friend in a high place. Someday, he might need a favor and she might be favorably inclined. So what does she say to sitting tight a few more hours? She says, a few more hours, and he says, excellent. Lance continues smiling the way he does all the time, and she doesn’t like it.

Leah and Daryl walk. and he points to a cabin. She says, the patrol has been through; they’ve checked miles of trails. It should be cold. He says, it looks like someone’s been through here. They move closer to the house, and Daryl notices something. He says, come out with your hands up, and a guy steps out from behind a bush. He says, don’t shoot; his family needs him. Daryl tells him, stand over there, and Leah says, there are soldiers looking for people like him. How did he avoid them? He says, they don’t know what he’s been through. His wife is hurt, and he can’t care for her and look for food. Let him go. Daryl tells him to show them, or he’ll shoot the guy in front of his family later. The guy says, okay. Please don’t hurt them. Leah radios Pope, saying, they found a man in the woods… She’s not sure if he’s part of their target. He’s taking them to his people, and she’s not sure how Pope wants to engage… He tells her to kill them, and she says, copy that.

With a small bunch of zombies corralled in the woods. Negan and Maggie have something to eat. He says he feels for her in all this. She might think it’s bullsh*t, but it’s true. She says, how’s that? and he says, he’s not a robot. It sucks to see your friends as walkers, and that should be enough, but they’re about to do some crazy sh*t. She’s going to break into the community she built, and lost. He gets it. She says she and Negan lost their communities in different ways, but he asks if she thinks he doesn’t understand the losing side of a massacre. She says, there were no children or families at the Sanctuary, and he asks, where’d Aaron get his crazy from? Does she think he doesn’t know about that? She says, he can debate battle plans if he wants, and he tells her, all he’s saying is that he remembers his home was invaded, and people were killed. The men who were killed had friends, girlfriends, and people who felt a loss that he couldn’t heal. He had to explain why their leader failed to protect them. She says the people he killed had families, and he did it in front of their families, and he says he did, but the world is different now. There are fewer people to fight for, and fewer people to fight with. Hell, there are fewer things to fight over. She asks if he’s saying he’d do things differently if he could do them over, and he nods. He says, yeah. If he had it to do over, he’d have killed every single one of them. She asks why would he say that, and he says, it’s the truth. They’ve got to do what they can to protect their people. That’s why they’re here. That’s why they’re doing this. She asks why he’d say that to her? and he says they had a good day, her and him, and the only way this works is if they’re honest.

Eugene, Princess, and Stephanie pile up bodies, and Princess asks where they bring the dead. Stephanie doesn’t know exactly where, but says, somewhere far from the water supply. Ezekiel comes bouncing back with Lance, and tells Princess, much gratitude. They did the work, and he brought lollypops. He passes them out, and Princess asks if he doesn’t want one. He says he’s had several, and she asks how it was. He says he’s good as new. They gave him antibiotics, painkillers, and IV fluids. I’m thinking he’s had more than that, and wonder what’s in those lollypops. He thanks Lance, who says he was happy to do it. He’s just glad everyone’s okay. Do they feel up to a new assignment? Ezekiel says, bring it on, and Lance tells Eugene and Stephanie to clear out the north fence line; Stephanie can show Eugene where it is. He asks Ezekiel and Princess to come with him, and they follow him.  

Gabriel comes back, and tells Maggie, good news; they’re still there. Maggie asks if he ran into any of them, but he says, no.

The young entitled couple who’d passed by, are now making out in a lean-to by the edge of the forest. Eugene and Stephanie arrive just as a bunch of zombies come out of the woods. Eugene whacks zombies like never before, and Stephanie holds her own. Eugene says, teamwork, and he and Stephanie high-five. The boy asks what the hell that was about. Eugene and Stephanie disrupted their date. Eugene says he and Stephanie saved their lives, and the boy says they have private security for that. Stephanie says, let’s go, and the boy says, that’s the best idea they’ve had yet. Eugene says, there’s no reason to rude, hoss, and the boy says he’s not used to talking to plebians. Eugene says, someone used their dictionary. He and Stephanie have earned either gratitude or an apology. The boy asks who the hell they think they are, and Eugene tells him, hold his horses. The boy asks who Eugene thinks he’s talking to, and Eugene says, a tiny little man. While this is going on, a zombie has come out of the woods, and is almost on top of the girl. Stephanie whacks it down, and the blood spurts onto the girl, who squeals. The boy tells Stephanie, stupid bitch, look what you did to my girlfriend, and Eugene punches him in the face. Stephanie says, what did you do? and Eugene says, he was being an a-hole. Stephanie says she’s so sorry. They’ve been working without a break. Eugene didn’t mean to… Lance and Mercer appear, and Lance asks, what happened? The boy says, these lunatics attacked them. And where was Mercer? He had rotters up his ass, and this dumb sh*t rolled up and attacked them. Eugene says, that’s not the way it went, and Lance asks if it’s not true Eugene hit the boy? Eugene says he did, and Lance asks what he was thinking? Doesn’t Eugene know who this is? Let me just interject here. This obviously wasn’t in the employee citizen handbook, so what the hell? Isn’t that Lance’s fault?

Yumiko goes to Ms. Milton’s office, and the receptionist thanks her for being on time; Ms. Milton is fastidious about her schedule. She asks if Yumiko would like something to drink, but Yumiko says she’s all right. The receptionist asks her to have a seat, and Yumiko looks at a coffee table book about Italy. The receptionist says Yumiko is part of the new group who came in. Are they settling in okay? Yumiko says, yeah, but she hasn’t seen her friends in a few days. The receptionist says she’s sorry to hear that. Is everyone okay? The phone rings, and she says, of course. She’ll do it now. Yumiko asks if everything is okay, and the receptionist says, Ms. Milton will have to reschedule. Someone attacked her son.

Eugene sits in a cell, and Lance comes in. He says Eugene was supposed to save and protect the governor’s son. If he’d done that, he’d have been a hero. He could have asked for anything. Eugene and his friends want out, but now the price is higher. He needs the name of Eugene’s town and how to get there. Eugene says he’s been on his own, and Lance says, then welcome. This is home. He and his friends can keep killing walkers, and his people – whoever they are – can figure things out on their own. Eugene says, if he were to disclose the coordinates, what guarantee can Lance provide that his community will be safe? Lance says, look around him. Think of how they’ve been treated, all the chances they’ve gotten. Eugene says, that’s not a direct reply to his query, and Lance says, it’s up to him. Lance starts to leave, and Eugene says, wait. I say, dammit.

Maggie practices walking in the field with a small group of zombies, along with Negan. She and Negan split off, and go over to a building. They take the boards off a door, and open it. Zombies stream outside, and I wonder who was saving them up in there. Everyone wanders around a parking lot.

A storm begins, and the guy leads Daryl and Leah to a house. He moves some vent hoses aside in the basement, and reveals an entryway. He goes in, and a wounded woman sits on the floor with a little boy. He says he told them the truth. Please don’t hurt them. Leah tells him to take his son and run. Don’t come back. The woman tells the boy to go ahead with his father, and don’t be afraid. The guy cries and says he loves her. She says she loves him too. No one cares since we don’t know them. They leave, and the woman says they’re the answer to her prayers. He was never going to leave while she was alive, but it’s dangerous to stay. She’s ready. Please. Leah actually looks like she has an emotion, and the woman closes her eyes. Leah aims her gun, but can’t do it, wiping her tears away. Daryl shoots the woman, and asks if Leah is going to tell Pope. She says, that Daryl killed her? It will look good for him. Daryl retrieves his arrow from the woman’s forehead, and covers her face. He says there’s something he needs to tell Leah, but the radio crackles. Pope tells them to come back, and she says they’ve got to go.  

Maggie, Negan, and Elijah walk with a whole lot of zombies. Maggie sees Elijah’s sister among the dead, and it freaks her out a little. She surreptitiously takes Elijah’s hand, and they continue to walk, tons of zombies now behind them. They head toward Hilltop.

Next time, zombies attack Meridian and Alexandria; Pope says, the end is close, and they will not escape this time; and Virgil talks to Judith about Michonne.   

🔦 News flash: Walking Dead has an official whiskey.

The Walking Dead: The World Beyond

We flashed back to the Republic blowing up the Campus Colony. Elizabeth told Hope that she would be reunited with her father, so Hope got on a helicopter with Elizabeth and Huck. Instead, Elizabeth said, change of plan, and they landed on a rooftop in Albany. Hope asked if Elizabeth had lied about taking her to her father, and Elizabeth said, not yet. She told hope they were heading into new world, where clusters of the dead were roaming around the continent, and as far as they could tell, the world. There were columns of them so big, they’d run right over whole cities. Elizabeth then gave Hope a bullsh*t story about how one giant horde was headed for Omaha, and another to the Campus Colony, and they mashed together. They’d tried to rescue ask many as they could, airlifting out those still alive, but the Colony was gone. Elizabeth brought Hope to Albany because it had been her home. She’d been working in military defense, and realized how quickly any chance for a future could crumble. She asked if Hope still believed a future was possible, and Hope said, she does, she did, she should. Elizabeth said that despite the fallen cities, she was trying to get Hope to think more positively. That’s why she pushed Hope to go on this journey; to see how fragile civilization was. It took everyone coming together to give it a shot. Hope’s father was a genius, and valuable to their research, but he was also a troublemaker. They couldn’t risk bringing in someone who could jeopardize the community. She asked if Hope wanted to work with them. She couldn’t bring Hope in to join her father unless she knew that, despite Hope’s grief and anger, she was committed in being an asset to the future; committed to a life where she’ll consume knowledge to hand to the next generations. Hope needed more time to think, and Elizabeth told her to think about what she truly wanted. She gave Hope a radio, and said she’d need Hope’s answer by dawn. She thought Hope had every reason to walk away, given the extent she and her friends had been manipulated, but she’d be taking her chances alone on her own, and wouldn’t make it out of the city alive. Life was a gift, and Hope could choose to waste it alone or fight for a future with for others, making sure it never happened again. The choice was hers. Hope left, and Huck asked if Elizabeth was really doing this when Hope could die. Elizabeth said, or Hope could join them, but she needed Hope to choose.    

Will told Felix and Iris how he escaped CRM, who wanted him dead, and he would be if they found him. He told the two of them to a place called The Perimeter, where he’d been taken in. It had been an abandoned farm, and before everything fell apart, it was an artists colony. He introduced them to Indira, the head of the council. She told them that she was sorry about their home, but since Will was vouching for the, they had a home there until a more permanent solution presented itself. They could keep their knives, but were she asked that they surrender all other weapons. The council will ask them some questions, but she wants Felix’s leg looked at first. She asks what they have to live for. Living took effort. It took everything, and she needed to know their reasons if they were staying. Felix said, these two, indicating Will and Iris, and a few others. Iris guessed she lived for Hope, and Indira said the world was nothing without hope.

Will and Felix got reacquainted, and Felix had a good cry. Will explained that Indira was risking everything harboring them, and cautioned Felix and Iris against trying to rescue Hope just yet. This was about the long game. Not just how to keep them all safe, but what would happen afterward. One wrong move, and it was over for all of them.

Hope went into a school, and while she was exploring, it didn’t take long for her to run into a zombie and end up rolling down a flight of stairs with it. She managed to kill it for real, but got a nasty head wound bouncing off the wall. Zombies came at her, but she fought them all off. Then she thought she saw Elizabeth, and flashed back to Elizabeth telling her to think about what she truly wants. After killing the last zombie, she saw a poster for a missing woman named Candace Froder. She looked down the hallway to see a hooded figure, and said, hello? 

In the meantime, Elizabeth asked if Huck was thinking about going after Hope. Huck had insisted that Hope was worth the risk of this trip, and that it was the only way to change her. Huck said it had, and Elizabeth said, not enough, but it could still be a win. Elizabeth said she’d only wanted the best for Huck. Hope reminded her of Huck at the same age. She was lost and angry. Elizabeth thought Huck needed Hope to look up to her.

Hope flashed back shooting Elton’s mother.

Elizabeth told Huck that it was easy to form an attachment after being on assignment for an extended period. She wouldn’t stop going after Silas, but after he’d been captured, he was stonewalling. She was still focused on finding the others, but if they continued to be focused on finding Hope’s dad, they’d need to be dealt with. She asked how much Felix and Iris knew, but Huck didn’t say.

Hope ran to another building, trying the doors. After getting inside, and thinking she was alone, she opened a curtain, and someone jumped out, scaring her, me, and probably whoever else was watching. It was the hooded figure Hope had seen, who turned out to be the missing Candace. She fought with Hope, and Hope asked why she was doing this. Candace said she wanted what Hope had. Her group had helicopters, clothes, and food, and whatever they didn’t have, they took. Hope realized it was the same woman from the poster, and said she didn’t want to hurt Candace; she just wanted to go. Candace asked, go where? You didn’t just die. Someone else got your clothes, food, and supplies. What was Hope doing there? Hope said she was just trying to make it. Candace attacked Hope, who pushed her away, into the waiting arms of some zombies who have managed to get their arms, and mouths, outside of a barred gate. Hope sat on the floor, rocking back and forth, and when she opened her eyes, poof! They were gone, and it was all a hallucination. She remembered better times with her dad, and cried. She looked inside a book, and saw one of his secret messages to her. Once again, she recalled Elizabeth asking what she truly wanted.    

Hope called Elizabeth to come back for her, and Elizabeth said she was happy to hear from Hope. Hope said Elizabeth was right. She wasn’t going to make it alone, but she didn’t want this be all there was. She didn’t know if that’s what Elizabeth wanted to hear, but it was the truth. Did she pass? Could she see her dad? Elizabeth said it was okay to hate them; she should. But the bad things they did must be done. They carried the burden so others didn’t have to, so there would be good in the world. Maybe one day, this might not be all there is, but it would be if they didn’t have a world to go back to. She imagined Hope understood that differently now. Huck wondered if Elizabeth had wanted to see if she’d go after Hope, but Hope and the others had changed her. Elizabeth said she was glad she was wrong.  

Huck told Hope that she thought she knew what they could do about Silas. She’d found a settlement, but told her mother that she hadn’t found anything. It guaranteed all of their safety if they had to run. Hope wasn’t having it, and said Huck was just covering her own ass. How about if she told Huck’s mother how badly Huck had screwed up her mission? Since Huck screwed up her life, she’d do the same to Huck. Huck said the only way to stay safe was to lie to her mother. The place was safe, as long as they played by the rules, and didn’t screw sh*t up. Hope said there was no way she was working with Huck.

Iris wondered why the cover-up didn’t make sense, and Felix agreed. The only reason they weren’t dead was because they left. They’d taken a risk. Maybe that’s how they had to keep living. Do what they needed to do, no matter the risk. The council was letting them stay there, and the rules were different. They’d have to change how they played. Iris pondered zombie hordes, then went out sneaking around with a bow and arrow. She saw a CRM guard poking around.  

Hope was led down a long hall like she was going to prison, but she was taken to her father. She hugged him and cried.

A zombie came out of the woods, distracting the guard, and Iris shot the guard. She fought with him, finally knocking him down. She stabbed him, and removed his mask, revealing he was practically a kid, but there was no remorse. She said, it wasn’t the zombies; it was him.    

Kind of a filler episode, eh?

Next time, Elizabeth captures an enemy. Hope’s dad tells her that he’s working to stop the zombies, and Iris says, this is war.

🌬 Gone Like the Wind…

It’s late, but join me tomorrow on Deck and for some soap. In the meantime, stay safe, stay building your character, and stay having a good attitude, even if you have to wear someone else’s face.

Sep27

September 26, 2021 – The Ferals Lay a Trap, Talk Tidbits, Behind the Dead, Next Week’s World, Teasing Fear & Life

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Connie and Virgil run through the woods, chased by zombies. He says they have to find somewhere to hide, and they keep running until they see a house. There are a few zombies milling around, and a zombie grabs Virgil as Connie is trying to get the front door open. The door finally opens, and three of them – Connie, Virgil, and the zombie – tumble inside. Connie manages to get the door shut before other zombies follow. The zombie has Virgil down, and Connie smashes it in the head, and puts her back to the door.  

Carol tells Aaron and Rosita that she’s going to ride out. Aaron suggests a larger group, but Carol says Connie doesn’t have time to wait. Magna comes by, and asks if they’ve seen Kelly.   

Connie looks through the slats of the wall at the zombies milling around outside. She sees a moose head on the wall and is creeped out, and the house as a whole is tattered and messy. She looks at a small written map, and Virgil quietly goes upstairs, and looks around. He checks one bedroom, then another. He comes back, and tells her that he checked the whole house. They’re okay. Nobody’s there. She looks at the map, and he grabs a book and writes, you need some rest. He tells her that she hasn’t slept in days. He writes, I can keep watch, but she just looks worried. He writes, we will find your home, and says, you sleep. She shakes her head, and writes, unsafe. He tells her, rest, making a gesture meaning sleep. She shakes her head again, and he sits, while she looks out again, remembering the cave. She rouses Virgil, and writes, going to search the house again.  

Frost is tied to a chair, and not looking too good, since he’s been beaten pretty badly. Carver pulls Frost’s fingernails out, and says, tell him where they are. Daryl watches, and Pope asks if it bothers him. Daryl says he’s done worse, and tells Carver that he’s up. Carver says, like hell he is, but Daryl takes his place. He looks at Frost, who asks if they’re just going to stand there, staring dreamily at each other, or are they going to get to it? Daryl grabs him by the neck, and Carver says, if Daryl kills him, the two of them have a problem. Daryl drops Frost, and says he knows what he’s doing. He tells Frost to give them the location where his friends are hiding. If he does that, this all goes away. Frost says, it’s a good offer, or, hear him out, they can all go eat sh*t instead. Daryl cracks him one across the face, and Carver says he’s already gone through these steps. Maybe they should start taking pieces. Pope tells Carver to give him the knife, and Frost tells Daryl, do what he’s got to do. Pope gives Daryl a big knife, and Daryl takes off his vest and throws it down. I guess that means he’s ready to rumble. He says he doesn’t think Frost understands. He’s the best shot Frost’s got. Frost asks, why? Are they friends now? Daryl says, no, it’s not because they’re friends. He’s the one holding the knife. Frost says, Daryl’s buddy is the one holding the gun, and Daryl smacks him again, saying, shut up. Listen to him. Frost is close enough to know where they’re hiding. Daryl grabs one of Frost’s fingers, and says, no one needs to die. Just say the location, so they can all walk away happy. Frost says, go to hell, a-hole, and gets a finger chopped off for his trouble. Daryl says, the location, or he’ll take another one. At first, Frost refuses, but then tells him, yellow house, and gives an address. Daryl asks Pope if that’s good enough, and Leah says she can scout it out. Pope tells her to take a squad, and he wants her, Carver, and Daryl to go. Carver balks at taking Daryl, and Daryl tries to hand back the knife, but Pope shakes his head.

Connie checks some of the rooms, but they’re locked. She sees old-time portrait photos along the walls with the eyes gouged out. Not real promising. She goes into a bathroom and looks at herself in the mirror, telling herself, don’t you look delightful? She looks inside the medicine cabinet, and checks out what’s there. She realizes the back of it is a slatted wall, and suddenly, there’s an eyeball looking back at her from the other side. She runs downstairs, and wakes Virgil. She signs, we’re not alone, and he asks, what happened? She signs, something else is in here with us. He says he doesn’t understand, and she signs, it was behind the wall staring back at me. She grabs the book, starts to write, but gets frustrated, and throws it down. She grabs Virgil’s knife and cuts at a painting. She steps back, and we see she’s written, NOT ALONE. I actually got a chill there.

Leah, Daryl, Carver, and a couple other men find the yellow house. Carver says, it’s quiet… there are two entrances. Leah tells the men to go by twos, and gives them instructions. Carver says, what about d*ckhead? Is he supposed to believe Daryl has his back? She says, that’s her job, and they move toward the house. Daryl hangs back, and pulls on a car windshield wiper. Inside, Maggie sees a clothesline move. The men go inside, yelling, clear! as they go through the house. Carver says Frost jerked them around, but Daryl suggests they check the house first. Leah tells the men to search outside, and she stays to search the house with Daryl and Carver.  

Kelly rides through the woods, and sees a dead horse near an empty campsite. She looks under the tarp, and starts going through the knapsacks there. The last one she opens has Kelly’s notebook, and she flips through it, seeing things like, trapped with the dead and walked with them for days, and asking where Michonne is. She says, Kelly, where are you? and takes the bag with her.

Virgil looks through cabinet to the other room, and tells Connie that he doesn’t see anything. She signs, something was there, and he says he’s sure she saw something, but she hasn’t slept, so maybe it’s… She shakes her head adamantly, and he says, sorry. They’ll give the house another sweep. She says she’s not staying there, and starts to walk toward the front, but a door slams shut behind her, separating her and Virgil. It’s silent because we’re getting Connie’s POV. She slides slowly down the hallway, with her back against the wall. She feels something behind her, and runs. A very creepy human on all fours, moving really fast, chases her, and she slams the door in its face. She looks down into the basement. This thing was so bizarre and scary, like something out of the old Creepy comic books.

Leah feels the sink, and says, it’s still wet, and Daryl says Frost was telling the truth. Coming downstairs, Daryl notices the corner of a trap door, peeking out from under a rug in the living room, but doesn’t say anything. He suggests, maybe they went out back, and Carver asks if Daryl is in a hurry to leave. Underneath the trap door, Negan, Elijah, Gabriel, and Maggie listen. Daryl says he’s just trying to help, and he and Carver argue. Leah tells them to stop, and says, she’ll check the perimeter, and check for possible runners. Carver says he doesn’t have time for this bullsh*t, and she says she understands, but doesn’t need it. Carver says he’ll check again upstairs, and make sure he didn’t miss anything. Leah tells Daryl, either he’s with them or not, and he asks what she wants him to do. She says, for one thing, stop pissing off Carver.

Kelly’s horse won’t budge, and she pulls on the reins. She slips, falling into a large mud puddle. Carol asks if she needs help, and walks into view with Rosita and Magna. Magna asks what Kelly was thinking. She should have told them she was heading out. They help Connie up, and she says she’s fine. She hands Magna the book, and says, it’s Connie’s. She found Connie’s camp. Connie, and some guy she was with, left in a hurry. Something’s not right. Magna looks through the book, and says, she thought they were being followed. Kelly tears up, and says, she’s out there and scared. Connie needs her. If something happened… Carol says, they’ll find her first, and they keep moving.

Connie holds the door shut, and it gets quiet. She slowly goes down the stairs, and when she gets to the bottom, she sees human bones everywhere, picked clean. The stairs shake, and something falls. The feral creature thing starts coming down the stairs on all fours – which is pretty effing creepy – and Connie pulls herself up, and into a vent leading to another room. Some of the walls are weird and made of slats, and she looks through them, seeing another eyeball, but this time, from the cave. She looks again, and sees nothing. Virgil suddenly runs inside the room, slamming the door shut. Connie sees Virgil, and bangs on the wall. He comes toward her, uncertain. She taps out SOS, and he moves closer, and I yell, no! because one of those things is behind him, being all stealthy. Connie tries to warn him, but…   

She watches in horror as this creature pounds on Virgil. She tries to get one of the slats off, while it strangles him, saying, hungry. He fades, and she manages to distract the creature by banging on the wall again. It gets distracted, and Virgil is able to grab his knife, and he stabs it. It crawls off, trailing blood. He struggles to get up, and stabs the knife into the wall (on his side, it’s wallpapered). The knife comes through an inch from Connie’s nose, covered in blood. She pulls frantically at a slat, and gets it off, quickly putting her hand through so that he sees it’s her. He makes a hole big enough for him to help her come through.    

Daryl tells Leah that they ran, and won’t come back; the Reapers hit them hard. The Reapers have twenty people in town, they’ve got weapons, and the balls. They probably saw the Reapers coming miles away, and ran. Carver asks what Daryl’s point is, and Leah says, there’s nothing here. It’s time to go. Carver thinks they’re missing something, and Daryl asks if he wants to waste another hour. Carver says, this dirtbag wants to play, and Daryl says, come on. Leah says, it’s not the time, and it’s not his call. Carver says they both know who Daryl is deep down. He was there, remember? After that, does she think this is going to end different? Leah says, so this is what? Carver looking out for her, and Carver says, she always got him. She says, when Pope locked her in the cabin and lit it up, he must have known. Was he was looking out for her then? He tells her, wake up. Everything is a test. Does she think this guy gives a sh*t about them? They’re going to fail. Daryl says, Carver is right. He doesn’t give a sh*t about any of them, except for Leah. He’s here for her. It’s no secret he’s made mistakes, but he’s here right now. Maybe he’ll do it better this time, if she lets him. Pope scares the sh*t out of him, and he doesn’t want to end up face first in the fire under Pope’s boot. But if Leah says trust him, he’ll trust him. Leah says, they’ve wasted enough time here; it’s time to move on. Carver says, sure. It’s her call. He sees the trap door corner, and says, hold on. He pushes Daryl out of the way, moves the rug, and opens it triumphantly, drawing his gun, but there’s nothing there. Daryl says, told you.    

Negan, Maggie, Gabriel, and Elijah sneak out the root cellar door.

It starts to storm, and Rosita says, which way? Carol wonders if they should split up, check both trails, and double back, but Magna says, a storm is coming. They should stick together. Rosita says, it’s up to Kelly, and Kelly decides to keep going.

Virgil tells Connie that he’s never seen people this far gone… to herd them like prey, but they’re not. He’s getting her out. They’ll make a run for it. He gives her the knife, and says, no matter what happens, she has to keep going, with or without him. Don’t stop. She says, no, and tries give the knife back, but he says, no, just take it. She puts it down on the floor, and signs, if we’re getting out, we’re going together. She’s not letting him give up now. He says he doesn’t have a choice. He lost himself for a long time, off the map, and made choices he can’t unchoose, but Michonne gave him another chance. She pointed him to a road, and that road led to Connie. He has to pass on that chance, or it all means nothing. If she can find her family… He cries, and she signs, we leave here together. He says he needs her to promise to keep going no matter what happens. She puts her hand in his, and locks their fingers. He says, together, and they hear the creatures coming. He says, time’s up. They open the door and go out; her with the knife, and him wielding a table leg. He tries a door, but it’s locked, and the feral creatures appear. Virgil clubs at them, but they get him down. Connie slashes at them with the knife, and they back off. Virgil tells her to get out, but she drags him out with her. The creepiest creature of all comes crawling down the stairs, and Connie shields Virgil. She grabs the zombie they came in with, disembowels him, and covers herself in the guts. She opens the front door, letting in the dead. Very clever. There’s a free-for-all, and the dead feast on the feral creatures. I think leaving now would be a good idea.

Outside, Virgil stumbles, and tells her go. Some of the creatures have escaped, and make a beeline for Virgil, but get a slingshot rock in the head from Kelly. Kelly sees Connie, and starts to cry. They stand looking at each other for a moment, and Kelly says, I’m sorry. Connie begins to cry, and they hug.     

Leah, Daryl, and Carver come back, and Pope asks, what’s the word? Leah says, there were signs they were there, but they slipped away. She’s sorry. Pope laughs, and she says she thought he’d be disappointed. He says, the night was a success. After they left, he continued the discussion with their guest, and he wasn’t too talkative, but Pope got everything he needed out of him. Pope looks at Daryl, who nods, and we see new zombie Frost tied to a tree. Pope and Carver go inside, Pope putting his arm around Carver. Daryl and Leah watch, and Leah looks at Daryl. Yeah, I don’t think this is good.

Next time, Negan says, the world is different – there are fewer people to fight for, and fewer things to fight over; Lance tells Yumiko that he can help her people; Maggie pretends to be a Whisperer; and Gabriel comes across a stranger talking to his spirit guide in the woods.

🎤 A couple of Talking Dead insights. Lauren Ridloff (Connie) was a guest tonight, and said she and Angel Theory (Kelly) were really like sisters. Before filming, they hadn’t seen each other in person since the beginning of the pandemic, and she’d asked that they be kept separated on set until it was time for them to meet in the scene at the end. She thought it would make it more authentic, and I have to agree it was a good choice. When they started crying, it made me want to cry. IMO, this was one of the best episodes ever. And while a great script, great acting, and great direction by Greg Nicolero played a part, it was largely because of those creepy-ass feral creatures. We also learned that some of the portraits were of them during a more civilized time, and the eyes had been scratched out so they weren’t reminded of how they used to be. I love when they get all detailed about a backstory we normally wouldn’t even know about.  

🗣 About Tonight…

Talking with Kelly and Virgil.

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/walking-dead-star-lauren-ridloff-020500507.html

https://tylerpaper.com/lifestyle/arts_and_entertainment/the-walking-dead-lauren-ridloff-kevin-carroll-talk-ferals-rick-connections/article_748c9ae8-cdbc-5f14-ae87-7ce4c225cd86.html

🌎 Coming Next Week…

The beginning of the end of The World Beyond.

https://winteriscoming.net/2021/09/25/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-preview/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-what-happened-jadis-rick-grimes-helicopter-six-years-crm/

https://winteriscoming.net/2021/09/24/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-rick-grimes-secrets-jadis/

⚰️ Sorry Not Sorry…

I love Victor.

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-teaser-exclusive

🥿 Shuffling Off Not To Buffalo…

And so another night of zombies concludes another weekend. Join me tomorrow for soap and a Croatian cruise. Until then, stay safe, stay going the extra mile, and stay trusting your gut feeling if you think a place is unsafe. Otherwise, you might end up having to cover yourself in guts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jShMQw2H2cM
Sep6

September 5, 2021 – The Reapers Attack, Small Talk, No Notches For Eugene, New Villains, Rosita’s Dream, New World, Fear Again & Don’t

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Everyone runs. Cole’s throat is slashed, Duncan is stabbed, and both Negan and Gabriel are hit with something. Elijah gets dragged away from the others by a rope, and Maggie is suddenly alone. She feels movement behind her, and flings a sickle she’s found at a Reaper, but it misses him, and sticks in a tree. I’m already thinking, if these people can’t get it together in ten years to gather roots, nuts, and berries, and grow tomatoes, they’re doomed.

Carol comes back to Alexandria with Kelly, and Magna asks if Kelly wants to do a shift together. Kelly says/signs, something came up, and Magna asks if she wants to talk, but Kelly says, there’s nothing to talk about. Aaron and some others raise a new wall made out of metal pieces, and Carol tells Aaron that they’re getting the horses back. He says they’ve been down this road before, and they’re about to fail. Carol says, if they don’t get the horses, they can’t carry more than a sack of grain. She gets a few supplies, and leaves.

Judith, RJ, Gracie, and RJ play cards, and talk about their parents. In other words, this part is boring.   

Maggie walks through a desolate area, and comes to a mall. She walks past a bunch of scattered cars in what used to be the mall parking lot. I love an abandoned mall. She tries a door, and a knife comes flying through the air, sticking in the wall near her. She runs, and tries another door. This one opens, and she closes it behind her. She goes down stairs, and sees some empty bottles, where apparently someone has had a drinking party. She sets a couple of them on the push-bar of the exit door to alert her to intruders. She walks through the mall, and to another set of stairs. We hear zombie noises. She shines her flashlight around, and walks up. A zombie comes out of nowhere, scaring us both, and she sends it bouncing down the stairs. She flicks on a lighter, and we see a Reaper behind her. She sends him flying too. She hears footsteps, and jets.

Gabriel sits in the woods, saying, the Lord is my refuge and my strength. He he pulls an ice pick out of his leg, and sees someone limping away and a mask on the ground. He limps in their direction.

Maggie goes through a space housing a lot of mannequins, which are always good for a scare. Something falls, and she jumps a mile, but keeps walking. Someone comes out from behind a counter, and it’s Alden, but in a hot second, a Reaper pops out and takes him down. The Reaper goes after Maggie with a sickle, and she keeps him at bay while she reaches for an empty bottle nearby. She punches him, getting him off of her, breaks the bottle, and gouges him in the side of the head with it. Negan comes up behind him, and finishes him off. Before dying, the Reaper sets off a grenade, and Negan and Maggie duck for cover. When the smoke clears, Maggie sees Alden sitting on the floor, and goes to ten to him. He has a stomach wound, and she asks if he can walk, He says he won’t know until they try. Negan says she’s not seriously thinking about keeping going. What exactly is the plan? She says, the plan didn’t change; they need that food. They’ll go to the supply drop, and radio the others from there. He says he knows theatrics, and these people just showed them how insane they are. They can’t be on any road the Reapers are using. It’s a sh*t plan. She asks him for a better one that doesn’t starve them, and he says he’s on her side. She says, then help her with Alden. They help Alden up, get on either side of them, and help him outside.

Rosita picks mushrooms or something by a creek, when Carol comes along, and Rosita says she didn’t want stay in the house. Kelly and Magna join them, and they surround a lone horse, each of them swinging a rope. They don’t try very hard, and it trots off. Rosita asks if Carol is okay, and Carol says she’ll be better when this is done. Rosita says she’s having dreams that Abe is trying to tell her something; somewhere they’re supposed to be. But just as she’s about to hear it, he gets shot in the head. She thinks it’s a message for them. Carol asks what he’s trying to say, but Rosita doesn’t know.

Outside the mall, Alden says they’d better get moving, and Maggie and Negan get on either side of him. They hear a woman scream, and head in that direction. Negan says, really? We’re going toward the screaming? Cool. They see Agatha stabbing zombies like a machine, and to prove his worth, Alden stabs one that they pass, but practically falls over. Duncan sits on the ground, and Agatha shakes her head, leaving Maggie with him. Maggie says she’s so sorry, and he asks, why? They were lucky. She says, for a little while, and he asks her to make sure Agatha gets home. Promise. He closes his eyes, and Maggie takes out a knife. She kisses his bald head, and stabs him.

Carol and her group go through the woods, when they see several dead, half-eaten horses by the river. Kelly says, no, and Magna hugs her. Carol says they’ll keep looking for the rest. Stay close to the water. Rosita says, it’s getting late, but Carol keeps walking. Rosita catches up with her, and says they don’t have to right now. They can do it tomorrow. Carol says they needed the horses yesterday. Now. Magna hugs her, and Carol says, let’s go home.

Kelly says they’ll try again next time, and Rosita says, maybe not. They run forward to a field, as a bunch of horses come running through. Kelly says, dope, and Rosita says, there’s a dairy farm. They have a paddock, and they can pen the horses in. The horses run in, and they try to round them up, but they’re about as good at that as they are growing food. Kelly tells them to drop their lassos, and Carol asks, why? Kelly says, just do it, and they put the lassos down. Kelly says, they’re not running. She thinks they’re home. Carol makes a sound like she’s calling a cat, and one of the horses comes to her. They all pet it.

Gabriel recites the 23rd psalm – the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He finds the unmasked Reaper leaning against a log, and the Reaper says Gabriel moved slower than he thought Gabriel would. He asks if Gabriel is scared, but Gabriel says he’s not. The Reaper says he’s been blessed, and Gabriel says he has a funny definition of blessed. He asks Gabriel to pray for him, and Gabriel says the Reaper tried to kill his friends. The Reaper says, they tried to kill him. Pray for him; even his enemies deserve that much. He thought Gabriel was a man of God. Gabriel says, God isn’t here anymore, and kills the Reaper. (Or as Cheech Marin said in Machete, God has mercy; I do not.)

In the woods, Maggie looks out with binoculars, seeing a load of zombies. Negan says, there are twice many as before. He believes they should rethink the plan. She says, if he wants to go, go, and he says he can help. Her friends trusted him. She was gone a long time. Things change; people change. She says he’s got them fooled, but not her. Stop pretending to be one of them. He walks away, and Alden asks if Maggie is okay. She says she can handle Negan, but he says he’s not talking about Negan. He asks if Hilltop is the place she told Hershel about, and she says, not much surprises her anymore. He says, they’ll build it better than it was. They’ll get it done. At least by the time Adam is old enough to remember. They’ll start when they get back. Maggie says, the good news is, Hershel lives in Alexandria. Small win. Negan finds a decrepit, charred zombie tied to a tree, with a sign that says JUDAS above him. The zombies surround them, and Maggie says, come on. They move faster, killing a few along the way, but Alden falls. Maggie grabs him back up, but the zombies are closer now. Agatha, Negan, and Maggie start slicing and dicing. Even Alden gets in a few licks before he falls again. Agatha gets bit, and Maggie comes flying toward her to pull her away, but the zombies are crowding in. Negan grabs Maggie, and drags her off, as the zombies bring Agatha down. Bye, Agatha.   

Carol and her group bring the horses back to Alexandria, and Rosita says she’s out. They tie the horses up, and Carol keeps walking with hers. Magna catches up with her, and asks if they can talk. Carol says, sure, and Magna says, she knows what Carol is doing, and wants her to stop. She’s giving Kelly false hope. Carol says she doesn’t understand, but Magna thinks she does. She believes Connie is alive because she can’t accept what it means if she’s lost. Carol says, Connie is family, and Magna says she wants her family to heal. Kelly looks up to Carol. She’s sorry for whatever Carol is going through, but she’s asking, begging Carol; whatever she’s telling Kelly, stop. She’s just making it harder. Carol walks away, and brings the horse to a stable where it lies down. She pets it, then cuts its throat – which, thankfully, we don’t see, but I say, WTF? She puts the blood in a huge dish, and  Alden comes in. Alden and I both say, WTF?

The boring group of children is brought a plate of horsemeat. Judith is like, eww, and Hershel tells her, smaller bites are better. She asks if he’s eaten it before, and he says, when he and his mother were on the road, they just ate what they found. It’s better than spiders. Just chew it fast; it’s not that bad. Rosita brings the baby to see the horses, and sees Carol washing up. I’m annoyed. The kids could have waited a hot minute while they rode to get something.  

Magna and Kelly sit looking at the windmill. Carol comes by, and asks if Kelly is ready. Kelly goes with her.

Negan, Maggie, and Alden walk down the road. Negan eats something, and says, goddam sh*t, spitting it out. He asks if they’d like a taste of crap cardboard, and I figure it must be low carb. Negan suggests they go through the woods, but Maggie says the road is faster. Alden says, the woods are safer, and Maggie tells him, they need a break. They go into an old church, and Maggie says, they’ll rest for a while. She tells Negan that she knows what he’s thinking, and the answer is no. She tells Alden that they’re fine, and he says, maybe for now. If these guys are anything like she says, things are going to get worse, and he’s dead weight. They all know. He walked away from Negan because he trusts her to do the right thing. No matter how hard. No matter how much it costs her. She looks at him, and he says, supplies are the only thing that matters. Alexandria needs them to do this. They’re waiting for them. Hershel… Judith… Adam… Maggie says, Adam needs a father, but Alden says, if her plan fails, everything they’ve worked for, what they want for the future, dies with it. Then what happens to Adam? She gets up, and Negan says, the sun is going down. She has to make a decision. Maggie says, it’s easy for him, isn’t it? Being reckless with someone else’s life. He doesn’t get to decide who lives or who dies anymore. It’s his fault. He destroyed everything they built. Negan says she still has to decide, and she looks at Alden. She starts going through her bag, and gives him a canteen. She goes over to Negan, and holds out her hand. He gives her his knife, and she gives it to Alden. Negan moves a pew near the door, and Maggie says Alden better be there when they come back. He says they better come back. They leave, and he pushes the pew against the door, then sits on it.

A lone zombie walks toward Maggie and Negan as they walk through the woods. Negan cracks it in the head with a crowbar. He stands there, the crowbar dripping blood. Maggie walks past him, and he follows. 

Next time, Daryl meets a Reaper in the woods, and once again I’m afraid for Dog.

⚰️ Later, on Talking Dead, Lauren Cohan (Maggie) said that the dripping crowbar was evocative of Lucille dripping blood after Negan killed Glenn and Abraham, but I wouldn’t have even thought of it if she hadn’t said that. In other trivia, the kids were eating beef jerky. Yeah, well, I would hope it wasn’t real horse.

🚇 In Case You Weren’t Sure…

Josh McDermitt confirms Eugene’s status.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-eugene-virgin-josh-mcdermitt-archeron/

🔪 Fear Them…

Explaining the Reapers.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-are-reapers-comics-final-season-11-villains-reapers-pope-explained/

🙇🏻‍♂️ That’s One Theory…

I don’t know if I’d follow this trail of breadcrumbs, but like Maggie, not much surprises me anymore.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-rosita-abraham-dream-explained-season-11-father-gabriel-death-comics/

🌎 Beyond Dead…

October 3rd begins the second, and final, season of The World Beyond. Too bad. I kind of liked it. It will probably end up on another platform, since they’re all trying to entice viewers with extensions of their network shows for a price.

https://showsnob.com/2021/09/03/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-trailer/

Crossing over.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-world-beyond-season-2-jadis-return-rick-grimes-movie-ties-crossover/

👹 Radioactive…

Fear the Walking Dead returns October 17th.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-7-teaser-trailer-punishing-new-world/

🛠 Labor This…

Whether you labor or not, celebrate anyway. Tomorrow’s GH is a rerun, so see you on Deck. Until then, stay safe, stay looking out for one another, and stay knowing that things change; people change.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF7mP2LASCo
Aug30

August 29, 2021 – There’s a New Gang in Deadtown, Ratings Dip, First Of the Last Season, They’re Engaged & Insane

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

A zombie toddles around making zombie noises. Maggie drops down and shoots it in the head. She shoots a few more, but she and her bullets are outnumbered.

Gabriel drops into the subway car, followed by the others. Gabriel beats the crap out of a zombie, and they walk toward the next car. Negan looks tired, and Alden asks where Maggie is. Negan says she was right behind him. She wanted them to keep moving forward. Gabriel gets the door open, and says, they’ll go from car to car, hop off, and keep going.

Daryl busts through a wall to find Dog. He and Dog travel quietly. They come to a room where there’s all kinds of random stuff. He sees, It comes for us all, written on the wall. Next to it, a dead person sits on the floor, handcuffed to a briefcase of cash. Apparently, it didn’t do them much good. Daryl looks at a weird mural on the wall, a royal family overseeing what looks like a bizarre party. I have no clue what this is about, but later on Talking Dead, they explained it was people fighting each other, but not the zombies surrounding them. Okay, well, it looked like a strange party to me. And who were those people with crowns on? I want answers.

Yumiko tells Princess that the Commonwealth has structure and laws. There has to be someone in charge. She’s going to speak to them and demand results. Princess says, that’s her plan? Is she sure she can be cold as ice? Yumiko says she was a lawyer; it comes naturally. She loves her brother, and hasn’t seen him in a long time. She’ll be fine as long as she can speak to them. A trooper comes by, and Princess says, that was the woman from last night. She knows. Eugene comes back, and says he’s looked everywhere for Ezekiel, and he’s freaking out. It’s probably because Ezekiel told off the big guy. They should come clean about who they are, and where they’re from. Yumiko tells him to stick to the story. She gets up and strides over to the trooper. She says she demands to know where her friend was taken, but the trooper tells her, calm down. She doesn’t know where Yumiko’s friend is. Yumiko says she’d like to speak to someone who can give her answers, and the trooper says, Yumiko wants to speak to her supervisor? Princess says, yeah. They want to talk to the manager.

Daryl sees a plastic bag that has, among other things, a couple of candy bars in it. He takes them out, and pulls out a hundred dollar bill. He reads a message on it that says, Dear Dad, you always said if you don’t come back in a week to move on. Mom didn’t listen and went looking. It’s been 3 weeks, so we’re going next. I’ll watch Jesse and turn on the radio every day at 10. See you both soon. Love, Tom and Jesse. It’s accompanied by a photo of two kids. Dog senses something, and Daryl follows him. Dog leads him to a zombie lying by the wall, and Daryl shoots it with a crossbow. He sees a map on the wall, but he and Dog are distracted by a loud yell. Dog takes off and goes into a pipeline. Here we go again. Daryl calls to him, but Dog doesn’t come back, so he follows. Must we really have a heart attack about Dog tonight? Although this is the thing I like the most about Daryl now. He takes responsibility as a pet parent.  

Yumiko sits in an office with the assessors, and the woman says she’s not sure why Yumiko is there; she’s already been assessed. Yumiko says, they think they’ve been assessing her? She’s been assessing them. The woman almost smiles, and says, Yumiko doesn’t know anything about them. Yumiko says it’s a large community; organization and bureaucracy are part of that. Probably the woman’s job before this was forensic psychologist. The guy was perhaps academic; a researcher. He assesses the lab rats in his community. Someone above them based their jobs on who it was thought they were. The assessor’s poke around in the dust of their brains, and push the boundaries about their toilet habits. They raked one of her friends over the coals for a two dollar bill. They use money as a powerful psychological tactic, because it’s familiar, and they know how desperately people miss the old world. They decide whether someone will enhance their community or just drain their resources, but the truth is, they need to justify their existence, because at the end of the day, they could rely on their gut instinct. She was a lawyer. She likes rules. They bring order to the chaos. She believes her brother, a thoracic surgeon, is at the Commonwealth. She’d like her groups’ processing expedited. The woman asks again where Yumiko went to school, and Yumiko says, Oxford and Harvard, but she knows that. Would she like Yumiko’s credentials again? Mercer comes in, and gives Yumiko a cup of coffee. Yumiko comes thisclose to smiling.

Eugene and Princess wait out in the hall, and Princess says she has to pee. She shouldn’t have mentioned it, since now she really does. Eugene doesn’t want her to go, but she says, the big guy just walked in with coffee; it must be going good. She goes up to two trooper, and speaks to one of them in another language – Italian? Spanish? I can’t find this out. She goes into another room, and the trooper follows her, leaving the other to guard the hallway.

Daryl follows Dog’s bark, and goes through another pipeline.

Gabriel manages to get the door open, and the group goes into the next car. They can hear zombies, along with a banging sound from underneath. Alden says, it’s Morse Code. SOS. It gets louder, and they open a trap door, Maggie popping through. She stares at Negan for a hot minute, then whacks him in the head with her gun. She says, she slipped. He saw her, and left her to die. Negan says, okay. So what? Gabriel says, he’s just going to admit it? Alden says, he tried to kill her? Negan says, she was in trouble, and he didn’t help; there’s a big difference. Duncan slams him up against the wall, and Negan says, Maggie was just talking about killing him sooner than later, and now somehow he’s a big a-hole because he didn’t risk his nuts for her? He’s been an asset. He killed Alpha – nice of him, he knows. If he hadn’t, every person they know, their skull would be on a spike. He did what needed to be done. He’s trying. Duncan says he’s not buying word of it, and Agatha says, they can get through the city without Negan. They hear someone yelling for help, and they run to the other end of car. Gage is in between cars, and he says he’s locked in. They were in the tunnels, and there were walkers everywhere. Maggie asks if he locked the other car door, but he didn’t, and she tells him, if they open the doors, they’ll all get in. Zombies are coming toward Gage, and he says he’s sorry; he won’t do it again. Gabriel says they have the time, but Maggie says they don’t have the ammo. She tells Gage that she’s sorry; they can’t. He says, liar, and pulls out two knives. He stabs himself, as the zombies reach him. Negan should point out the irony here, but maybe it’s too easy. Or he doesn’t want to die. They watch as Gage is torn apart. Now I’m wondering, why didn’t they just tell him to go underneath like Maggie did? It’s a wonder these people have survived eleven years.

Eugene shakes and twitches, and gets up. He wanders down the hall, and tells the trooper that he’s been waiting for his friend Yumiko. She was being questioned in that room, and he was wondering if they had an ETA for when she’d be done. The trooper says, there’s no one in there, and Eugene says, but he saw her and them. The trooper repeats, there’s no one in there, and Eugene says, his other friend went in to use the ladies room. The trooper says, what friend? He needs Eugene to leave.

Duncan messes with the door, and Negan paces a little. He sits, and Gabriel asks, what is it? The flashlight goes out, and Maggie lights a flare. They see Gage heading the zombie crowd. Alden does too, and he says, they don’t want to look, but he wants them to look. Gabriel says, all it is, is the shell of a man who died a coward, which is pretty harsh, if you ask me. Alden says, he didn’t deserve to die in the worst way imaginable. Maggie says, there are worse ways. She and Hershel were alone for a long time, and they came across an old man kneeling by a grocery cart full of scavenged clothes. He said they were for his daughter, and asked if they’d help him haul the cart back home. He’d give them some food for their trouble. She knew he was a liar, but she was starving. They followed him back, and she held a knife to his throat. She reached in his pocket, pulled out the chloroformed rag he was going to use on her, and stuffed it in his mouth. They went inside, and she locked her boy in a room, then went through the house. She came across three deformed… she woudn’t call them men. They came after her, and she handled them. The house was quiet, but she could hear a thudding sound from the attic. She thought there might be people tied up trying to get free. She opened up a door, seeing a set of stairs, and saw a shadow at the top. It was rocking back and forth, and she thought it was some kind of animal. It fell down the stairs, and came at her face. It was a walker. It used to be a woman. Her arms and legs were cut off and stitched up; her eyes had been gouged out; and she had no tongue. There was a cauterized gash in her throat where her vocal cords had been ripped out. Whatever was in there, was trying to get out. There were three more just like her. Their hearts were still beating. The first thing she thought was, if they’re alive, there must be food. She took care of it, and found the food; lots of it. She and Hershel filled the cart, and left. She tells Alden that she doesn’t feel anything when she tells him that, because that’s what’s out there. That makes it clear what they have in Alexandria; what they had in Hilltop and Meridien. It’s rare compared to everything out there. If it isn’t… Negan says, it means nobody has it figured out. Nobody ever di,d and nobody ever will.  

Daryl keeps going through the pipe, and a zombie grabs his leg. He shoots it, and falls out the opening back to where the tracks are. He whacks a few zombies, cracking their heads with a pipe, gets his bag and light, and keeps going. He sees blood near the tracks, and hears Dog in the distance. He calls to Dog, and Roy comes out of the darkness, stumbling toward him. He falls, and Dog attacks a zombie. I won’t watch just in case, but Daryl shoots the zombie and Dog is okay. Seriously, they could kill off the whole cast, and I’d be fine as long as Dog made it. And I don’t trust them after Ezekiel’s tiger. More zombies pop out, and Daryl dispatches them. This is starting to get old. He goes to Roy, lying by the tracks, and Roy asks, how bad is it? Daryl says, it ain’t good, and Roy says he lost Cole. Daryl asks where the ammo bag is, and Roy says he lost that too. Daryl tries to tend to Roy’s head wound, but Roy says, don’t waste it on him. He gives Daryl some bullets and a grenade from his pockets, and says, it’s all he’s got. Tell the kids he didn’t die a coward.

Duncan pries open the next door, but the one going into the next car is locked. Zombies are coming, Gage leading the pack. Duncan uses an ax on the door, and Gabriel and Maggie get ready to shoot at the zombies. The door starts to give way, then falls. The zombies swarm in, Gage at the head.

Daryl and Dog run.

Gabriel shoots the oncoming zombies with a machine gun, and the rest use bows and arrows, getting the dead one by one as they straggle in. Duncan sees zombies coming from the other side, and Maggie hands a gun to Negan. He shoots, but the zombies just keep coming, and I think, either they have to run out of dead people or ammo at some point.   

Daryl is inside the subway car, on the other side, and shoots his way through as the theme music plays. He gets to the door, and Negan opens it from the other side. Everyone runs into the car where Daryl is, and he tells them, get down. They duck under the seats, and Daryl shoves the grenade into a zombie’s mouth. He kicks it into the other car, and shuts the door. The grenade explodes, and it’s quiet. Blood cascades down the window.

Eugene sits at the table, and researcher dude opens a pouch that looks ominous, but really just contains office supplies. He takes out a pen, and Eugene asks what they’ve done with his traveling companions. Mercer says, they’re being processed, and Eugene says, as in administratively, or as in bologna and other meat stuffs? He’d like to see them. Mercer says, only one thing gets his heart pumping. Battling the dead gets it pumping every time; not in a bad way. He hands Eugene a box of tissues, and tells him, mop up. Eugene blots his face, and Mercer says Eugene can’t lie for sh*t, so don’t lie. Eugene says he wasn’t going to, and Mercer says, that makes him like Eugene. Keep doing that, and it will help him. But if he doesn’t… Does Eugene get him? Eugene nods, and Mercer says he knows Eugene is holding back. He has two questions, which require two answers. Truthful ones. Do that, and he’ll get to go, and see his friends again. Everything will be okay. It’s that simple. Ready? Where is their settlement, and why were they at the train station? If Eugene lies, he’ll know. Eugene says, okey-dokey. He has been holding something back. He was afraid of what his friends would think. In the course of their travels, he found a radio. Night after night, he would speak into the void, holding on to what if, as fools are wont to do, and he’s nothing if not a fool. He starts to cry, and says, then one night, a voice came back, a woman, a beautiful voice. They got to talking, and she was not repulsed by his musings. They spoke of train museums and ice cream cones, laughed, and sang Iron Maiden. They wanted to meet, so he got his friends to go the train yard, under the guise of asking for help. He knew they wouldn’t go otherwise, but he was thinking about Stephanie. He was lying the whole time, afraid he’d lose the three friends he has. He lied to Stephanie, saying he was from a large settlement, because he thought she might be a femme fatale, laying a trap for a lonely heart. He’s not one to whom relationships come easy, particularly those with the fairer sex. He is in fact a virgin, even though he’d observed the act more times than he cares to admit. He was hoping, after a suitable period of courtship, Stephanie might be the one to change his unenviable status. He’s afraid if Stephanie finds out he wasn’t honest with her either, she’ll have nothing to do with him. He cries, and says, here it is, and he’s very relieved to get it off his chest, because everything he’s said up until that has been the goddam truth.

Troopers bring a hooded Eugene in a wagon to a trailer. They bring him up the stairs, and take the hood off. He sees Yumiko, Princess, and Ezekiel. He hugs them, and laughs. He asks where they took Ezekiel, and Ezekiel says, the infirmary. A medic steamed his face, and gave him some nasty herbal cough syrup, and then he slept. Eugene asks if the tea was spiked, but Ezekiel says, no. They took the light from his room so he could sleep. They checked on him periodically, then brought Yumiko to visit him. They were brought to a holding room with Princess, then brought there. Mercer reads a bunch of legalese from the Commonwealth’s constitution, and says they’ve been granted asylum and citizenship. When they walk out, they’ll be escorted to orientation. He looks at Ezekiel, and says, by a beat cop. Welcome to the Commonwealth. He tells Ezekiel, I went to West Point, a-hole.

Princess asks what Yumiko found out, when a woman comes in. She asks which one of them is Eugene, and Eugene raises his hand. She says, she’s Stephanie, and he smile. Little hearts pop out of his eyes.

The group finally gets to the outside  Negan gives Maggie back the gun, but hangs on to it for an extra beat or two. Maggie asks Daryl what he’s looking at, and he says, it’s a letter from the kid to his parents. Maggie tells everyone that they’ll be heading out, but they need to take a detour first. Arbor Hills. It’s a supply depot Georgie set up. They’d been set up all over, with ammo, food, and weapons. They’ll rest up there, and restock. A radio tower marks the neighborhood. Does Negan know where that is? Negan says, yeah, and they head out.

They see some dead men hanging upside down, and Negan says, this place sure has gone to s*h*t since I was here last. Let’s double back. They barely start to turn, when Roy, who is somehow still alive, gets an arrow to the forehead, and a sickle comes winging through the air, hitting Cole in the leg. Dragging Cole, they quickly find cover. We see a group of masked people marching toward them, looking like something out of the old Warriors movie. It’s the Reapers.    

Next time, a fight in the woods, Maggie says the plan doesn’t change, Carol says they’re going to starve to death, and Gabriel says God isn’t here anymore.  

📉 Dead Dive…

I’m kind of surprised. Geez, we’ve made it this far, why not finish it out?

https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/the-walking-dead-amc-season-11-ratings-1235050635/

⚰️ First Dead…

Who cares? As long as Dog is okay. And face it, dude was a pretty minor character

https://comicbook.com/horror/news/the-walking-dead-season-11-episode-2-death-spoilers-gage-dies-explained-reactions/

💍 Sorry Ladies…

Daryl is officially taken.

https://ew.com/celebrity/norman-reedus-diane-kruger-engaged/

🥱 Nighty-Night…

After Netflix and work this weekend, it’s back to the old Bravo grind. Until we meet on Deck, stay safe, stay following through, and stay out of that space between subway cars. No good can come of it.

Aug23

August 22, 2021 – The Dead’s Final Season Begins & Red

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Maggie is back home sweet home. It’s night, and she, Carol, Daryl, Rosita, and Kelly go out with a group. They open up a trap door into Fort Connors, and we see bodies everywhere. One lifts its head a little, but they seem to be in a suspended state, like they’re sleeping. Daryl and Jerry stay up top, as the others drop down quietly. They step through the bodies, which still aren’t moving. They go through the room to a padlocked door. One of them opens it, and the lock makes a noise popping open, but it’s okay, and they go into the building. They slip though the hallways, and into another room where they find supplies, and fill their bags. They send the bags back up to ground level, Jerry and Daryl bringing them up on pullies. One of the ropes snaps, but Daryl grabs the bag before it falls. He cuts himself, and a drop of blood falls on a zombie’s head, waking it up. It becomes animated, and alerts the rest, who start to rise. Daryl tells them, hurry, they’re awake, and Carol and Maggie shoot some with bows and arrows; Rosita whacks and slices a few; and Kelly uses her slingshot. They’re severely outnumbered, but still hold their own. Jerry and Daryl shoot arrows from above, and Maggie finally just takes out a gun and starts shooting. Luckily, these zombies are not too fast. Carol breaks out a machine gun and mows some down. It starts getting more chaotic, and the group starts to go back up on ropes, helped by Jerry and Daryl, while Carol and Maggie keep the zombies at bay. Carol shoves some more supplies in her bag, and grabs the rope. The zombies get close, but she gets up top. The zombies that are left huddle at the bottom.

They go back to Alexandria where Aaron meets them. Daryl calls Dog, and hugs Judith and RJ. Negan takes some of the supplies inside, and Maggie eyeballs him. Little Herschel runs to Maggie, and she picks him up. She tells Cole that it’s good to see him, and he says he figured if she was still alive, she’d be there. He’s brought her people Duncan, Agatha, and Frost with him. There’s a fight over some supplies, and Gabriel breaks it up, telling them to calm down; there’s enough food for everyone for one week. Daryl says, just one? and Aaron says, they’ll make it work. Carol wonders how, when they have no crops. Aaron says they’re still scavenging houses, but Gabriel says, it’s hard to build a wall on an empty stomach. Game is scarce too, and Daryl says, they’ll find new territory, but Gabriel says they need food now. Maggie says she knows one more place; where they lived before this – Meridien. It’s got plenty of food, water, and crops. Cole says, now it’s gone, and Rosita asks, what happened out there? Maggie says they were on a mission, leading walkers away. Doug, Agatha, and Frost took a shipment, and on the way back, things went sideways. They got stuck on a boat, but she doesn’t think it was an accident. They heard screams and raced home, but it was too late. The poor people were slaughtered. They ran for their lives. They knew two things about the people who attacked them. They come at night, and by the time you see them, you’re already dead. This was before they caught one. Daryl was with her. It came after them alone. Why? There were not that many at Meridian now, and there’s plenty of food to feed Alexandria until its back up and running. That’s why they took it, and now they need to take it back. Aaron says she’s leaving to fight ghosts? and she asks if he has a better plan. Aaron says, the walls aren’t stable in Alexandria. Walkers could get inside. It’s a matter of if, not when; they’re needed there. Maggie says her son is in Alexandria, so she has skin in the game. She has the best fighters from Meridien, and hopefully some of theirs too. Daryl says, if there’s no food, noting else will matter. He’ll go. Everyone volunteers except Rosita and Aaron, who think it’s a suicide mission. Maggie and the others head out.

They walk in the midst of a thunderstorm, and some want to stop until it passes, but Maggie says they have no time. They see a Metro sign, and go down the stairs. Oh no. Dog is with them. I hate when Dog gets put in danger. Don’t touch Dog! Negan thinks they should wait for the storm to pass, and Maggie says, he doesn’t want to go? He says, no, and she says she doesn’t give a sh*t. Which way? He tells them what tracks to follow, and asks to talk to Daryl, but that’s a hard no. The others bump into Negan on purpose as they pass, like a bunch of babies. No wonder they’re not getting anywhere. Negan seems to do all the heavy lifting too.

They walk, and see graffiti that says, if there is a god, he will have to beg for my forgiveness. They hear a loud noise, and Cole says, it’s nothing serious, just the storm pushing the pipes. Negan says, it sounds serious. He thinks it’s God telling them to turn around, but Gabriel says, he’s sure God would run it him first. Negan asks if he’s willing to lose his remaining eyeball to this flood. He points out a watermark on the wall, and says the tunnel floods on a regular basis when rains. Daryl says, it’s worse up there, and Negan tells him, all he’s saying… but Daryl says, it ain’t working. Keep moving.

People wearing hoods are brought into the Commonwealth via wagons. Eugene sits in an interrogation room, and a woman asks if his name is Eugene Porter. He says, yes, that was his given moniker, and she says, no need to nervous… not if he’s honest. Eugene says, that’s how he rolls, and the woman explains that they’re auditors for the Commonwealth. If they pass inspection, they can go to Level 2. Eugene asks, if they don’t? and she says they go to reprocessing. He asks what that is, but she wants to start the assessment. As the questions are asked, we see the different characters answer them. Are their parents living; what did they do; what was their alma mater (we find out Yumiko went to Harvard Law); their zip code (Eugene has had several, and remembers them all); the results of their last routine physical; vaccinations; have they had cancer? Eugene says, none, and she asks about his goiter. He tells her that it’s a benign growth he’s had since birth. The woman asks Princess where she got the cash she had, and Princess explains that when she cashed her first paycheck, she’d asked for a two dollar bill, so she could have a reminder of the first money she made. The woman asks if they’ve been arrested, and do they have a history of drug use? Eugene says, he was in the anti-drug and alcohol commission when he was in high school, which is no surprise, and tells her that he wanted to meet Stephanie. The woman asks if they’re fundamentally honest, and repeatedly asks where their settlement is. Are there other groups they’ve come across? Some the questions are random and odd, like how they wipe themselves (Ezekiel passes, I don’t think pun intended), and how lucky are they? The woman continually repeats the question about their settlement, and Ezekiel starts to laugh. She asks if he thinks it’s funny, and he says he does. A stormtrooper in red-orange armor (Mercer) stands near them, and Ezekiel asks if he’s in charge; he’s standing there not talking like a man in charge. Mercer says, yeah, he’s in charge, and Ezekiel asks if Mercer thinks he fears him. Mercer says Ezekiel looks scared to him, and Ezekiel asks what Mercer did before the fall. His guess is dude was an a-hole beat cop. That’s why this fascist crap comes so easy. It’s another power trip, like before. They’ve been asked the same questions for over seven hours. He’s been cooperative, and his people have been cooperative. Ezekiel has a coughing fit, and Mercer asks if he’s thirsty, sliding over some water to him. Ezekiel drinks it down.

Back together, sitting at a table in a holding area, Eugene says, Ezekiel told off their leader? Ezekiel says, perhaps he could have handled it better, but he didn’t like way they talked to him. Yumiko says, do they know… but Ezekiel says, no; don’t worry about it. Mercer watches, and Princess says, they’ve got to pull the ripcord. It’s time to get out. Eugene wants them to wait, saying, the gruel isn’t the worst thing he’s ever eaten. Stephanie told him they were cautious. It’s a test. He thinks they should hunker down and level up; get honest. Ezekiel asks if Eugene wants these people to go to Hilltop with machine guns, but Eugene says, they need help. He thinks they can get it from these people. Princess sees a couple in another area, and asks how long they’ve been there. The man says, four months, but the woman says, nine, and he says the reprocessing confused him. One of the stormtroopers takes a guy out who does not want to go, and Mercer says, reprocessing. Eugene says, okay. Gotta go.

Maggie’s group follows the tracks, and stops, seeing bodies in plastic bags covering the space in front of them. Negan looks pretty worried, and Daryl moves to poke one of them. It startles both of us when it moves. He kills it, then checks out the body, saying, his throat was slashed so deep, it almost severed his head. Maggie says, they were killed during the fall, and Negan asks if she’s sure. Whoever is walking them through this masquerade, could still be there. She tells them to take each one out, and clear the path. They keep walking.

They stab each body in the head, but one gets up and out of his bag. He’s a big one too, and looks like one of the radioactive zombies in Planet Terror, all kinds of oozing bumps all over him. He sneaks behind Gage, and they tussle. Negan manages to push him away from Gage, and keeps him at bay for a minute, then shoves him against the wall, splitting his head open with an ax. Maggie tells everyone to pay attention so they don’t lose anymore. Negan asks if that’s her big plan; to pay attention. Does she want them to pay attention to anything in particular? A kid almost died. Daryl says Negan doesn’t give a sh*t about the kid, but Negan says, Maggie doesn’t give a sh*t about the kid. She’s playing dictator and not listening to anyone Whoever or whatever killed these people could still be there. Has that thought crossed anyone’s mind? …Exactly. This is a death march, with Maggie as the Pied Piper. If they want to roll with that sh*t, knock themselves out, but not him, not today. He’s out. Gage says he is too. Negan might be a d*ck, but he makes sense. Roy says, let them go, but Maggie says, Negan knows the city. Negan asks if that’s why he’s there; he’s their DC tour guide. Can no one read a goddam map? Maggie brought him there to die. She’ll find a reason, even if she has to do it herself, away from the prying eyes of Alexandria. He’d thought Daryl was in on it, but can tell by the glazed look in Daryl’s eyes, he had no clue. Gabriel says he’s paranoid, but Negan says, he’s still right. Him dying on her terms is not happening. He’s not letting her drag him through the mud, filth, and slime, and putting him down like a dog, like Glenn. Daryl punches Negan, knocking him down, and Maggie says their kids are starving, and she’s calling the shots because that’s how everyone voted. As for killing him – she cocks her gun, and aims it at him – it’s always on her mind. He’s not wrong about it. The woman who left six years ago, isn’t the one who’s there now. There’s a little bit of the old one keeping him breathing, but she doesn’t know how long it will last, so keep pushing her.

Princess points out two troopers who are flirting, and Ezekiel asks how she can tell them apart. And why does she think they’re flirting? She says she heard some stuff on the wagon, and gives them gossip about several troopers. Ezekiel says, they’re not even looking at each other, but Princess says, it’s obvious in the way they’re not looking at each other. When they go on break, one takes off first, then the other follows. She bets they spend most of their time taking the armor off. Oh…   

Princess and Ezekiel are walked down a hall by two stormtroopers. They walk past an interrogation room, seeing the couple they’d spoken to before, and a third soldier comes out. She asks where Princess and Ezekiel are being taken, and one of the troopers says, reprocessing. She tells them to move along, and the troopers – who are really Eugene and Yumiko – walk Princess and Ezekiel to a room that has laundry bins full of money and papers, marked, for incineration, and a wall of photos and notes, that says, flag for expedited assessment and admittance. They look at the photos, and Eugene opens a door, peeking outside. He tells them that they’ve got to go now, but Princess asks Yumiko, isn’t that you? pointing at a photo. Yumiko looks at a picture of her and underneath it, a note from her brother. She says she has to stay.

In the tunnel, the group is still busy stabbing heads, when one of the flashlights goes out. Cole calls for Gage and Roy, saying, they have the rations, but they’re gone. Another dude says, Negan scared them off, because they just automatically blame Negan for everything. Daryl shines his flashlight down the tunnel, and we hear zombie noises. Yep. Here they come. Maggie uses her bow and arrow, and it’s the usual slicing and dicing. Negan, Gabriel, and Cole try to open a subway car, and I think maybe they wouldn’t be so obvious if Daryl would stop shining the flashlight at the zombies. Everyone scrambles to get on top of the car, and Dog takes off. Dammit! Daryl goes after him, which is as it should be, and Dog crawls into a hidey hole. Daryl goes in after him. Negan is next to last, climbing on top of the car, and Maggie starts to climb up behind him. The zombies are there, and it’s not good. One grabs Maggie’s leg, and on top of the car, Negan looks back. He sees what’s going on, and looks at her for a moment. She says his name, but he disappears, and she slips.  

Next time, Negan says Maggie was right behind him, and Yumiko tells Eugene to stick to the story.

🙀 And So The End Starts…

Not a bad start to the final season. See you on Deck tomorrow, but until then, stay safe, stay equitable, and stay not bringing your dog on dangerous missions.

Jul31

July 30, 2021 – Spencer Fake Pleads With Ava, New Lease On Life, Soap Celebration, Happy Birthday, Support, Pushy Countess, Be Better, Possible Ax, New Status, Rumors, Dead Talk, Quotes Tenfold & Hello

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What I Watched Today

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

General Hospital

Spencer asks if Ava thinks they can put the past behind them and start fresh. Is it possible they can declare a truce? He holds out his hand, and she hesitates for a moment, but takes it, and they shake. She says she appreciates the offer, but he doesn’t have to worry about forging a relationship with her. She’s out of Nikolas’s life now. He says, it didn’t look that way a little while ago.

Jason comes into the MetroCourt, and asks if Carly is ready to go. She asks if he’s ready for this, and he says, for Wiley’s birthday party? Sure. He managed to get all the gifts in the car. She says, there weren’t that many, and he gives her a face. She says he knows what she’s talking about. This is their first family thing as a couple. He asks if she’s nervous.

Michael knocks at the gatehouse door, and Willow motions him in. He hands her some cellophane tape, and she thanks him, saying, she thought she’d have to break out the masking tape. He says he’s surprised he found any, considering the mounds of presents and all the decorations. She asks if they’re spoiling him, and he says, absolutely, but it’s Wiley’s birthday, so they get a pass. They’ll let him have all his presents and balloons… She says, don’t forget about cupcakes, and he says Wiley reminded him this morning. Now everything’s all set for their birthday boy.

Brook comes in to find Chase messing with some balloons, and says, look at him. She looks around the room, and says, look at this. He says, this is Olivia’s work. He followed her around with a tape dispenser. It is funny how Brook reappeared just when the decorating is finished. She says, timing is everything. She sent Yuri down to help. He says, good thing. He couldn’t help hang the banner for anything. She says, it will happen soon enough, and he says, not soon enough for him. He can’t wait to walk up to Willow, and show her that he’s back.

Shawn meets Sam in the park, and she hands him some coffee. She says she hopes he didn’t mind meeting her there. She had to drop Scout off at Lila’s Kids. He says he loves it outdoors; he can’t get enough of it. She says she’s the same way, and it sure beats the exercise at Pentenville. He asks why she wanted to meet, and she says she’s afraid she has bad news.

There’s a knock at Elizabeth’s door, and she lets in Nikolas, who asks if she’s okay. She sounded stressed on the phone. She mentioned Hayden; has she heard from her? She says, unfortunately, no. He asks, what’s going on? and she says Sam was there, asking about the time Hayden was shot. It made her remember something. He says, dammit. He knew this was going to happen.

Chase tells Brook, Willow is at the gatehouse and he’s upstairs. He doesn’t feel like they can start their life together yet. He’s so sick of this chair; he can’t do anything. She says, excuse me. He’s the one who sang Bailey to sleep, which is more than she can manage, and Bailey loved it. He says, she did seem pretty blissed out, which is puzzling to him since Brook took so long to get her settled. Brook tells him, let it go, and says, this place looks like a birthday party on steroids. They didn’t need her help. Kids Wiley’s age are more interested in the boxes anyway. (Truth!) He bets her 50 bucks it doesn’t hold a candle to the parties she’ll throw for Bailey, and she says, he’s on. They shake, and she says they’ll see if Wiley’s more interested in the gifts or the boxes. Valentin walks in with Austin, and says, look who he found. Brook asks what Austin is doing there.

Elizabeth says, so Nikolas knows what she’s talking about, and he says, Sam spoke to him as well. He told her that he didn’t know where Hayden was, and she should just leave it alone. The last thing he wanted was for Sam to come there and upset Elizabeth with questions about her sister, on top of everything else. She says he’s right; she’s upset. Shawn has spent all those years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Nikolas says, Alexis explained the situation. Of course (🍷) Shawn shouldn’t pay for a crime he didn’t do, but he pled guilty. She says, now that Shawn denied shooting Hayden, it made her wonder, who did? She remembered something Nikolas said back then; something she didn’t want to believe – that he had Hayden shot.

Ava tells Spencer that she and Nikolas plan to keep their divorce civil and drama free, but make no mistake, the marriage is over. He says, let him guess. Father doesn’t agree. She says, well, he knows his father. He wants what he wants, and doesn’t take no for an answer. Spencer says, sounds like him.

Jason asks who Carly is nervous about seeing. Is it Monica? He talked with her, and they went through all the history with AJ… She says she’s not nervous that way; it’s just the transition. All the family things they’ve gone to over the years, they’re now going as a couple. She was talking to Laura last night, and wondering if it’s too soon after Sonny, and how people’s perception might bother her, how it might diminish her love for Sonny, and how it’s hard for her. She knows they have to get married, and she knows it’s the right thing to do, but it’s difficult. He says, they both know why they’re doing this. They made the best choice they could. So now they just have to move forward with it. She says she’s glad he’s in this with her.

Austin hands Brook a wrapped gift, and says he’s there because Michael invited him. He said it was a family celebration. Brook says, it’s just that he’s early, and he tells her, his mother always said, if you’re on time, you’re late. She says, that makes no sense, and he asks if she argues with her mother. She says, all the time, and he asks if she wins. She says, okay, and puts the gift with the others. Chase introduces himself, and Valentin says he should have made the introductions. Sorry about that. Monica comes in, and says she’s glad Austin could make the family celebration. Has he met everybody? Austin says he has, and Valentin says, so it’s true. Austin is a legitimate Quartermaine?

Michael holds his finger in the middle of the ribbon, and Willow makes a bow. I have to say, I’ve never made a bow that way, or seen anyone else do it. She says, and that’s that, and he asks if she’s really okay. She says, sure, and he says she’s going out of her way to make sure Wiley’s birthday celebration is happy and joyful, but he knows this is also the anniversary of her son’s death. He’s been thinking about him too. For the longest time, Michael thought Jonah was his son, so it’s a bittersweet day. She says, this morning when she was putting flowers on Jonah’s grave, the birds were singing so loudly, like they were serenading him. He wishes they could have gone together, and she says, Chase was there. Michael is glad she wasn’t alone, and she says, it was Chase who told her that her baby had died. He held her as that awful truth sunk in, and she grieved. He comforted her, and got her through this unimaginable time in her life, and she’ll always be grateful to him, but she wishes Michael had been with her.

A woman goes to Jonah’s grave, and leaves flowers.

Nicholas says, they both know he didn’t shoot Hayden, and Elizabeth says, no, they don’t both know. She remembers that time in The Floating Rib when she asked him point blank if he’d done it, praying he’d say no, but he didn’t. He said he had Hayden shot to protect her. He says, it was a long time ago; emotions were high. She says, Hayden was blackmailing them for the mess she made with Drew, lying to him to hold on to him. Nikolas says, there was plenty of upheaval back then, but when she was able to catch her breath, and asked him about Hayden again, he came clean. He admitted he’d been lying. Doesn’t she remember?

Sam and Shawn sit on a bench, and Sam says, neither Elizabeth or Nikolas know where Hayden is, or know where to find her. Any progress on finding Hayden’s mother? He says, Naomi Dreyfuss is not returning his calls, and Sam says, they’re back to square one. He says, Curtis told him that he’d check his notes from when he originally worked on the case, but he didn’t sound too encouraging. She says, what did they expect? It’s a six year old case. It’s not impossible to turn up new leads, but it’s going to take some time. They’ll have to find some witnesses and try and jog their memories. The ones that are still alive anyway. He says she’s thinking of Drew. First, his name is Jake Doe, then he’s Jason Morgan, then he turns out to be Jason’s twin Drew Cain, the man Sam married and had a child with. She says, it’s pretty ironic, isn’t it? When Shawn was the one who was supposed to kill him that night.

Spencer says he can see his father is struggling without Ava, which is a real change, considering he’d insisted their marriage was a sham, and the only reason he stayed with Ava was to preserve their family money. No offense. She says, none taken. That was exactly how their marriage started. It was a cold-blooded business arrangement. Then she and Nikolas surprised themselves, falling in love along the way. But the stalker has made it clear he won’t stop as long as they’re together, and she won’t risk Avery’s safety. He says, then she’s adamant about going through with the divorce, and she says, whether Nikolas likes it or not. He says, then why does she keep sending his father mixed signals?

Monica says they’re still waiting for the DNA test results, and Valentin says, so this is a case of keeping your enemies close? She says she doesn’t consider Austin an enemy, and Valentin says, Ned and Michael do. A word to the wise, being a Quartermaine is a study in Darwinism, survival of the fittest. Austin says, he tries to stay reasonably fit, and Valentin says, having an ally helps. Monica says, let her guess. That would be him. Warnings, Austin; warnings all around. Valentin says he knows what it’s like to be an outsider in a powerful family, and Brook says she’s been meaning to speak to Valentin about Bailey, and drags him into the foyer. Monica thanks Chase for taking care of the decorations, and asks if she can get anybody something to drink.

In the foyer, Valentin asks if Brook really wanted to talk to him about something, or did she just want to get him away from Austin? She says, it was a big, fat attempt to stop him from sucking up to that interloper, and he says he thought he was the interloper. She tells him, stop. What he needs to do is back off. If Austin is a real Q, does Valentin really think Austin is going to side with him over his family? He says, we’ll see, and she says, overconfident much? He says he usually gets what he wants, and she says, but not always.

Willow tells Michael that they should get the gifts up to the main house. Wiley will be up from his nap soon, and the guests will be arriving. She holds open a bag, and he says, whatever doesn’t fit, he’ll carry. As they put the gifts in the bag, their hands touch, and Willow pulls away. She says, next year, on Wiley’s birthday, Chase will be walking, and they can be together. He says he’ll wake them up with a puppy, and she says, they’ll all cuddle in the bed; the puppy too. They’ll come down and make birthday pancakes. He says, they’ll see Jonah and hear the birds. They’ll have a birthday celebration with family, and when Wiley’s worn out, they’ll put him and the puppy to bed, and it’s their turn. She says, next year, and he says, next year, and they start kissing.

Elizabeth tells Nikolas, she remembers both conversations. The first one weighed on her. Then she remembers calling and asking him to meet her at work. He says, they talked in the stairwell so no one would hear them. We flash back to Elizabeth telling Nikolas that she hasn’t been able to sleep since he told her what he did to Hayden. She never asked him to do that. He says, Hayden is going to be fine. She’s talking. She doesn’t know that Jake is Jason. Elizabeth says, he had her shot, but he says, no, he didn’t. He lied. Shawn confessed that he’s the one who shot Hayden. She asks why would Nikolas say he did it? and he says, it’s stupid. He wanted her to think he’d do anything for her. She asks what she’s supposed to do with that. If he lied, how is she supposed to believe him now? He says, because Shawn confessed. Why would he confess if he’s not guilty? He’s ashamed he lied to her, but he wanted her to love him because he loves her. He sees now that’s not going to happen. In the present, Nikolas says he swallowed his pride and told her the truth. She says, told her the truth, or told her what she wanted to hear? He needs to be honest. They both know Shawn didn’t shoot Hayden. Was it him?

Monica says, Austin has met Chase, and he says he has, and asks where Chase fits in to this Quartermaine puzzle. Chase says he’s Willow’s husband, and Willow is Wiley’s mom. Dr. Quartermaine has been kind enough to let him stay there while he recovers. He tells Monica that he can’t thank her enough, and hopes to be out of there soon, but she tells him that he can stay as long as he wants. She says, Austin is a new doctor on staff at General Hospital. Chase says, that’s great, and Austin says, it is. Monica excuses herself to see if everything is ready, and when she’s gone, Austin slides closer to Chase. He says, from one outsider to another, what does he think about these Quartermaines? Does he have to watch his back like Valentin says?

Valentin says, presently, he has a beautiful new daughter, and he’s the CEO of a company that’s highly profitable, both of which he owes to Brook. She tells him, don’t count your chickens, and he asks if she really thinks the family is going to vote him out. She asks if he thinks he can stop them, and he says he thinks she’s worried he might. He believes she thinks Austin is going to prove himself and side with him, and that’s why she’s watching Austin like a hawk. She asks, who says she’s watching Austin? and Valentin says he does. He can see she’s clearly shaken by that man.

Willow and Michael kiss some more. She starts to walk away, but he pulls her back. Carly knocks at the door, and  Michael and Willow quickly separate. Carly walks in with Jason, and Michael says they were just finishing up with Wiley’s gifts. Carly hugs Willow, saying, she can’t believe Wiley is three. She asks where the birthday boy is, and Willow says, he’s at the main house, probably just waking up from his nap any minute. Carly suggests Michael and Jason take the presents, and she’ll hang out with Willow for a minute. Michael says they can all go together, but Willow tells him to go ahead. Michael and Jason leave with Wiley’s gifts, and Carly asks, what are you two doing?

Brook tells Valentin, she’s not shaken by Austin. As far as she’s concerned, the jury is still out on the guy. Austin delivers Maxie’s baby, and then leaves the crazy nurse to run off with Louise? Valentin says, after being knocked unconscious, and she says, she just wonders if he knows more than he says. He just happens to be hiking at the exact same moment in the exact same place Maxie happens to be having her baby. And then, it just so happens he owns the house where Peter and that crazy henchwoman bring Maxie? Valentin asks if she thinks Austin is involved in Louise’s kidnapping, and she says, she won’t go that far. Let’s just say she’s keeping an eye on the guy.

Chase tells Austin, the Quartermaines have always been good to him. They have strong personalities, but big hearts. Austin says, that’s not their reputation, and Chase says, they’re an intense family. They take some getting used to, but they protect their own and band together when it counts. If Austin’s claim is legit – Austin says, it is – he’ll find his place. He can’t be thin-skinned though. Austin says he’s not afraid of a little bloodletting; he’s a doctor. He asks what Chase does, and Chase says he’s a detective with the PCPD. Austin says, super. Any leads on Maxie’s baby?

Ava tells Spencer that she’s not sending his father mixed signals. She’s been clear that they can’t be together. He says, yet he just saw them in, shall we say, a close moment. She says she didn’t mean for that to happen, and he says, it doesn’t matter what she intends. It matters what she does. She says, excuse me. Didn’t he just approach her requesting a truce? What happened to that olive branch?

Brook asks what they’re talking about, and Austin asks where her better half is. She says, Valentin is feeding Bailey, and Chase says, Austin was just asking about the search for Maxie’s baby, which he can’t talk about. But how lucky was Maxie that he was hiking in the woods when he was? Austin says he’s the lucky one. He’s glad he was there. Maxie did great. The delivery was remarkably simple given the circumstances. It’s only afterwards, that things became problematic, and even then, only for him, because he keeps having this peculiar dream. In the dream, he’s there, and helps Maxie deliver her baby, and gets conked in the head. This is where the peculiar dream gets weird. He keeps hearing these two women talking, which is so weird, because Maxie was alone when he woke up. Chase says, maybe his subconscious heard the fake nurse and Maxie, and Austin says, maybe. Brook looks pretty rattled.

Willow tells Carly that she and Michael are raising Wiley together, that’s all. Carly says she knows her son, and Michael loves her. Is Willow telling her that she doesn’t feel the same? Willow says she couldn’t live with herself if she abandoned Chase when he needed her most, and Carly says, that’s because she’s a kind and loyal person. Carly admires that about her, but sometimes the best of intentions can lead to the worst outcomes. An act of kindness can cause more harm than good. Lord knows, she’s in no position to pass out advice. She’s made more than her share of mistakes, and told more than her share of lies. At the time, she told herself that she had a good reason, and she’s sure Willow does too, but it’s clear she and Jason walked in on something. She’s just glad it was them and not somebody else. Willow has a terrible poker face. It’s almost impossible for Willow to hide her feelings for Michael, and if Carly can see how much she loves him, other people are going to see it too.

Michael wonders if he shouldn’t go back and get Willow; she’s probably being grilled by his mom. Jason says, Willow told him to go, right? and Michael says his mom means well, but… Jason asks if he has something on his mind. They sit at the patio table, and Michael says, Jason knows, right? That he’s in love with Willow. Jason says, okay. Does she feel the same? Michael says, she only married Chase because of his health. They were waiting to tell Chase until he can walk again. He feels happy and guilty at the same time. He never thought he’d be the other man. Jason tells him not to fault himself for having feelings. He has to trust himself. He’ll figure it out, and make the right decision. He never worries about Michael. Michael thanks Jason for his vote of confidence. He knows Jason has his own challenges he’s going through. Jason can always count on him. Jason says he appreciates that. And now, about all these gifts. Michael says he knows it’s crazy, but he’s not going to go overboard all the time. It’s just one day, and the rest of the days, he’s going to take a page out of Jason’s book. He hopes he can give Wiley the same sense of self and confidence Jason gave him when he was little.

Shawn tells Sam, he was wondering when they’d talk about all this; get it out in the open. Yes, he was sent to deal with Drew, but he was Jake Doe back then. nobody knew who he was or what he was up to. He was doing his job. She says, on Sonny’s orders, and he says he’s just glad Jordan made him miss the shot. She says, her too. Or she woudn’t have daughter right now. She’s glad they had a chance to clear that up. Okay. Back to square one. There is some good news. The garage is still there, so she can go back to the scene of the crime. He says, six years later? He guesses… if she wants to take a field trip. She say she knows it’s a long shot, but it’s all they’ve got. He says he’ll do more work on Naomi Dreyfuss, but Sam says maybe it’s best if he doesn’t do this. He just got out of prison. Enjoy his life. Enjoy this park. Doesn’t he want that? Doesn’t he want to start a future and make a life for himself?

Nikolas says he did not have Hayden shot, and Elizabeth says, then who did? If it wasn’t him, and it wasn’t Shawn, who tried to kill her sister?

Ava says, perhaps Spencer is unclear on the concept of truce. Or maybe he’s too angry at her to make one work. He says he’s sorry; he didn’t mean to snap. He’s not angry; he’s afraid for his father. This guy got into Windymere. He must be a criminal genius to get past the security detail. Then he got into their hotel suite. Whoever this guy is, he’s a legitimate threat. Spencer already lived through losing his father once. He doesn’t want to again. Please help him protect his father from himself.

Nikolas tells Elizabeth, they may never know who shot Hayden. She has to remember who Hayden was back then. She arrived in town committing fraud. Ric paid her to encourage Drew to lie about his past. She helped herself to a fortune in diamonds from the profits of her father’s Ponzi scheme. Who knows what enemies were after her, in or out of Port Charles? Elizabeth says, she really believes Hayden wanted a fresh start there. It wasn’t until she had Violet that she turned a corner. He guesses they turned a corner too. She fell in love, and married Franco. He married Ava, and fell in love. She says, happily ever after, at least for a little while… until life got in the way.

Ava says Spencer doesn’t need to worry about his father. This divorce protects him too. As long as they’re apart, the stalker has no reason to pay attention to Nikolas at all. Spencer says he’s glad to hear her say that. Sometimes his father makes rash decisions, and doesn’t understand the consequences. She says she’s doing everything she can to protect her daughter and his father. He says he appreciates it, but the stalker is unpredictable. He heard Trina was doused in fake blood. What if the next time it’s real? She says he doesn’t have to keep reminding her. She knows what’s at stake. He says, then make him understand. Get her feelings out of it, and make his father stop fighting this divorce.  

Willow says, Carly isn’t telling her anything that she doesn’t know in her head already. She doesn’t want to hurt Chase. She truly cares about him, but her heart is with Michael. It’s getting harder and harder to hide those feelings. Carly takes Willow’s hand, and says Willow is in a tough situation. So is Michael. Willow is trying to be generous, and it seems kind and supportive, but the heart’s tricky. It can be selfish and strong-willed, and sometimes there’s no denying or reasoning with it. Hearts are stubborn that way. Willow says she’s never heard it put quite like that, and Carly say she speaks from experience. Willow is Wiley’s mom, and she’s family, and Carly is always there to talk. Willow thanks her, and says she supposes she should splash some water on her face, and Carly says she’ll get out of Willow’s hair. Willow says she’s really happy to be part of Carly’s family. Growing up, all she really wanted was to be accepted and loved for herself, even with her faults. She and her mom never had heart-to-heart talks like this. Carly asks if she means awkward and intrusive. Then she’s come to the right family, since it’s Carly’s specialty. They hug.

Valentin asks Austin how the lawsuit is going, and Austin says, great. He  asks if Austin thinks he’ll win, and Austin says, yeah. He wouldn’t be contesting Edward’s will if he didn’t think he had a legitimate cause. Valentin says they should have lunch. Discuss ELQ under his continued leadership. Austin says he does like lunch.   

Chase tells Brook that he thinks he’s going to lie down for a minute, and wheels himself out. Brook looks at Austin, and says, this is so not good. Monica brings in Michael and Jason, and says they have more guests, and more presents. Michael shakes Austin’s hand, and says he’s glad Austin could make it. Valentin says, right on time. He and Austin were just discussing ELQ and how it’s currently thriving. It’s gutsy to change CEOs; it could affect the bottom line. Michael says, it’s a strong company. One that was already thriving when Valentin took the helm. Monica says, they’re not going to discuss business today, and Michael tells her that he was just making his position clear, so Austin knows where he stands. ELQ is a Quartermaine business that should be run by Quartermaines. Ned is the CEO that ELQ needs, not Valentin.  

Chase wheels himself into another room and closes the door. He unlocks the chair, and says he can do this. He painstakingly lifts himself up.  

Shawn tells Sam, part of him wants to forget all this, and never look back. Then he sees TJ and Molly, full of hope and determination, striving so hard to make a difference in this world. They’re something else. He asks himself what he can do to make a difference. Maybe putting an attempted murderer behind bars instead of letting them get away with it. Sam says, what about him and his fresh start? He says he wants that. He wants to build a better life for himself. Of course (🍷) he wants to connect to his son, and be part of TJ’s life. But first he has to find the person who tried to kill Hayden; he has to. Who knows how many other people he’s hurt?

Elizabeth says, Nikolas is right; she has a lot on her plate right now. She’s glad to get this off of it. She hopes he’s not mad at her for grilling him. She had to know. He says he’s glad he could put her mind to rest where he’s concerned. He’s always there for her if she wants to talk about anything. She thanks him, and he says he thinks it’s best if she puts that painful time behind her. Life goes on, right? She says, right, and hugs him. He leaves, and I get the feeling she’s not buying his story.

Ava says, Spencer is right. She has been holding on to the slightest hope. Maybe even sending mixed signals, and maybe that’s why Nikolas refuses to believe this marriage is over. But that ends now. She and Nikolas don’t even need to speak. They can communicate through their lawyers. Spencer thinks that’s best, and he humbly appreciates it. He’s sorry it’s taken something this drastic for him to see her for who she truly is. She says she’s glad Spencer and his father are on better terms now. Nikolas missed him, and knows he’s glad Spencer is back. Spencer says he is too. He sees he got there just in time. Since I’m hating on Spencer right now, I wonder what such a handsome face is doing with a dad bod, especially at his age. There. I said it.

Monica says they’ve waited long enough for the guest of honor. They need to get the party started. Where is the birthday boy? Willow says, taking an epic nap. She’ll wake him. Carly asks if she can do it. She’ll take all the time she can with her grandson as possible. Willow says, enjoy, and asks where Chase is. Brook says, he decided to rest before the party, and Willow wonders if she should check on him, but Brook says, he’s fine. He’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t worry. He’s fine.

Chase struggles, and finally gets on his feet. He says, yes. How about a step? He takes a step forward. Austin watches.

Willow tells Michael that she’s going to get Chase. He’s resting before the party, but she knows he’ll want to be there when the birthday boy makes his big entrance. On her way to get Wiley, the doorbell rings, and she yells that she’s got it. She opens the door, and says, oh…

I’m guessing the woman at the cemetery? I don’t think it’s Harmony though. Maybe Shiloh’s mom?

On Monday, Jordan asks if Portia and Curtis are a couple now, Stella can’t help but worry it will end up that way, Chase says Willow honestly thought that was a good idea, Nina doesn’t know if it’s a blessing or curse

Million Dollar Listing New York

KJ brought her younger brother Alex to West 95th Street, where there were two apartments she was listing. Built in 1971, the building had gone condo, and an investor had purchase the apartments still occupied by rent stabilized tenants. As they moved, the investor revamped the apartments for buyers. I totally get this, since I lived in an apartment that did the same thing, but went co-op. We eventually bought our apartment for cheap when the investor wanted out. Ha-ha, score one for the tenant. In KJ’s interview, she said they were smaller apartments at lower price points, and she wanted Alex to help her with his digital marketing skills as a millennial. He handled her website and social media accounts. Social media was king, since they weren’t having open houses. They met with the developer, who was also Alex. Despite covid, KJ had already sold an apartment for $770K, another for almost $1.5 million, and yet another for $1.8 million, but there were two 949 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartments with river views, lingering. Alex2 showed her newly added closet space to one of the apartments, but even so, KJ thought they should lower the price of $1.595 million to a post quarantine price point. She thought $1.495 million would get them some bites, as well as new imagery to freshen the listing. Alex2 was amenable, but needed to check with his dad, who was head of the company. In the meantime, KJ was having Alex1 help her develop a TikTok account. In her interview, she said it was like he was speaking another language. She had no idea what young people were talking about. This seemed pretty weird, since it’s not like she’s ancient, but I guess her job and kids keep her pretty busy.

Fredrik and team member Charlé went to Harlem to visit the Ali Forney Center, where they met yet another Alex. Seriously, WTF? A drop-in center for LGBTQ+ youth, complete with a disco ball, it had been named after queer youth activist Ali Forney who’d been murdered.  Alex said they did their best to create a fun environment. They also provided homes for LGBTQ+ young people, kicked out because of transphobia and homophobia. Alex3 said LGBTQ+ youth were eight times more likely to be homeless. They were converting the Bea Arthur Residence, left to them in her will, from a rental model to an ownership model, but needed even more space. A private anonymous donor had given them a $4-8 million budget, and they were looking to house 8-20 people in a 4-9 bedroom house with community space and a yard. Fredrik said they’d donate any commission back to the center.

Fredrick and Charlé met Alex3 at Hamilton House in West Harlem, where they were joined by art director Marcia and community developer Jase. This was one fabulous house, with amazing original detailing. Built in 1910, the house was 4796 square feet, and 20 feet wide, which is a thing when you’re in the city. The asking price was $4.5 million, but Fredrik thought he could get it down to $4 million. Marcia said it had a family feel, and Jase said it was truly a home. Everyone thought it was perfect, and Fredrik said it wasn’t about the commission, but helping the kids.

Tyler’s assistant Kemba had quarantined with her bae Evan (thank God his name wasn’t Alex) when they’d only been dating a couple of weeks. His parents were relocating to Florida, and selling a family home on West 87th Street. This was another gorgeous piece of real estate. Built in 1890, it was 5231 square feet, and 18 feet wide. It had 4 floors, 5 bedrooms and 5 baths, 8 gas converted fireplaces, and 2 garden terraces. Among the other fabulous details were hand printed wallpaper, a summer kitchen with high-end appliances, a garden level living room, and a wine cellar literally in the cellar. There was even an original faucet shaped like a dolphin, eventually reproduced for Sherle Wagner, a company founded by Evan’s grandmother. Tyler said Evan knew the history of the house, and that’s what got people excited. Sometimes he made up stories for buyers, but he had the real deal this time. Tyler said one advantage he had was a good relationship with stagers who could help Evan’s parents pack and move what was still in the house. He explained the other houses on the block were either in need of renovation or, if already renovated, in the $10 million range. They needed to find the sweet spot in between, and Tyler suggested $6.995 million, which made his potential commission $209K and change.   

Fredrik and the group from the Forney Center checked out the West 87th Street house, but didn’t feel it had enough space. Fredrik also showed them another house down the block with the asking price of $3.750 million. They met with broker Ronita, who told them the house had been used for an art exhibit, so be prepared for a lot of pieces that had been left behind. Most of it seemed to be sculptures of the bottom half of a female body, or as Fredrik said in his interview, the house had a lot of ass-ets. It was 4500 square feet, and 20 feet wide, 5 bedrooms and 5 baths, but the group thought too much work would have to be put into it. They were still sold on Hamilton House, and in Fredrik’s interview, he said when someone found the perfect house, seeing anything after that just made them love it even more.  

KJ’s plan to increase traffic and get bites for the West 95th Street house was a success using the new pricing and social media push. Buyers were looking for a turnkey property with outdoor space, but as it was a buyer’s market, it was hard to make it stand out when there were a lot of listings in the same price point.

Fredrik was meeting with Alex3 and company at the Hamilton House, and when Alex3 said the donor had pulled out, my mouth literally dropped open. I wondered how anybody could pull the rug out from under a bunch of kids like that. Fredrik had the scathingly brilliant idea to try and negotiate a lease with an option to buy. Alex said the rent had to be equal to what they were paying, which was $12K a month. Outside, Fredrik called broker Ian, explaining the situation, and telling him the seller would get full asking price in 6 months. By the time Fredrik went back inside, Ian was calling back to tell him that the owner loved the center’s work, and gave them the deal. Even I had tears in my eyes.  

Next time, KJ revisits her first big sale, and Ryan and Steve work together. Maybe.

💘 Happy Anniversary…

While GH has its moments, OLTL was always my favorite soap.

Happy Anniversary to ONE LIFE TO LIVE — Relive Four Decades of Drama in Llanview!

🐭 Terry Mouse…

She wears the ears well.

Cassandra James Celebrated at Disneyland — See the Fun Pics!

💫 He Gets It…

Being a champion of mental health is one of the things I love about Maurice Benard.

GH Star Maurice Benard Supports Olympian Simone Biles

🗽 Countess In the City…

Um… no. Just no.  

https://okmagazine.com/p/luann-de-lesseps-pushing-for-kim-cattrall-sex-and-the-city-role/

🏛 A Pandemic State Of Mind…

The best piece of advice he could give is, be better? That’s right up there with just say no.

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/25/rhop-star-robyns-husband-juan-says-be-better/

🐐 Singer Scapegoat…

I doubt it’s all Ramona’s fault if the ratings have dropped.

REPORT: Ramona Singer To Be Fired From RHONY Amid Ratings Drop and Racial Tensions, Plus How Ramona Feels About Alleged Axing

⚖️ And the Award For Most Ridiculous Lawsuit Goes To…

Although I could understand them slapping her with a fine for bad taste in partners.

https://pagesix.com/2021/07/29/braunwyn-windham-burke-claims-she-was-sued-for-kissing-tamra-judge/

🗳 It’s Official…

Now if we can just free Britney.

https://people.com/tv/tom-girardi-conservatorship-made-official-court-major-neurocognitive-disorder/

👶🏼 And the Test Says…

Wow. People sure read a lot into meaningless things.

PHOTO: Is Stassi Schroeder Pregnant Again With 2nd Child? Vanderpump Rules Alum Addresses Rumors After Sharing Pic With Husband Beau Clark

⚰️ Walking Closer…

The beginning of the end starts on August 22.

The Walking Dead Season 11 Trailer Welcomes You to The Commonwealth

The last villain.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a37176236/the-walking-dead-first-look-pamela-milton/

Spinning off.

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a37154860/the-walking-dead-spin-off-daryl-carol-hint/

🧧 Quotes of the Week

I’m a werewolf, okay? Let’s not make a big deal of it. Woof. – Carolyn Collins (Chloe Mortiz) Dark Shadows

Trust is like a mirror. You can fix it if it’s broken, but you can still see the crack in that motherf***ing reflection. – Lady Gaga, Telephone video

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead. – Charles Bukowski

Quitting can be a hard choice to make, but often it’s a brave one, as well. – Susan David

Fried chicken just tends to make you feel better about life. – Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), The Help (Agreed.)

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones. – Confucius

I am big. It’s the pictures that got small. – Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson), Sunset Boulevard

Threats are the resort of the uninspired and impatient. I like to think of myself as persevering and imaginative. – Cyrus Renault (Jeff Kober), General Hospital

You cannot change anyone, but you can be the reason someone changes. – Roy T. Bennett

By hero, we tend to mean a heightened man who, more than other men, possesses qualities of courage, loyalty, resourcefulness, charisma, above all, selflessness. He is an example of right behavior; the sort of man who risks his life to protect his society’s values, sacrificing his personal needs for those of the community. – Paul Zweig

🐝 Buzzing Off…

Well, the weekend is here… I think. Are we pandemicking again? Luckily, reality TV and GH march on, so see you in three days. Whatever your pandemical status, stay safe, stay knowing all situations are temporary, and stay enjoying the box as much as what’s inside.

Jun14

June 13, 2021 – There’s No Stopping It, Dead Future, Victor Dissected, a Viewer’s Guide, AHS 10, About Those CMTs & Grave

Posted on by
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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

When we last left, Teddy had set off the bomb, and Morgan let Teddy jet with Dakota. Morgan told Victor to get lost, and was alone in the control room of the submarine.

Seagulls fly overhead. We see a sign that says, Coastal Access – 3 miles, lying on its side. Rachel tries to take the tire off of her truck, as baby Morgan cries in the backseat, and bloodhound Rufus waits in the truck bed. She gets on a walkie talkie, and asks if anyone can hear her. She needs help. Anybody? She sees the missile go up, and hears Morgan say he’s still going to try and stop what Teddy started. He’s not sure it’s possible. The missile is going to reenter the atmosphere, and has multiple warheads. This could be all the time they have left. Use it. Make it mean something. Give yourself the end you wanted, even if it’s not the one we all imagined. Rachel says, this isn’t the end, and goes back to the tire. The jack falls a little, but she keeps trying, but the jack lets go completely, and the car falls on her leg. A title says: Promise me you’ll find someone. She’s not messing around, and duct tapes her broken leg, bone hanging out and all, to a makeshift splint. She takes out Baby Morgan – who I have to mention has an amazing head of hair – and hobbles down the road, Rufus running ahead. She falls, but the baby is okay, even if crying. She says she’s sorry. They can’t do this. She sees the missile divide, and kisses her baby. She says she just can’t, and takes out a knife. We think she’s going to kill the baby, but instead, she rigs up the backpack to put the baby on her back. She says, this is the end for me, but not for you. She ties a rope around her waist, tying the other end to Rufus, and telling him to find people. She puts a gag in her own mouth, and says she’s sorry. She stabs herself, and keels over, as Baby Morgan cries.

Daniel screws with the radio, and hears Morgan giving his speech about the end. A title says: Dame el Arma. Rollie squeals into the parking lot, and he, Wes, and Riley get out of the car. Rollie says Riley knows where a bunker is where they can ride things out. Funny what you can get out of a true believer when they’re pulled away from their leader. Daniel asks why they should believe Riley. He heard a voice on the radio giving coordinates to a safe place to go. Rollie asks if it was Morgan, and Daniel says, no. It was someone else, but he knows that voice. Rollie says he remembers the last time they took Daniel’s word for something, and Luci says they have no time for this. Is Daniel sure about what he’s telling them? He’s a little iffy, so she says they’ll go with what Riley said. It’s their only choice. They all get in the truck, and drive over some zombies loitering in the road. Sarah gets on the radio, and says, if Wen can hear her, stay where he is. Daniel asks Riley, why not remain silent, and die for his cause? Why would he tell them about a safe place when they’re so close to the end? The truck suddenly fishtails, and Rollie says, the brakes went out. Sarah asks Jacob if he’s fixed brakes before, and they get out. Rollie says, all hands on deck; they have company. A cluster of zombies approaches, and Jacob helps to keep the zombies at bay, while Sarah works to patch a hole in the accumulator. She tells Jacob that they may not make their way to the bunker, but he says they will. She asks, what comes next? and he says she and Wen will be together, one way or another. She does some welding.

Daniel asks Riley, if he’s all about destruction, why help them survive? Riley says he wants to see their faces when it all turns to ash. They said Teddy and his group were all insane, but it’s just the beginning. Sarah says, it worked, and Riley tells Daniel, the next will rise, or some kind of nonsense lik that. Sarah says it’s a patch job, but should get them there in one piece, and Rollie says they’ll make it out of this thing yet. Daniel talks to Luci in Spanish, asking her to give him the gun, and he shoots Rollie. Daniel says, he was one of them. That’s how Teddy found out they were at the sub. That’s why they were prepared. Riley is shot from behind, and we see Charlie holding the literal smoking gun. He’s not dead, and Luci asks Riley if it’s true. He tells her, they lost their faith and turned on each other behind the wall. Daniel has himself to thank. Otherwise they would have never been found out. Nobody is going anywhere. Warheads start to come down, and Daniel says, the coordinates. They can still make it. Luci says he knew truth about Riley. They’re putting their faith in him. They read out the coordinates.  

Dwight and Shari ride up the road, and stop. Dwight says, there’s no school there. Shari wonders if they took a wrong turn, and Dwight says, they’ll go back. There’s got to be something nearby. They gallop away, and they hear Morgan on the radio, saying, give yourself the end you wanted, even if it’s not the one we all imagined. They see a cabin, and Shari says, maybe there’s beer and pretzels in there. He asks if she’s serious, and she says, it’s the one thing they said they’d do when they found each other, and they haven’t done it yet. If this is the end, it’s how she wants to go out; just them. A title says: Enjoy the view, a-hole. They go to the cabin, and Dwight says, maybe it’s not just them. They go inside, and Dwight checks the kitchen, while Shari looks at a photo of a couple with a baby. She goes out to the backyard, and Dwight joins her. He says he couldn’t find pretzels, but he found these bad boys, handing her a beer. He says, they’re warm, but they’ll do the trick. They drink, and Shari wonders why they didn’t do this sooner. They  found each other, after everything. That doesn’t just happen, but she couldn’t get past the past. She wasted so much time being pissed off; trying to fight the bad guys, but the bad guys always win. They’ve seen that every time, and nothing she did was going to change that. She cries, and says, all it did was cost her time with him. He takes her beer, and puts it with his on the porch, and holds her. He says, everything she did, everything she’s done, she has nothing to be sorry for. He kisses her, and says they still have this life, even if it’s just for now. The woman and man from the photo come out, the man holding a gun, and Dwight says, they don’t want any trouble. They thought the cabin was empty. Shari says, they’ll get out if they know a place where they can hole up. The man says they had a place, but they took it. Dwight asks what he’s talking about, and the man says, a storm cellar. They were about to go down, when two jackasses showed up, and forced them up. Dwight asks who they were, and the woman says, they didn’t introduce themselves. They just ranted about, the end is the beginning. A little girl comes out, and we assume she’s the baby from the photo. The woman says, just give them their house back, and Dwight asks where the cellar is. He’ll get it back for them. The woman asks, how? and Dwight asks if they have any rope.  

Dwight ties one end of a rope to the horse, and the other to the cellar door handle. He slaps the horse’s flank to get it moving, and it runs, pulling the door off. Two guys come out shooting. Shari shoots one, killing him, and shoots the other, who falls, but gets up and runs. Dwight shoots him in the back, and he crawls. They all run over to him, and Dwight turns him over. The guy says, do it, and Dwight says he looks scared. A zombie is heading their way, and the guy says, please, but Dwight says, no. He doesn’t think so. He’s going to do for the guy what the guy tried to do for the family there. Give him a front row seat to the sh*t show they brought on them. Someone shoots the zombie, and Shari shoots the guy in the knee, calling him an a-hole. As they walk to the cellar, Dwight tells Shari, maybe they’re both right, and the bad guys don’t always win. They go to the cellar door, and see the missile divide. They rush inside.   

Driving with Dakota, Teddy hears Morgan on the radio, saying he’s still going to try and stop what Teddy started, but he’s not sure it’s possible. Dakota snaps the radio off, startling Teddy. She says she’s sorry she saved Morgan. She’s the only reason Morgan is alive. If he’d died at the gulch, there would have been no one stopping the missiles. Teddy says he’s glad it went the way it did. Otherwise, he never would have met her. Dakota asks if he means it, and he says she gets him. All those others, hanging on his every word, doing what he tells them, not a single one understood what he was doing the way she does.

A title says: You have nothing to be sorry about. Teddy and Dakota stand at a viewing station, and look out. He says, it’s almost time. Look at it. Here they are with a front row seat. Dakota says Teddy told her that she got him. He was the first person who didn’t look at her like she had something wrong with her, and try to make her change. He takes her hand, and says, imagine if they’d found each other sooner. John comes up behind them, and tells Teddy, step away from the girl. Teddy asks if John is spending his last moments before he turns to mulch, putting him down. John says he’s there for Dakota. He’s not fixing to hurt her; he just wants to say something. Dakota says, he’ll try to make her change her mind, and John says, she can still make her life mean something. She just has to believe people are better than she thinks they are. She says that’s how John Jr. ended up with a bullet in him, and John says, even though he walked out on his son, John Jr. still found it in himself to forgive him years later. She asks what he’s going to do with her, and he says, forgive her for killing John; for taking her son’s life. Teddy tells Dakota not to listen to him. She has nothing to be sorry about. She asks if he means that, and he says he does. John puts his gun down, and Teddy raises his, but it’s shot out of his hand. June walks up, saying, John didn’t come alone, and John says she’s a better shot than he is. Dakota asks why they’re there, and June says she forgives Dakota too. It’s not too late, even if Dakota believes it is. As long as you’re alive, it’s not too late. Dakota asks, if June believes that, why did she kill Virginia? and June says, when she lost John, she lost what she believed, but she found it again. So can Dakota. John steps on something hard, and says, what the hell is under there? He brushes aside the grass, and sees a camouflaged trap door. It opens to a ladder going down into a tunnel. He says he thought Teddy was the end. It looks like he plans on sticking around. His talk about the beginning was just hot air to get his lambs to march to slaughter. June says John isn’t lying to Dakota. Teddy is here to do what he believes. Dakota asks, what the hell is this? and Teddy tells her they’re going to shoot off the rest of the missiles. When he dust clears, he can finish what he started. Dakota says, he didn’t mean it about her understanding him, but Teddy insists he did. She says, then why didn’t he tell her? He says he couldn’t risk anyone else finding out. He wanted it to be about her and him. Why else would he bring her? John says, he needs two people to launch a missile; only one can’t turn both keys. He doesn’t care about Dakota. He just needs her. Dakota says, he’s her family, and doesn’t want her to be something she’s not. Teddy says, John abandoned his son, and June tells Dakota that she has a chance to survive; it’s a sign there are second chances. They see the missile divide, and John says, it’s starting soon. Dakota can die being who she is, or go with them. She says, and pretend to be someone she’s not. He says, it’s her choice. She points the gun, but seems unsure, and points it at Teddy.

Riding down the road on a horse, Victor hears Morgan over the radio, saying the missile is going to reenter the atmosphere, and it has multiple warheads. A title says: Which man are you? He goes into a building fighting his way through zombies inside. He tries a door, but it’s locked. A zombie gets him up close and personal, but he stabs it in the head, and runs into a stairwell. He goes up to an empty floor, and asks if anybody is there. He sees dead people, but not like that kid in Sixth Sense. They lie all over on the floor. He looks out to the parking lot, and at the crowd of zombies wandering around. He yells at the top of his lungs, and sits on the floor. He hears something in the distance, and follows the sound. He opens a door and hears a recording of a man singing the blues. He walks into a humongous room where a lot of art is being stored. He hears a gun click behind him, and a man asks how he got past the dead he let in. Hand over his gun, and start talking. Victor turns around, and says, he didn’t see it? and the man says, it was hard to miss. Is it hitting there? Victor says, it’s hitting everywhere. The man asks how Victor knows, and Victor says, he was there. Unless the man has someplace to shelter, there’s nothing more he can do. The man says he guesses that’s the ballgame, puts his gun down, and asks if Victor likes bourbon. It’s from a distillery in Texas. It used to be in Texas anyway. He asks Victor to turn the record over. He says, it’s “Lemon Blind” Jefferson. He mostly played around Dallas in 1926 to ’29. Victor says he knows his history, and the man says he hopes so. He’s a historian, or he used to be. He was a teacher before the world did what it did. Victor puts the needle on the record, and asks if that’s where all of this came from. The man says, it came after. From museums, city halls… The flag is from the Alamo. He figured somebody should try to preserve history. Victor sees a medal around the man’s neck, and asks if he’s a religious man. He says, no; his wife was. She said it would protect him. So much for that. (I dunno about that; he’s still alive.) Victor says he gave one just like it to someone, a dear friend. The man asks what Victor was trying to protect them from, and Victor says, it’s complicated. The man says, now’s not the time to be cryptic, and asks Victor, who is he? What is he doing up there? What happened out there? Victor says they were trying to build a future, while the ones they were up against were trying to end it. He was trying to stop it. He should have stopped it. The man asks why he didn’t, and Victor says, it came down to two men. They had to give their lives to save everyone, and when push came to shove, one couldn’t. The man asks, why not? and Victor says, he wanted to survive. He wanted the tales of glory for himself, and consigned everyone to be destroyed trying to circumvent death. The man asks, which one was he? and Victor says, he was the one who ready to die. The man asks why he’s there. Why isn’t he with the rest of them? Victor says, something led him there, This must be the ending he deserved, or thought he did. They hear the warheads, and see one coming down in the distance. The man says he wishes they’d met sooner, and introduces himself as Howard. Victor says, he’s Morgan. Morgan Jones.   

Grace watches the missile, and hears Morgan on the radio, telling everyone to make it mean something, and give themselves the end they want. She throws the radio, and rages a little. A title says: I can hear her. She looks into the submarine, and says she knows the ending she wants. She goes down the ladder. Morgan is cursing his life at the controls, when she comes in. He tells her that he said he’d keep trying. He’s got to make it happen. She says he can’t make stop, but he says, it’s not over. She says, they don’t know where the missiles hit, but it’s close enough. Even if they survive, with the radiation and fallout, the won’t want to live in this world. She’s seen what it does. It will be worse than Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Dying from radiation is extremely long and painful, and there will be no escaping it. He takes her hand, and she says she’s not watching it happen again; not to someone else she loves. That’s the problem with her. Don’t tell her it’s not too late. Morgan kisses her, and tells he that he loves her. She says she knows, and puts her gun on the desk. She says, please don’t make her watch it again, and he says, he thought he’d die in the gulch, but there was a reason he kept breathing. It was her. He wanted to take care of her, to build something for Athena. She says, it’s not going to happen. She’s sorry, but neither one of them were meant to be there. He says he’s sorry; he truly is. He’s sorry for them, and for what could have been. He actually let himself believe he could have a family again, be a husband… be a father. She says he can be, just not there. When Athena was born Grace wished so long to hear her cry, but it never came. She needs to hear her baby cry. They hear something outside, and Grace says, it’s the warheads separating. He picks up the gun, and says he’s sorry it has to end this way, but she says, it’s for the best. They hug, and put their foreheads together. He puts the gun against the back of his own head. We hear a baby cry, and Grace says, I can hear her. Morgan says, he can too, and they realize it’s a real baby, not Athena in their heads.  

Outside, Rufus barks. He’s leading Rachel, who’s now a zombie. Morgan says, Rachel, and Grace grabs the dog. Morgan hesitates for a moment, but then stabs Rachel through the head with his pokey stick. He catches her as she falls, and takes Baby Morgan out of her backpack. I have literally never seen a head of hair like this on a baby this young; it’s amazing. Morgan laughs, and Grace hugs the dog. He says, it feels like a gift from Athena.

Wes and Sarah get out of the truck, followed by the others. Wes asks if Daniel is sure he had the right coordinates. Charlie says, there’s nobody here, and Daniel says he’s sorry. Sarah says, maybe Wen will be okay, and Riley says, he told them, there’s no escaping. Daniel grabs him, pulls him out of the truck, and throws him on the ground. He’s either knocked out or dead, and Wes goes through his pockets. Charlie looks up, and is the first to see the helicopter headed their way. Sarah says, sh*t in a sandbox, and Luci says, Daniel was right; she knew it. The helicopter lands, and they run to it. Sarah wonders who the hell it is, and the person on the passenger side says she’s glad they got the coordinates. Don’t ask the pilot any questions. The less they know, the better. She’s wearing a facemask, but we assume it’s Al. I also assume the pilot is Isabelle.

Dakota aims her gun at John again, and June says, please, but Dakota says she doesn’t have to change for anyone.  John asks if he ever told June about the St. Louis Barnraiser, and she nods. He shoots in the air, and Dakota shoots at him, getting him in the arm, as June shoots the gun out of her hand. June and John go down into the tunnel, leaving Dakota and Teddy behind. Dakota asks if Teddy ever really gave a sh*t, or did he just need her to turn the key? He doesn’t say anything, and she shoots him, saying, that’s what she thought. She shoots him again in the head, and tells him, he said she should never change, and she’s not. Now, he never gets to see his ending.

Victor and Howard go to the window, and watch the warheads come down.

Dakota looks out, everything goes white. She’s been burned to a crisp, and I laugh.   

John and June duck, and everything blows apart.

Dwight, Shari, and the family huddle together in the root cellar. They hear the door banging, but it suddenly stops.

Luci says, if they stick together, they’ll be fine. The helicopter takes off, and we see Wes has painted, This Isn’t The End on the road; the word End on Riley’s back. Riley gets up and walks away, as a mushroom cloud rises in the distance.   

Everything is blowing up everywhere. Grace sees a dust cloud coming , and Morgan says, go! They run, Morgan holding the baby, and Rufus gets in a truck. As usual, the dog is my main concern. Morgan and Grace go under a car with Baby Morgan, and it looks like that move The Day After.   

Victor grits his teeth and closes his eyes, but then it’s over. He and Howard they see mushroom cloud. Victor laughs, and Howard asks why he’s laughing. Victor says, because he’s alive. After everything he did, he’s still there. Howard says, everything he did? and Victor says he’s not the man he told Howard he was. He’s the other one. He’s not Morgan Jones; he’s Victor Strand. He’s a man who’s thrown other men to the wolves when it was necessary. He’s not afraid to the cut the cord when he’s had to. He’s a hustler and a backroom dealer, and he’s cheated if the opportunity presented itself. Howard asks, why? and Victor says, survival. He’s done it all his life. Despite the critics, he’s still there. He came from nothing, but he knows how to survive. He’s had to rebuild himself from the ground up, over and over again. They have a great future behind them. They can take that future and rebuild, with art, and books, and music, and good bourbon. It feels like the dawning of a new day to him. They look at the cloud, and Victor asks, how about Howard?  

Grace coughs, and she and Morgan come out with the baby. They see a zombie going by, the back of him smoking (dubbed Backdraft Zombie by Talking Dead). Morgan waits for it to approach, and stabs it in the throat. They hear some popping sounds, and Morgan looks at Grace, and then Baby Morgan.

No preview, since this was the finale.

⚰️ So I’m thinking about this episode as I’m editing and listening to Talking Dead, where they’re talking about FWD having a new reality for its characters due to the bombings. And I thought, but wait, doesn’t this mean they’ll have to do the same for Walking Dead, and whatever other shows are connected to it in the same timeline or after?

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-6-finale-explosive-ending-impacts-walking-dead-universe-crm-helicopter/

💣 Victor’s Villainy…

I never thought of villains as necessarily being queer, but hey, why not?

https://ew.com/tv/colman-domingo-fear-the-walking-dead-zola-pride/

🧛🏼 Speaking Of Queer…

A wonderful list of horror films. This article also contains one of my favorite horror film titles of all time, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-a-Rama. I’ve never actually seen it, but I have seen Tammy and the T-Rex, also on the list. It was… interesting.

Queer Fear: A Viewer’s Guide to Shudder’s 2021 Queer Horror Collection

📽 It’s Coming…

The latest on American Horror Story.

https://www.ihorror.com/american-horror-story-announces-official-season-10-title/
‘American Horror Story’s’ New Season and Its Spin-Off Gets Premiere Dates

🐎 Country Wins…

Everything you ever wanted to know about this year’s CMT Awards, including the fashions of course.

https://www.cmt.com/cmt-music-awards

⛸ Skating…

Finally, my dog saw the vet, after screaming, crying, and stamping my feet to get an appointment that wasn’t three weeks from now. Slight exaggeration, but I was persistent. His health issues were dealt with, so hopefully, I’m back on track now. Until we meet for soap and a sail, stay safe, stay resilient, and stay being a survivor, but without throwing anyone to the wolves like Victor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pX3mxjtpyBc
Jun7

June 6, 2021 – Teddy Launches a Big Stick, My Opinion About an Opinion, Victor’s Motives, Fear Finale, Jumping Time & Get Enough

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

We see Morgan’s town in shambles; a burned out building, doors swinging in the wind, a playground merry-go-round turning. Teddy says Dakota saved Morgan’s life. She thought he was going to give her a fresh start in a place she felt safe, a place to call home, and a family. Did he? Dakota says, no, and we see Morgan walking through the desolation. She says he built a town, and filled it with people, but her sister… Her mom did the same thing, ten times over. She still never felt comfortable in her own skin in any of those places. Teddy says both of them wanted something from her she couldn’t give. They wanted her to be somebody she’s not. He heard her with Alicia. She wants what they all want; someone to love her the way she is. She asks if he thinks she’ll find that person in the new world, but he says she already has. She says, him? and he says, yes. She says he put Alicia in the bunker because he thought he saw something special in her. He says he did. He loves what Alicia will become. There’s something in Alicia that he and Dakota will never be. That’s nothing to feel sorry about. Dakota is so much like him. They’re two very logical conclusions in a world built on a foundation of violence, lies, and self-interest. That’s why they understand each other. He thinks she’ll agree. When he says they’re conclusions, he means they don’t belong in the world the way it is. Things are just about to get started. She asks, what will happen to them? and he says, they’re going to die with everyone else. He knows it’s a lot to take in. She needs to ask herself the question, when they figure it out, does she still want to be a part of it, or does she want to pretend to be someone else just to have the chance to keep on breathing? Does she want to stay as she is in the time they have left? She says she wants be who she is, and he says, good girl. She’s in the right place. The lights come on, and Riley says, it’s the emergency battery. They need diesel to be running before dark. She asks how Riley knows Teddy, and Riley says he was an officer on the boat. Teddy says Riley was a broken man when he found him. Riley found himself like Dakota; found himself without a family to call his own. Riley asks if Teddy has them, and Teddy shows him the keys around his neck. Dakota laughs, and Teddy asks, what’s funny? She says, Virginia had a thing about keys too. Virginia said they’d unlock the future, but she doesn’t think this is what Virginia had in mind. Riley leaves, and she asks, does he know? Does everyone know they’re going to die? Teddy says, everyone here is aware, and she asks how he got them to follow him, knowing they were going to die. He says, it’s easy to get people to follow you. Just offer them something they really want to believe in. It’s just that not a lot of people want to die. I suppose that would be a monkey wrench. We see Morgan put his hat on, and take out a gun. Teddy says, getting them to do that is something else. Morgan looks at his pokey weapon stuck in the ground. Teddy says, it’s something very few people have, and gives Dakota a gun. She asks what it takes, and he says, it’s not that complicated. You just have to be wiling die with them. Morgan looks at Dakota’s note saying he still has things to do. He rides up a hill where Victor and the others meet him. He asks if Victor is ready to do this, and Victor says he’s guessing that’s a rhetorical question. Morgan says, let’s go, and they ride toward the USS Pennsylvania.

Morgan cuts through the submarine hatch, sparks flying. He gets it open, and looks down the stairs. He throws a flare down, and says, it’s a lot further down than he thought. Grace holds a Geiger counter, and says, at 10,000 milligrams, they should start to worry. She should go down first. Morgan says he’s got this, and June says she’s got him covered. He starts to go down the stairs into the sub. Shari radios Luci, asking if they found the naval base. June is worried, but Dwight says, if they fire the missile, the sub is probably the safest place to be. The rest of them are sitting ducks. Morgan asks if they’re ready, and John tells them, fire at anything that moves, dead or alive. Morgan goes down further, and Grace asks what the reading is. He says, 10 milligrams, and goes to the next level. She asks what the reading is now, and he says, still holding at 10. She says, it hasn’t changed? and Morgan says, he thought she said 10… A zombie grabs him, knocking him down, and getting on top of him. He yells, shoot it! and John tells him to move its head. He does, and June gets it with one shot. Morgan says, thank you, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. Morgan says, the crew must have all died, and Grace asks what the reading is now. He says, still holding at 10, and she says she’s going in. Cover her. Shari talks to Luci about the naval base.

Morgan hears Grace coming behind him, and she asks if he’s okay. He says he’s fine, and she takes the Geiger counter from him. She says she wants to see if the device is still intact. It’s been reissued twice. He says he knows what she’s trying do, and she says, the same thing as him. He says she wants to make them pay, and she asks if there’s something wrong with that. He says, no, but they haven’t talked about… She says, now is not the time, and calls up to the others that it’s safe. Morgan says he hasn’t pushed it because he understands her pain, but if they don’t talk about it now, they might not get the chance. He has to do what needs to be done to stop this, and he might not make it. She says, we might not make it; she’s coming. He says she’s not coming. She’s got to stay. She’s alive, and got to be here for a reason. He thinks it might be so she can build the future Athena showed her. She says, what about him? He should build a future too, but he says, first, he has to make sure there’s a world left behind to rebuild. The others begin to join them, and June asks if they’re all right. Morgan says, yeah, and June asks him to let her take a look, but he says he’s fine. Grace wants to take more readings, and June tells Morgan to give Grace time. Victor says he’s not sure Teddy’s group are the a-holes they have to worry about right now, and Dwight says, there has to be a crew on that floor. John asks Shari if they know how many stand between them, and where they’re going. Shari radios Luci, asking if she has any idea how many crew members on the boat, but there’s too much interference and she can’t hear. She says, it’s getting worse as they go on, and Grace says she’ll get Lucy. Morgan says, let’s go, and they continue on without Grace, who moves closer to the steps, but still can’t hear Luci.  

Grace goes up the ladder, while the others walk through. Grace asks if Luci can hear her, and says they need to know the count of the crew. Luci says, 150, and Grace asks if they heard it. Victor says he wishes they hadn’t. They also hear zombies beyond the next hatch. Morgan bangs on the hatch with his pokey weapon, and John asks if they have any idea what’s beyond the hatch. Victor asks if it’s the only way, and Luci hears, and says, it looks like it. John wonders if they have enough ammo, and Dwight suggests they hold their fire while they’re down there. Victor agrees, and says, Alicia might be in there. If not, they need to find out where she is. Morgan says he’s going in, and tells them to kill anything that slips by him. June says he’s not going in alone, and he says, no one needs to get hurt. She says, neither does he. Victor hands him the note from Dakota, saying he dropped it. Morgan says it wasn’t for Victor to read, but Victor says, just because Dakota saved Morgan’s life doesn’t mean he needs to give it up there. Morgan says, it’s not about that. He was halfway to being one of those things. He knows how to get past them. Victor says, they’ll be behind him. He knows they’ve had their differences, but Alicia called him to take care of Morgan, and that’s what he’s going to do. John says he’s coming too. He gave up his family to put this guy away. He’s not about to let Teddy succeed now. They all want to go, and Dwight says, no use arguing. Realizing he’s outnumbered, Morgan says, let’s open it up.

Morgan opens the hatch, and going through a narrow hallway, dispatches several zombies in different ways with his pokey weapon. He checks the reading, and says, it’s clear. The others follow, and John closes the hatch. Dwight asks if he’s locking them in, and John says he doesn’t want any surprises. June asks if there’s any way to dismantle the missile from there, and Victor says, it’s not a good idea since they don’t understand it. Dwight says, do they think some psycho that’s been behind bars for 40 years knows how work this sh*t? and John tells them, don’t underestimate Teddy; he’s a resourceful fella. The hear zombies beyond the next hatch, and Morgan sees an intercom. He picks up the mic, and says, Grace? Grace says she thinks that’s the emergency com. They need power. Morgan says, they have to turn the silo off, and asks, which way to the weapons room? Grace calls Luci, and hears Teddy saying, they got there fast. Morgan asks, who’s this? and Teddy says Morgan knows damn well who it is. He says, Teddy? And Teddy says, bingo. That you, Morgan? John takes the radio and asks if Teddy recognizes his voice. Teddy says, he’s afraid he doesn’t, and John says he’ll give him a hint. The last time Teddy heard it, he was in a courthouse listening to his testimony against him. Teddy looks worried, and breathes heavily. He says, Officer Dorie; is it really him? John says he’s sorry he never paid Teddy a visit, but he has no stomach for death row. Teddy says John couldn’t kill him then, and he won’t now. John begs to differ. He has a bullet to put in Teddy’s head before the day ends. Teddy says he sees the day ending differently. No hard feelings. If John hadn’t put him away, he wouldn’t be sitting where he is now. June tells John not to let Teddy get to him, and John asks, where’s the girl? Teddy asks him to be more specific, and John says, where’s Alicia? Teddy says Alicia is safer than all of them, and John asks what he means. Teddy says what he means is, she’s tucked away someplace they’ll never find her. Morgan says, tell him where she is, and Teddy says, they didn’t think she’d be safe by the boat, did they? Morgan says, Teddy is going to kill his own people? but Teddy says he’s giving them a second chance. Morgan tells Grace to get on the walkie, and tell Luci to get everyone as far away from the sub as possible. She copies, and Teddy says, he and Morgan are like two peas in a pod. He’s leading everyone to their end, and Morgan is doing the same thing. Except Teddy isn’t fooling himself about what he’s doing. Excuse him; he’s got to run. He’s about to turn the power on. June radios Grace and tells her to reach her people; tell them to get somewhere safe. Grace says Charlie told her there’s a naval base nearby, but she’s not sure it will be far enough. Victor says, then they won’t fail. They hear zombies knocking on the other side of the hatch, and Victor asks, where’s Morgan?

Victor moves forward, the others behind him. He whispers for Morgan. A zombie pops out, and he sticks a knife in its head. Shari and Dwight see bunks full of dead undead, and Dwight wonders what happened. They keep moving, and Morgan walks further ahead, alone. A zombie come out behind him, and he stabs it in the eye. He starts to open the next hatch, when another zombie comes out, and he cracks its head open with the ax part of his pokey weapon. He goes in, and starts to close the opening, but Victor stops him, saying, let go. Morgan sees zombies coming behind Victor, and tells him, get in. He closes and locks the hatch, and Morgan says he doesn’t need Victor to be there, but Victor says Morgan’s not supposed to be there by himself. Morgan says he doesn’t want anyone else to die, and Victor says, no one has to die, but Morgan says, they might. Victor asks if this is what Morgan thinks he has to do. Dakota said he had things left to do in her note, but that’s not what she meant. Morgan says he’s been leading them from one dead end to another. He promised them something different, something better. He wants to be sure this time. Victor says Dakota wanted him to kill her mother; that’s what she meant, not this Morgan says he has to make sure. Victor says, people follow him because they want to, not because he owes them something. Morgan says he doesn’t know why Victor is even still there, and Victor says, Alicia asked him a difficult question when they were at the lodge. She asked if he was doing this for them or himself. Morgan says, and? and Victor says he’s doing it for everyone. Morgan’s Geiger counter goes wild, and they hear a zombie. A zombie woman stumbles out, covered with boils, we assume from radioactivity. She keels over, and Morgan says, don’t touch it. The zombie gets up all weird, like Exorcist weird, and reaches out toward them, then collapses.

They use Geiger counter, finding heavy radiation coming from the zombie, and Morgan and Victor carefully go around it to the next hatch. The Geiger counter goes crazy, and Victor says he thinks he knows where the zombie came from. Morgan says, the readings are high, when they hear something. He says, they’re about to get power, and radios Grace. He says they’re at the next door, and it’s off the charts at 40,000. Grace says, the only way they’d get that kind of a reading is if they exposed radioactive material. They have to find another way. If Morgan goes in, it will kill him. He asks how long he’d have, and she says she doesn’t know. Days? She yells for him, and Morgan and Victor look up, seeing zombies toddling along the grating above. One drops down, and Morgan says he’s going inside. Victor sees another ladder, and suggests he go up and kill them, Morgan following. Morgan says Victor isn’t thinking it through, but Victor says he wants to do what’s best for everyone. Morgan asks what that is, and Victor says, to live. Another zombie drops down, and Morgan asks if it’s clear. Victor says, let’s go, and they climb up.    

They see several zombies, but they’re behind a barrier, so not a threat. They see dead undead on the floor, and one leaning on the open hatch, all victims of radiation. Victor says he told Morgan there was another way. Lights begin to come on, and Morgan says, they must be getting closer to launch. Victor takes off the other way, and Morgan follows. Zombies come out of the hatch behind them, and they close the door. Morgan says, this is a dead end. It’s a bunkroom, and he sees pictures on the wall of Riley and his family. He tells Morgan, this sailor is one of Teddy’s people. He’s the one who attacked them when Grace was in labor. He says, there’s no way out, but Victor says they’ll find a way. Morgan says he had one. Whatever Victor had to prove, he proved it. Tons of zombies are suddenly coming their way, and Victor says, Alicia’s message was meant for Morgan, because he’ll do things Victor won’t. He struggles with Morgan over the pokey weapon, and Victor knocks Morgan down, ending up with only the pokey ax part. He says, Morgan didn’t want anyone to die. He’s going to get his wish. He kicks a zombie away, and jumps into the hatch.   

Victor approaches another hatch, the pokey ax in his hand. Dakota appears behind him with a gun, and tells him to drop it, and slide it to her. He does, and he says, she’s with them. Of course. She says, they gave her something no one else could. He tells her not to make the same mistake with him that she did with John, but she says she doesn’t think she is. Don’t think he can change her mind, especially after what he did. He says he doesn’t understand, but she says he doesn’t need to, or his people. She gets on the radio, and says, whoever is out there needs to listen. They need to know why they’re not going to stop this. They saved her to give her a fresh start. June did the first part; the second part is something else. If she lived with them, she’d have to be a different person, and fall into their ways. It would never work Morgan’s way.  She asks Victor if he really wants to be the person Morgan wants him to be? That’s why she killed Morgan. Listening on the radio, Grace gasps. Dakota says, Morgan’s way going forward is not how she wants to believe. Victor says, that’s not true, but Dakota says she wants to be the type of person she wants. That’s why killed John. Because of people like him, the world has to end. June told John that it wasn’t too late; the world still has meaning. She’s going to make it have meaning, just not the way he thought. Victor says, Teddy is going to kill everyone; Morgan isn’t. Dakota says, Alicia will still be there. She’s the beginning; they’re endings. When they start again, it won’t be with a-holes like him. She aims her gun at him, but seems uncertain. Victor closes his eyes, and she shoots, but she only gets him in the arm. Morgan comes out of nowhere, and slams her up against the wall, knocking her down with the stick part of the pokey weapon. She’s out, and he checks her pulse. He says Victor claimed it wasn’t on him, but he gave them the key. He did it to save Grace and the baby, and he can’t let it be for nothing. He radios Grace, saying he’s there and he’s all right. She says she’s there, and Morgan tells Victor, this ends now. Victor says, Morgan… but Morgan doesn’t want to hear it. He says they’ll deal with what Victor did later. He’s cost them enough time. Victor hands Morgan the stick part of the pokey weapon, which is now officially a pokey stick.   

Teddy asks how it’s looking, and Riley says, two minutes. He stopped something like this once, but they don’t have what it takes. Teddy says he’s glad Riley did that. His family returned to the earth, and now he can too. He’d be lost without Riley. Teddy radios Sue/Dakota, but gets no response, and an alarm sounds. Teddy gets a WTF? look on his face, and tells Riley, hurry.  

Morgan takes out a handful of key cards, and tries each one to get into the final hatch. Victor wonders where he got them, and Morgan says he took if off a dead soldier’s body after Victor left him. Victor tries to justify his actions, and Morgan tells him, stop.  

Behind the hatch, Riley says, on three, and Teddy says he copies. Morgan keeps trying the cards, but none of them are opening the hatch. Teddy puts in the key, and Riley says, one… Morgan prays the next card works, since it’s the last one. Riley says, two… three. Teddy turns the key. Morgan inserts the card, and the hatch opens. Victor and Morgan tell Teddy, stop, but Teddy says, they can’t. Riley says he told them it was inevitable. By the stairs going outside, John tells everyone, hold on. June tells Grace, they have to go, and Grace yells for Morgan. Everything begins to shake, and all is silent for a moment. They watch as a rocket shoots up out of the sub. Watching from the hill, Sarah says, damn, and Daniel says, that’s a big stick. They watch as it continues to go up into the sky.

Morgan grabs Teddy by his jacket, and puts his pokey stick in Teddy’s face, while Victor trains a gun on Riley. Riley moves, and Victor says, don’t. Riley tells Teddy, they only got one off, but Teddy says, it’s enough to get them started. They’ve begun. Victor says, how much, and Riley says, not enough. Victor asks where the missile is going, and Teddy asks if Riley would like to tell them what targets he programmed. Riley says, there are ten warheads on the missile. They’ll see where they land. It will be hard to miss. Victor says, where? and Teddy says, anywhere; everywhere. Maybe toward the water; maybe toward the town Morgan built. He’s been where Morgan is. A long time ago, he thought he was going to change everything, but a prison sentence put an end to it. What he didn’t realize was, it didn’t really end anything. He knows it’s not what Morgan wanted, but don’t look at it as an ending. The world is going to be a better place soon. Morgan just won’t get see it himself. Morgan threatens Teddy with the stick, looks him over, and lets go of Teddy’s jacket. He says, get out of here. Go. He tells Victor to let Riley go. Riley and Teddy can’t believe it, but get out while the getting’s good. Victor tells Morgan, it could been worse. They could have fired more. Morgan says, it could have been none if he’d gotten there sooner, and Victor says he did what he did to save lives, but Morgan says Victor did it for himself. He wanted to tell Alicia what a big hero he was. Leave. Victor sets down the pokey ax, walks to the hatch, and goes through. Morgan looks at the key in the control panel, and looks around. The camera pans out, and we watch through the hatch as he gets smaller.  

I don’t mean to be critical, but you’d think Morgan might start checking the controls to see if there’s an off button. On the other hand, Z Nation survived a nuclear bomb, so…

Next time season finale, Morgan and Grace reunite, some welding happens, Teddy says it’s almost time, Riley says, it’s just the beginning, and Victor screams.

👩🏽‍🏫 I was reading an article in Forbes, where reviewer Erik Kain not only said FWD’s scenario about a nuke being easily launched was unrealistic, but wondered how, after 40 years in the slammer, Teddy would know anything about how to launch it. First of all, I fail to see how a show about a zombie apocalypse should be expected to do anything realistically. And secondly, Dwight asked that question, and John answered it. Teddy is a resourceful guy. Kain also posed the question as to why Morgan would let Teddy and Riley go. I thought Morgan figured they were going to die in the radioactive fallout anyway, and it would be a more gruesome death than him killing them. Even with the pokey stick.

⌚️ About Strand…

What made Victor tick tonight.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-uss-pennsylvania-strand-morgan-showrunners-interview/

🎞 Coming Up…

A sneak peak at the finale, and yeah, what about Al?

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/fear-the-walking-dead-season-finale-sneak-peek-familiar-voice-radio-daniel-salazar-616/

🪂 Possible Jump…

Speculation on what’s to come.

https://www.cbr.com/fear-the-walking-dead-s6-nuclear-explosion-time-jump/

🍃 Taking My Leave…

Time to call it a weekend. Or whatever you want to call the last two days. Until we meet for soap and Sailing, stay safe, stay unprejudiced, and stay resourceful, but not in the same way Teddy is.