Tag Archives: zombies

May17

May 16, 2021 – June Meets a Surprising Stranger, Connections, New John In Town, Speculation, Something Silly & Zombie Music

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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 steps on a birds nest, then gets impaled on a spike because zombies aren’t too bright, and that’s what you get for stepping on a bird’s nest. Outside the gates of Morgan’s town, June walks up to Morgan. She asks, how’s she doing? and he says, she’s holed up. She won’t see anybody, him included. The baby might be alive if they hadn’t had to come to her. She says, it wouldn’t have made a difference, but he says, don’t say it. Grace has already gone there, saying the only reason the she’s alive is because the baby absorbed the bad sh*t in her body. June says she has to make sure Grace is okay, but he says there’s nothing she can say or do to make any of it okay. She tells him that she’s the closest thing they have to a doctor, and has to examine Grace, but he says he’s not letting her come in. June says, Grace needs see her, and he says, Grace does, or she does? She couldn’t do the one thing John wanted. She couldn’t stay, so why is she there when she’s not needed? Tell him again how she’s there for Grace and not herself. She turns around, and marches out.

A zombie crawls through a field, and June stabs it in the head. We see The End is The Beginning painted in huge letters on the road. June puts an X on a map, and puts it back in her pouch. She takes out John’s letter, and almost opens it, then puts it back. She checks gas cans in truck beds, but they’re empty. She hears something, and turns, drawing her gun, but it’s Dwight, who says, easy there. He tried to radio, but there was no answer. She asks what he’s doing there, and he says he could ask her the same question. He thought she had a hospital to build. She says, they can manage. She’s doing her part to figure out what they’re up against. He asks if it has something to do with what Morgan said to her, and she says, he heard it? but Dwight says, the man is hurting; he didn’t mean it. June says Dwight didn’t have to follow her to babysit her, and Dwight says, she’s the only reason he and Shari are still breathing. He couldn’t stand the idea of her out there all alone. She says, Morgan was right. She did the one thing John didn’t want her to. He didn’t want her to cut her hair, and she did. Dwight says, John was worried, and she says, John asked her to leave with him before they even got there. Dwight tells her not to do this to herself, but she says she should have just listened to John. He’d still be here. Instead he went with Ginny, and it didn’t make much difference in the end. He says, they’ve got company. She sees Shari, and says, you two…? but he shakes his head, and says she asked to come when she saw him leaving. June asks, why? and he says he’s not sure. Shari hasn’t said much. Shari says, don’t let her interrupt, and checks the gas cans in a truck bed. Dwight says, horses don’t take unleaded, and June says, there’s nothing there. They probably took the gas when they painted the messages. Dwight asks where June is going, and she says, Jimmy is on the run, and if anyone knows what they’re up against, it’s him. She asks if Dwight brought more company, and someone shoots at them. They duck down, seeing a man up on the hell. Shari says she’s going to take him out, but June says, they need him alive. He might have information. She kicks the mirror off the car she and Dwight are behind. She looks into it, and the guy shoots the mirror. Shari shoots back, and June repeats that they need him alive. Zombies are coming down the road, and June tells Dwight to cover her. He tells her, be careful, and shoots the zombies. June goes up the hill.  

June sees a trailer, and slinks around it. She tries the door, but it’s locked. She covers her gun with a blanket, and smashes the window, pulling herself up and into the trailer. She pulls out a flashlight, and looks around. She sees a bulletin board with a map and Polaroids of places where The End Is The Beginning has been written. She hears a gun cock, and turns around, seeing Keith Carradine. He asks why she’s there. Is she one of them? She says, who? and he says, the folks painting the slogans. She says she might be on the same team as he is, and he says, if that’s true, her and her pals need to kick rocks. He knows what they’re capable of, and trust him, she wants no part of it. She asks what knows, and he says, the trail ran cold. If they think he’s going to catch them, and he’s getting too close, they’ll have to move up the plan. She asks, what plan? and he says he’s going to get to the bottom of it. She asks if they shouldn’t share information. She and her friends have been searching for days. He says he’s been searching a lot longer, and she says, let her help. He asks how she can help, and she says she didn’t realize the tags went that far south. He missed one; at the orchard. He says if she wants to help, and says they’re on the same side, prove it. Bring him to the orchard so he can see what he hasn’t. If she’s lying, and wasting his time, and it’s not them, he’ll put a bullet into her. She says she’s not leaving her friends, but he tells her, drive.

Keith Carradine keeps his gun on June, and she says, it’s not necessary. She wants them as bad as he does. He  tells her, keep your eyes on the road, sweetheart, but she tells him not to call her that. He asks what he should call her, and she says, anything else. He says he didn’t ask her to gum up his investigation. She’s burning his time and resources. So with all due respect, sweetheart, shut up and drive. She jerks the RV all over, and he falls. She takes out her gun, and he sees the handle. He asks where she got the gun, and she asks why she should tell him. He says, because they belong to him. The JD on the handle, that’s him. He’s John Dorie. (But he is really Keith Carradine.)

Shari and Dwight ride, and Shari stops to pick up an empty gas container. She throws it into the woods, and Dwight says he wants to find June as bad as she does, but if they keep running the horses like this, she’s going to kill them. Even if the container was full, they’d only get six miles out of it. She says she just wants to find June, and be done with. She asks why he’s really there. Is he playing detective, or did Morgan tell him to keep an eye on June? He says, neither. When he was out looking for Shari, things got desperate. The trail got cold, and he was tired hungry and thinking about ending it. Not just the search; everything. The only reason he’s there is because John and June changed everything. She asks, how? and he says he doesn’t know. Seeing two people together, two people separated like them, made it seem possible. He thought maybe he and Shari could find each other again. Does she want to tell him why she’s there? She says, there’s no time, and gets back on her horse. She rides off, and he follows.

June looks at the gun, and says, the way John talked, the times he did, she thought he was dead. John Sr. says, as far as his son was concerned, he was. She asks when he last saw his son, and he says, he doesn’t know. He couldn’t been more than twelve. She says, he should know, John was good at sharpshooting, and he says, if his son was a good shot, it had nothing to do with him. She asks if he doesn’t have any questions, and he says, about what? She says, where his son is, or what he’s been up to for the past 40 years? He says he already knows the answer. Why else would she be there with that look on her face, and a gun on her hip? And she’s wearing two wedding rings. He was cop; he notices things. She says, so was his son, and John Sr. says, he became a cop? He thought his son would learn better from his old man. She says, oh no, and looks outside. She tells him that she lost her jacket, and needs to go back. He says she can have one of his, but she says she has to go back. He says he’s not wasting time on a jacket, but she says, it’s not the jacket. There’s a letter in the pocket. He asks what’s in it that’s so important? but she says, she doesn’t know; she hasn’t read it. He says, it must not be that important then. She’s welcome to go back, but the RV is only going in one direction; that’s forward. She gets in the driver’s seat, and starts it up, but it makes a weird sound. He says, kill it, and they listen. He says, sh*t; they have a stowaway. He looks underneath, and there’s a zombie stuck in the undercarriage. He crawls underneath and says, goddammit. She probably ran it over during her little maneuver. She asks if he has something to pull it out,  and he says he does. He tells her to rev the engine a tiny bit; look for his signal. Nice and easy. She starts the van up, and he says, whoa! Cut the engine. The zombie is shredded, but still making zombie noises. She says, anything? and he says, that ain’t just blood, it’s transmission fluid. She probably nicked the line when she hit it. She asks if he can fix it, but he says, this thing is toast, thanks to her.

Dwight and Shari gallop along. Shari goes way ahead, but when Dwight catches up, he finds her on the ground, next to her horse, who’s also down. He says he told her to slow down. The horse’s heart is giving out. She shoots the horse, and says, let’s go. He asks, what’s going on? This isn’t about those cult a-holes. Why are they chasing gas cans? She says she’s going back home to Virginia. She needs to take out the person who’s really to blame for all of this. he says, Negan? and she says she’s going to find him, and put a bullet in his head. That’s why she asked him to come with her. She wanted to find the right way to say goodbye. He says he gets it. Lord knows, he’s done things he’s not proud of. He hopes they find June, and hopes they get out of there. She tells him that he said that before. Does he mean it this time? He says he does, but they’re going at his speed. He’s not running the horse into the ground. She says, all right, and they walk as he leads the horse.

Shari rides behind Dwight, and they see June’s jacket hanging from a tree branch. Dwight takes it off. 

June looks at a newspaper article on the bulletin board about Teddy getting life in prison, and John says, he has them all up there a certain way; don’t go messing them up. Ha-ha! He sounds like me if someone touches something on my desk. She asks if this is him? and he says it’s when he arrested Teddy Mannix, the psycho killing preacher mortician, and put him away for life. He was supposed to be anyway. She asks what he means, and he says, The End Is The Beginning. He spouted the same thing back in the 70s. She says, Teddy is the person responsible for all this? and he says he should have killed Teddy when he had the chance. He guesses it’s not too late. She asks if John is sure it’s him, and he says, when he was foraging, he spotted The End Is The Beginning, and it was like a punch in the gut, seeing it after all this time. He went to the prison hoping to find a rotting corpse, but Teddy’s cell door was open and he was nowhere to be found. His life’s work wasn’t good enough for that SOB. When he put Teddy away, he wasn’t exactly clean. He did the wrong thing for the right reasons. She says, he framed Teddy? Did anyone find out? He says, people looked at him like he was a hero. He couldn’t sleep, and started drinking. His life was a lie. He was angry all the time. It was hard for John Jr. too. He thought the best thing was for him to get as far away from his family as possible. They thought he abandoned them, but they didn’t understand. She asks him to explain how, after 40 years, he checked on the man who ruined his life, but not his son? He says it was best thing did for John Jr., not showing up at the cabin. She says he may not have wanted to go before, but they can go now. It’s a lead to Teddy. He says he’s not going, and she says, it’s the best lead they’ve got. He says he has better leads; the orchard, Teddy’s childhood home. She says, Hill will be at the cabin, and he might have information. He has no time to take a short detour? He says, it’s where he left his boy 40 years ago. He won’t go back. She says she met and lost her husband at that cabin. The table has medical supplies on it, but she didn’t get the chance to save him. She’s finding Hill. What he knows will save a lot of lives, and he has something of hers. John asks, what’s that? and she says, John’s other pistol. He says, the guns. They do belong together.

John stabs a zombie in the head, and tells June, that’s Teddy’s doing. She asks how he knows, and he says, embalming fluid. Same as the first time, back when they dead stayed dead. They keep walking, and she asks what Teddy wants. John says, the same thing he’s always wanted; destruction. Teddy is spouting the same circle of life mumbo jumbo as he did before she was born. She asks, why embalming fluid? and he says, it’s how he keeps out the young horde. Preservation prevents folks from moving on to the next world. Teddy is crazy as a pet snake, but he could sell ice to Eskimos. His followers are armed and highly motivated. She says, they’re not the only ones, and he says, he doesn’t doubt it. June sees his hand is bandaged, and tells him that she’s nurse. She could take a look. He says, there’s a bait shop nearby, and she says, Bill’s. He says, she knows it. Were she and John married before or after? She says, after. John used a candy wrapper. He laughs, and she says, it was the best he could do at the time. He says he proposed to John’s mom the same way, but it was a Juicy Fruit wrapper. He was still at the Academy, and didn’t have a dime to his name.

Shari and Dwight look at John’s bulletin board, and tells Dwight, it looks like he’d been hunting for a lifetime before world fell apart. She can’t believe he’s John’s father. What are the odds? Dwight says, he never thought shooting at  June and John would lead him to her, but here they are. She says, June left a note; Hill is at John’s cabin. He’s a Ranger, and she bets he has a truck. Dwight says, there’s a good chance there’s gas in it too, and she tells him to point her in the right direction.   

John Sr. and June walk into a general store, and John says, the place has changed since he was last there. They used to eat ice cream on a bench outside. John Jr. has a sweet tooth… had. She looks on the shelves for supplies, and he sees the movie rental list. He says, John always loved movies. He warned his son that he’d wind up with square eyes. He watched Bullitt over and over. He puts the list back, and unwraps his hand. June sterilizes his wound, and asks him to tell her about the guns. She knows they were in his family for generations. He says, six. The first John Dorie brought them on the trail out west. The second JD shot Dead Eye Driscoll from Blackwater. Got his picture in the paper. His son was a good shot too? June says he taught her, and worked at Humbug’s Gulch on the weekends as a trick shooter. That’s where they were married; all their friends were there. He says, it sounds a nice affair, and tells her that his son wrote his initials on a wall in the back room. He wonders if they’re still there, and they walk to the back. June goes in first, and he closes the door, putting a bar across the handles. I had the feeling he was going to lock her in there. She asks what he’s doing, and he says, she and Junior shared a life. She’s not blood, but she’s the closest thing he’s got to family. She says, so he’s doing to her like he did to John? and he says, that’s not what this is. She says he think he’s protecting her, but he’s just punishing himself. He doesn’t think he deserves this. He says she’s the one carrying a letter she hasn’t opened. She can come at him all she wants. We all got ways of protecting ourselves. She says, she knows he thinks he’s doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, but they need to work together. He doesn’t hear her because he’s already gone.

At Bill’s, Shari checks out an old truck, and gets it started on a second try, but it dies. Dwight says, she got the engine to turn over, and she says, barely. She wonders if it’s the same truck her grandpa had, but Dwight says, her grandpa had a ’69; this is older. She asks if he remembers when they got the truck stuck in the mud on their way to the bonfire; and he says, they gave up, and drank beer in the car until they passed out. Is she sure this is what she wants to do? She does it, then what? . She comes back? Shari says, that’s the plan. She doesn’t know what’s going to happen. Is she really ready to say goodbye? She listens, and asks, what’s that?

John Sr. enters the cabin, and looks around, no doubt flooded with memories. He sits down, but hears something, and he cocks his gun. He goes out back, and hears a zombie. He puts the gun in his waistband, and stabs it in the head. A man comes up behind him with a gun and says, you picked the wrong cabin to rob, old timer. He gets distracted by another zombie, and John Sr. knocks him back against a tree, takes his gun, and shoots the zombie. He keeps the guy pinned against the tree, and says, this is his son’s cabin; that makes him a trespasser. The guy says he’s John’s old man, and that’s John’s gun, and John Sr. says, tell him all he knows about Theodore Maddox, or he’ll blow the guy’s head off. The guy asks who the hell Theodore is, and John Sr. says, he’s the one behind the spray paint. The guy asks what the hell it matters to John Sr., but John Sr. says that’s his business. The guy says, all he knows is, whatever they have planned, it’s big. John Sr. asks, how big? but the guy doesn’t know. He could never get anyone to talk. All he knows is, they want to kill everybody. John Sr. says, he’ll give the guy five minutes. Get his sh*t, and get the hell out of there. The guy says he lives there now. The previous occupant moved out permanently, in case you didn’t hear. He tries to get John Sr.’s gun, and they struggle. They both fall to the ground, and John Sr. knocks the guy out with a punch. He sees his son’s grave marker, a cross that says John Dorie, and gets distracted. The guy shoots him in the back, but then someone shoots the guy from behind. John touches the marker, and June runs to him, telling Dwight and Shari to help get him inside.

John opens his eyes, gets out of bed, and walks outside. He sees June with Shari and Dwight, and hears June thanking them for her jacket. John sits in the old truck, and June says he shouldn’t be out of bed. She just took a bullet out of him, and he lost a lot of blood. He says, they meant to fix the old girl up together. It was going to be his son’s first car. He didn’t run because he didn’t care. He did it because he does care. Just like he did with June at Bill’s. She says she knows, and he says, she was right. He was punishing himself, and also punishing his wife and boy. He did come back that summer. He went to Bill’s to fill up the tank, and saw John Jr. there. He looked so content eating his ice cream. He looked so happy. John had this light about him… Of course she knows. He was afraid he’d snuff it out, like the Teddy case did him. He decided to leave John Jr. there. His son would be better off without him. He went back, put the pistols on the porch, and never looked back. He never even said goodbye. June says, it’s not too late, and takes out the letter.

They stand at John’s grave, and June says, it was right there when she first met him. She was broken, and he sewed her back up with fishing line, butterscotch brittle, light, and love. She opens the letter. June. This is the hardest decision of my life and I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me for making it. For leaving you behind to save an innocent person’s life. Knowing I may not see you again, I believe you’ll forgive me one day, the same way I forgave… my dad for leaving. It took me a few years to see it from his shoes, but I forgave him. He was a good man, and in his own way, he did what he did because he loved me. Like I’m doing what I’m doing because I love you. No matter what happens, sure as the sun sets, I’ll never stop trying to get back to you. Back to those early days in the cabin – she starts to cry – and the pretty lady who washed up on my shore, and my life was forever changed. You’re the most amazing woman I’ve ever known. You rekindled the light in me, and brought me back to people. In believing in goodness, and doing good for what’s worth fighting for, like I fought for you. If I die, I will die knowing life was worth living because of a nurse by the name of June. You’re the light guiding my way. I love you, Junebug. She cries, I cry, and everyone looks sad. John Sr. puts his hand on June’s shoulder.

Dwight tells Shari, whoever did the work on the truck, did a good job. She should make it as far as Louisiana. She looks at the article about Teddy, and he asks, what is it? She says she’s not ready for this to be goodbye, and he asks what she means. She says, the man John Sr. has been chasing, he’s been chasing for how many years? He’s missed out on his entire life. She can’t let that happen to them. She’s been using Negan as an excuse for why they can’t be together. Dwight was able to change, and get back to who he once was. She thinks that’s what she’s afraid of; she won’t be able to do that. He says, he’s changed, but he’s not the same person he used to be, and she doesn’t have to be that either. She says she won’t be that for a while, and he says she’s probably right. They were young… Why don’t they just start over? He’s willing to give it a shot if she is. She says, yeah, and they hug.   

June and John Sr. load up the truck. June takes off the rings, and gives them to Dwight. She thanks him for letting her borrow them. He says she doesn’t have to, but she says she wants to, and John would too. She’s giving them back to their rightful owners. He takes them, and puts around his neck. June takes a last look at the cabin, and she and John Sr. get in the truck. Dwight and Shari get on Dwight’s horse, and ride off.

June brings John Sr. to Morgan, who apparently lives his life standing at the entrance of his town. She says, there’s someone she’d like him to meet. This is John Dorie, John’s father. Morgan shakes John Sr.’s hand, and says, pleased to meet him. Morgan asks June, how? and she says, long story. Morgan says John Sr.’s son saved his life in more ways than one, and John Sr. says, his wife just did the same for him. He thinks he’ll stay a while, and Morgan says he’ll be a welcome addition. June says, John Sr. is looking for the man who attacked Morgan and Grace. He knows everything about him. They can help each other. Morgan says, it looks like they already are. June takes Morgan aside, and says she knows she can’t change what she did… He says she doesn’t have to say it, but she says, it’s what John wanted. Now she has a chance to do the same there. Morgan says, he might have been wrong when he told her there was nothing she could do or say to make things better. June asks if she can please check on Grace, and John Sr. says they can put their heads together, and man up against Teddy. He knows Teddy, bow to stern. If he’s doing now what he wanted to do before, he’s not going to stop until they’re all dead. Morgan says, let’s get to work, and they go inside.

Next time, Alicia and Teddy go on a road trip, Teddy needs assurances before he takes the first steps, Alicia is surprised to see someone, and a zombie attacks Teddy.

🍳 Hunt For the Eggs…

On Talking Dead, Keith Carradine marveled at all the nerdy things hidden in tonight’s FTWD.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-jd-keith-carradine-aisha-tyler-john-dorie-deadwood/

🐎 Another Day, Another John…

Surprise! It’s John Dorie.

https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2567496/fear-the-walking-dead-keith-carradine-surprise-role-john-dorie-history-with-cult-leader-teddy-garret-dillahunt

⚰️ Quite a Stretch…

Perhaps it’s wishful thinking, since we pretty much saw her get eaten, but who knows?

The Return-Of-Madison Speculation Heats Up Again For ‘Fear The Walking Dead’

👠 A Real Doll…

Trixie is getting around. First Overserved, now this.

https://ew.com/tv/trixie-mattel-crank-yankers-clip/

🧍🏽‍♀️ Toddling Off…

The Shahs of Sunset are back, but choices had to be made. I’ll have to catch up On Demand or on rerun. Until we meet On Deck tomorrow, stay safe, stay respecting others’ personal space, and stay not being so fast to judge a guy in an RV who’s shooting at you. It could be Keith Carradine.

May10

May 9, 2021 – Through Grace’s Eyes, Showrunning Fear, New Dexter, Prequel To Come, Goodbye To a Legend & Dreams

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

This was one of those weird episodes that’s even worse than time jumping. We were jumping from the real world to… something else. I hope it’s easier to follow than it was to transcribe. Although nothing was as bad as that episode of Z Nation where they were in the crates that kept moving around. And so…

Birds circle overhead. Grace lies on her back under trees in a forest that has pink foliage. She opens her eyes, and a zombie jumps on her, snapping at her face. A knife pokes through its eye from behind, and a young girl asks, what’s wrong, lady? Are you trying get yourself killed? Grace thanks her. The girl battles with several zombies, whacking and spearing. When she’s done, she holds out her hand, and helps Grace up. Grace asks where she learned to fight like that, and the girl says her dad taught her. He’s going to kill her; she’s not supposed to be outside the wall alone. They’ve got to move. There’s a clinic where she lives, and the doctor can check Grace out. Grace asks what her name is, and the girl says, Athena, like the Greek goddess. Her mom gave it to her because she thought it would make her strong. Athena asks Grace’s name, and Grace tells her. Athena starts to walk, and says they better get Grace to the clinic. Grace follows her.

The girl says, right there; that’s where she lives. It’s Morgan’s place, and Grace says, impossible. How long as she been there? Athena says, since she was born, and Grace asks how old she is. Athena says, sixteen; why? Grace sees Morgan’s pokey weapon, now rusted, where he left it outside, and the greenery is pink instead of green here too. She sees Athena talking with a grey-haired Morgan, and Grace says, Morgan? He asks if she remembers Morgan, and we hear zombies outside the wall. Morgan tells Athena to go inside, and he and Grace follow.

We see horses in a corral, and Morgan says he and Athena will talk later about how she’s going to muck out the stables for the next month. He asks Grace if she’s okay, and she says, it’s everything they wanted it to be. She asks if he doesn’t recognize her, and he says his memory isn’t what it used to be. Does he know her? She says, it’s her, Grace, and he says he doesn’t know what she’s trying to do, but… She says, it’s her. This place was different. If it’s not her, why does she know about riding the carousel with him? And how he and Duane used to race cars? It’s her. He says, Grace? And she cries, flashing back to the past. He says, this isn’t possible. She can’t be there. Grace asks, why?

We see Grace’s gravestone, and Grace asks if he’s sure it’s her. He says he buried her himself, and she asks how she died. He says, the labor took a lot out of her, and the radiation had made her sicker than they thought. He’s sorry. They tried to do everything they could. She says, and her baby? Did he make it? He says, she. Grace already met her. Grace says she should have known. Is she okay? She spent so much time reading about how babies can absorb radiation… He says, she’s fine; trust him. Before Grace passed, she said she had one wish; to see what her child would be like grown up. Maybe that’s why there. Sometimes things happen that we can’t explain. Grace says she’d love meet her, but if Athena asks about her, there’s only so much she knows, and only so much she can tell. She thinks she should hold off, at least until they know what’s going on. June comes by, and tells Morgan, she usually tries to keep them out of the grave; don’t scare her. He introduces June as Dr. Dorie. June says she was a nurse before, but Morgan insisted on the title change. Athena told her what happened. She looks Grace over, and says, no sign of concussion or brain injury. What’s the last thing she remembers? Grace says, she was traveling on a road with someone, but then it gets fuzzy. June tells her, stay, and get some rest; it will come back. She introduces Charlie as her apprentice, and Grace says, Charlie. Charlie says, her parents thought they were having a boy. Grace says, so did she.

Morgan tells Grace, a lot of things have changed. She sees Daniel cutting Victor’s hair, and he says she doesn’t happen to be a barber, does she? He’s getting too old for this. Victor says, they all are. Maybe the next one will give a decent haircut. Morgan asks Dwight how the harvest is going, and Dwight says, it should be ready next week. Dwight sees his little boy, and says that kid is more of a hellraiser than he was at his age. Shari comes by, carrying a baby, and says she’s not so sure. Morgan introduces Grace to Dwight and Shari, and Shari says, the baby is Keena and her boy is John. Grace says, it’s nice to see a happy family living there, and Dwight says, they got lucky. He and Shari leave, and Grace asks Morgan when they got back together. Morgan says, not long after Athena was born. She asks about Alicia and Al, and everyone. Morgan says, Alicia started a place of her own at the burned out stadium where she used to live, and Luci went with her. Al left a while ago. She said she was chasing a story, but he thinks she was chasing somebody. Grace says, she never told him before, but she didn’t think it would happen. The way they fell out with each other, and what they were facing; what brought them together? Morgan says they were struggling. They didn’t know who was painting the graffiti, or what to do about it. They couldn’t even agree on how to face it. Then she had Athena, and he lost her. Everybody forgot their differences, and rallied around the child; they still do. He’s sorry she didn’t live long enough to see happen, and she says, her too. He thinks there’s a way for her to get to know her daughter without having to explain. He calls to Athena, and asks if she wants to go on a run.

As they walk, Grace looks delighted. Athena tells Morgan that she knows what he’s doing. He thinks if he takes her on a run to the feed store every once in a while, she won’t sneak out. He asks if she thinks it will work, and she says, it might. Grace hears Athena singing In Dreams, and asks what she’s singing. Athena indicates the Walkman on her belt, and says she never goes anywhere without it. Grace asks if she can see it, but Athena says, no. Her mom wanted her to have it; it’s the only thing she has from her. Grace says, maybe not, and Morgan says, hold up. Eyes and ears. They see a car off the road, and Grace walks toward it. The End Is The Beginning is painted all around it, and Grace says, she remembers this. She’s seen it before. She tells Athena they were attacked before she born, and the people would leave messages like that. Athena says they have to warn everybody, and Grace tells Morgan, she’s seen this before, but he says, it was probably a long time ago. She says, no; she’s seen this before. She says, it’s just like the… and the car blows up.

Grace hears Morgan saying he needs her wake up, and she sees the car in flames. She screams Morgan’s name, and Athena says they’ve got to get out. Zombies are everywhere, and Grace asks where Athena’s dad is. They run, and Grace asks, how far? Athena says, a couple of miles, and Grace hears Morgan ask, where are you? His voice sounds very distant, and she says, right here. Athena stabs a zombie and tells Grace, come on. Morgan fades away, and Grace asks where he went. Please. She misses him. She hears him say, come back, and she says she’s right there. Athena says they have to keep moving, and Grace says she can hear him. A lone zombie toddles up, and Grace says, she remembers something. Athena asks if Grace can hear her, and stabs the zombie. Grace says she heard Morgan, and Athena says she’s going to get them both killed. Grace stabs another zombie, and Athena says, the wall is just ahead. They need to get back. Grace starts to walk in the opposite direction, saying, it’s this way. Morgan asks, what’s going on? and Athena tells Grace, the wall is this way. The scene repeats itself, and repeats itself. Finally, Grace turns her back on the lone zombie.   

Grace lies on ground in the pink forest. Morgan says he’s got an idea, and goes toward the graffitied car. It blows up, and Grace is back where she was. Athena says, come on; they’re almost to the wall. Grace says, the car exploded like it did before. She must be unconscious.

Grace lies on the floor in the stables, and Morgan says he’s right there. He tells her that he needs her to wake up, so they can think about the baby. He can’t do this without her. She’s with Athena again, and hears him. Zombies clamor at the stable door, and Morgan says she’s got to wake up.

She tells Athena that Morgan is trying to wake her up, and asks if he can hear her. Athena says they’ve got to get her to Dr. Dorie; they’ve got to warn everyone. Grace says, Athena’s not real, and Athena pokes Grace with her stick, asking, does that feel real? Grace says Athena is in her head, there are fragments she’s trying make sense of. She wanted it be real; she wanted Athena to be real. Athena says she’ll be wishing something else is real soon. The car explodes again, and Grace says she’s hearing Morgan. She snatches the Walkman from Athena, and Athena says, that belonged to her mom, and Grace says she knows. She brought it so she could listen to it while she was in labor. Athena says, she has a kid? and Grace says she doesn’t know. She puts on the headphones, and says, come on, Morgan.

In the stables with Grace, Morgan says, June, can you hear me? June asks where he is, and he says, there’s no easy way there. She won’t make it. They were attacked on the road. There was an explosion, and people came after them. June asks, who’s after him? but he says, Grace is unconscious. She needs to tell him what to do. June asks how Grace’s vitals are, and he says, she’s breathing, but her pulse is weak. With Athena, Grace listens, and says, what? No. Athena asks, what’s the matter? and Morgan says, she needs to wake up. She’s in labor. June says, tell her where they are, and Morgan says, they’re in the vet’s office; the junction at 77th and 28th. June isn’t sure if she has enough gas, and says she’ll come on foot. Don’t worry. On the road, Grace talks into the recorder, and says she’s right there. How does she get him to hear her? Morgan tells June, he has to go; they found us. Grace asks, who found them? and Riley fires shots through the door.

Grace wonders, what the hell is going on? Morgan says, guys are shooting; they’re in trouble. Athena says, of course Grace isn’t there; she’s here. Riley breaks into the stables, and says Morgan is a hard man to find. He knows they’re there somewhere, and they have something he wants. Grace takes the headphones off, and says, no, Morgan. Athena takes the Walkman, and says Grace broke it. It’s all she has left. Grace says, it’s not working because Morgan shut it off. They have to find something else to connect her to him. She asks Athena if they’re near 77th or 28th, and Athena says, it’s not much further, and Grace asks, where’s the vet’s office? Athena says she’s not doing it, and Grace says, take her there, or she’ll break the Walkman.

In the real world (such as it is), Morgan tells Grace, sorry. He’s going to have to move her. Grace tells Athena, keep moving. They have to get to the building. At the stables, Riley says, it will all be over, and Athena asks, who’s that? Grace says, Athena heard it too? and she says, why wouldn’t she? Who are they? Grace says, the people who blew up the car. Grace suddenly falls to the ground in pain, and so does Athena.

Morgan wheels Grace in a wheelbarrow, and tells her, it’s okay; it’s just contractions. On the road, Grace cries out. Riley comes over to her, and says she has something they want. He takes out a knife, and Grace holds his hand back. Athena tries to get up, but can’t. Grace turns Riley’s hand and he stabs himself in the throat with his own knife. She stumbles over to Athena, and tells her, it’s okay. She thinks they’re contractions. She wonders why Athena is feeling them too, and says, she was wrong. Athena is real. It’s the only thing that makes any sense. They’re connected. Athena doesn’t understand, and Grace says, I’m your mother and I need to wake up so you can be born.

Athena asks why Grace didn’t tell her sooner, but Grace says she didn’t know how to explain it. She didn’t think Athena was real. Athena says she is real, and Grace says she’s sorry she took Athena’s tape recorder. Athena says she’s sorry she poked Grace with her stick, and Grace laughs. Athena asks, what happens when Grace wakes up? and Grace says she thinks all this goes away. Athena says, it’s not fair; she just found out about Grace. There’s so much she wants to know. She’ll have to ask her mother. Grace smiles, and says, right. She’ll just have to wait. it’s happening this way for a reason. She needs to wake up so Athena will be okay. Athena says, it will take hours on foot; it’s too far. A white horse gallops out of the woods. A very well trained and saddled horse. They get on, and Athena asks why her dad was singing that song, and Grace says, it was one of his favorites. She says she’s talking about Athena’s biological dad, and Athena asks what he was like. Grace says, his name was Matthew. He was kind, and handsome, and smart. And a big Roy Orbison fan. Athena asks, what happened to him? and Grace says they worked at a power plant together. They were exposed to radiation, he got very sick, and she lost him. She’ll always be grateful for what they had. Athena asks what they had, and Grace says, her.   

They travel down the road, and Grace says, it’s working. They’re close. Morgan says Grace has got to wake up. There’s not much time. Riley tells his men, get in there. Morgan sets up a blockade, and tells Grace to wake up. Grace tells Athena, the stables. They’re here. She opens the door and walks in. They see a zombie busy looking at the ceiling and poking at something, paying no attention to them. Athena looks around, and asks Grace, what’s wrong? Grace says, this may be the only time she has with Athena before… She didn’t tell Athena everything. The reason why they’re here is that Grace’s subconscious created this place. Out there in the real world, she’s sick. She was exposed to radiation like Matthew. She survived long enough to grow Athena, but doesn’t think she has much longer. She doesn’t think she’ll have a chance to get to know Athena. Athena says Grace can get better, but Grace says, you don’t get better from the kind of stuff she was exposed to. She knows why they’re here. She was scared for Athena to be born into a world that didn’t deserve her, and wanted to protect her, but she knows Athena will be okay. She’s strong. Athena starts to cry, and Grace says Athena is going to bring everyone together. She’s going to be the hope they need. Grace takes her hand, and Athena says she knows the reason she was at the wall when she found Grace. She was worried about her dad – about Morgan. She thought if she went out looking for seeds, he wouldn’t have to. She didn’t want to grow up without him. Grace says she won’t have to. He’ll raise her. Everyone will raise her. In the stables, Riley says, they have nowhere to go. How about giving him what he came for?

Morgan tells Grace, wake up; they’re going to find us. Now zombified Riley and his group of zombies break in. Grace tells Athena to get behind her. They have to get through and inside. Athena says, this might be all the time she has with Grace. She’s going to fight for every second. Zombie Riley and his group come closer.

Morgan stands ready, and Riley and his men break in. Morgan tells Riley, turn around and leave now, but Riley says, hand over the key, and it all goes away. He’s been looking for the key for a while. He hired someone to find it, and they didn’t deliver. He sent two friends after the first guy, and they didn’t come back. He’s guessing Morgan had something to do with them not coming back. Morgan says he’s going to do to Riley what he did to them, and Riley says, the key will change everything; he’s not leaving without it. Morgan moves forward at the same time Grace and Athena do in Grace’s mind. Morgan fights Riley and his men, while Grace and Athena fight zombie Riley and his zombie men. In reality, now it’s just Morgan and Riley, and Morgan spears Riley in the shoulder. Riley says Morgan can’t stop them, but Morgan says he thinks he just did, and Riley runs out.    

Grace sees the key around Athena’s neck, and asks where she got it. She says, her dad… Morgan. He gave it to her when she was little, to wear as a reminder. Grace says, a reminder of what? Athena says something about peace that I don’t quite grasp, and Grace asks what that means, then falls to the ground.  

Morgan tells Grace, hang on. Athena asks, what’s wrong? and a zombie grabs her. Morgan says, she’s not breathing; he’s losing her. Zombie Riley tells Grace, she’s already dead; they both are. Morgan does chest compression, and says, come on, Grace. Grace sees Matthew, and then the carousel. Zombie Riley says he knows they thought it would end differently, and handles the key around Athena’s neck. Morgan continues to do chest compression, and zombie Riley says, that was just a dream. Morgan says, he’ll never give up, and zombie Riley is stabbed by old Morgan. Old Morgan holds out his hand to Grace, and says, they don’t have much time. She takes his hand.  

Morgan is still doing chest compression, and old Morgan asks if Grace is ready. She says she doesn’t want to say goodbye, but she has to. Morgan says, stay with me, and Grace hugs old Morgan. She says, even if she’s not there, she knows he’s going to build everything they couldn’t. Morgan listens to Grace’s chest, and says, please come back to him. Grace hugs Athena, and tells her, remember this when you get older. Athena says she will, and hands Grace the recorder, saying, she can make sure. Record what she wants Athena to remember. Morgan says, listen to him; please come back. Grace says she loves Athena, and always will. She kisses Athena’s hand, and Athena says she doesn’t want to lose Grace. Grace says, she won’t; she never will. She doesn’t have to be afraid. Grace will always be with her. You can let go, my angel. Grace backs away.

The door opens to a bright light. Grace opens her eyes, and Morgan says she’s awake. He thought he lost her. She says she had to come back. It’s a girl. They’re going to have a girl. She tells him that doesn’t think she’s going to make it, but he says she doesn’t know that. She says she does; she saw it. He says, saw what? and she says, the future… our future. Everything is going to be okay. They have a daughter.

Grace says she recorded a playlist of songs when she left. She hopes when Athena listens to it, it makes her smile. it will make her feel like Grace is there with her because she will be. Morgan tells Grace, he got the water, and she thanks him. He says, that’s for… She says, Athena. Morgan tells her that she kept saying that name. What happened when she was out? What does she think the dream was? Grace says, she knows when someone is close to their last moments, like she was, sometimes they see things they can’t explain. Morgan says, the near-death thing, and she says, it felt real. She thinks it was Athena. That’s how she knows everything will be all right.

A truck barrels through the door of the stables, taking part of the wall with it. Riley gets out, holding a gun, and tells Morgan, drop the stick or he’ll shoot him. Morgan drops it, and Riley says he told Morgan that he’d get what he came for. Morgan says, something tells him that Riley is getting less, and Grace asks what they’re talking about. Riley says, the key. Morgan knows what to do. Riley aims the gun at Grace, and says, give him the key, and he’ll walk away. Morgan asks what it opens, and why Riley wants it, but Riley says, it doesn’t matter. It’s inevitable, no matter what Morgan does. Grace tells Morgan to give Riley what he wants. The key isn’t their future; the baby is. This baby is going create a future where people like Riley never win. That is inevitable. He already lost. He just doesn’t know it. Morgan hesitates, and she screams, do it! He takes the key off, and tosses it to Riley. Riley surprises us all, and instead of blowing them away, says, good luck, jumps back in the truck, and squeals away.

Morgan asks if Grace is okay, but she tells him that he doesn’t have to worry. The baby is going to bring everyone together. She’ll give everyone something to fight for. She knows it. Morgan says, okay. He believes she will.

Grace breathes between contractions, and Morgan bathes her face with water. Roy Orbison’s song In Dreams plays, and Grace listens. Grace pushes the baby out, and Morgan takes it. She takes the headphones off, and asks, what’s wrong? Why isn’t she crying? He says, come on, and I don’t mean to judge, but he isn’t being very aggressive here. He places the unmoving infant on Grace’s chest, and she cries. Morgan says he doesn’t understand, and she says, they weren’t her last moments; they were Athena’s. He nods, and she says she thought it was going to be different. It was just a dream. She cries.

Yeah, Grace, we all thought it was going to be different.

Next time, June’s journey; Morgan tells someone, there’s nothing they can say or do to make it okay; Dwight and Shari reunite; and someone asks June why she’s there.

⚰️ Explaining the Dead…

The showrunners talk Fear.

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-holding-crm-showrunners-interview/

https://ew.com/tv/fear-the-walking-dead-in-dreams-grace-athena-showrunners-interview/

🩸 Reviving Dexter…

Choose your teaser.

https://ew.com/tv/dexter-revival-teaser/

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/countdown-dexter-reboot-heres-scheduled-031648451.html

🐉 Fanning the Flame…

The prequel is coming… along with winter.

https://ew.com/tv/2019/10/30/house-of-the-dragon-thrones/

https://ew.com/tv/house-of-the-dragon-first-look-photos-cast-game-of-thrones-prequel/

https://ew.com/tv/house-of-dragon-cast-game-of-thrones-prequel-production-photos/

🥀 Farewell, Sweet Vixen…

I admired Tawny Kitaen for her bravery in coming out about the health hazards that breast implants cause women. May she dance on the clouds the way she danced on the hood of that car.

https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9569450/tawny-kitaen-dead-obituary/

Tawny Kitaen Dead: Cause of Death Not Clear for ’80s Music Video Icon

🌉 Slipping Into the Night…

I have to finish some copywriting for the www.MupoEntertainment.com weekly interview show, Mupo and Friends, which can be found on YouTube. Glorious YouTube. Where would we be without it? Okay, maybe there are some hours we can’t take back looking at puppies, but it was worth it. The upcoming interview is with scream queen Brooke Lewis Bellas, and I think she’ll be a lot of fun. Check us out. I also write articles for the magazine at the website. Now that I’m done with plugging myself, until we sail away tomorrow, stay safe, stay well-informed, and stay in one world or another. It’s too confusing to commute.

Apr19

April 18, 2021 – The Dead Stands Alone & Teeth

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

June digs a grave for John. In the background, Ginny yells for Morgan on the radio. I wonder if June is thinking of whacking Ginny with the shovel. June looks at the blood and dirt on her hands, and pushes John into the hole she’s dug, taking his gun. A Ranger tells her to put it down unless she wants to join him. Ginny asks, what the hell is going on? and the Ranger tells Ginny that June took it off the body. Something tells him it wasn’t for sentimental reasons. June asks why Ginny’s sister killed her husband. She saved Ginny’s life because of what Dakota meant to her; it’s the only reason Ginny is still breathing, and John isn’t. Ginny says she doesn’t know why, but June thinks she does. Ginny turns away and goes inside, and June covers John’s body with dirt.

Daniel, Luci, Sarah, and Grace are forced to kneel in a line outside. Victor tells everyone, keep calm, and it won’t escalate any further, and Sarah says she’s going to escalate her foot up his ass. A Ranger asks if Ginny wants the rest, but she says, no. She’ll keep them as insurance in case this batch doesn’t work out. She asks where June is, and June is pushed into the line. Luci asks how many have to die because of Ginny? and Ginny suggests Luci tell her. Daniel starts to get up, and gets whacked with a gun butt. Ginna asks where they’re hiding him, and Sarah says, who? Ginny says, who the hell does she think? Morgan Jones. Well? He couldn’t have been out there all on his own. She goes up to Daniel and says, you know, old timer? Daniel says he doesn’t know anything, and she tells him, he’s always saying that. She takes out her gun, and Sarah says, he doesn’t know anything, but Ginny holds the gun to Daniel’s head, cocking the trigger. She says, he doesn’t have to know anything, but somebody does. Where is he? Where is Dakota? She points the gun at Luci, and then Grace, saying, Morgan must have some kind of hold over her. What is wrong with people today? She sighs, and says, okay, if that’s how they want it. She puts her gun back in the holster, and radios Morgan. She says she knows he’s listening. It’s very important that he hears what she’s about to say. He’d better bring Dakota back right now, or some very bad things are about to happen. If he doesn’t start talking, she’s going to blow Grace’s brains out in front of everyone. If he doesn’t believe her, ask Grace himself. She puts the radio in front of Grace, and Grace says Ginny won’t kill them. Ginny says, yes she will, but Grace says, without them, she has nothing. Ginny tells her, that was a stupid thing to say, and points the gun at her. She tells Morgan that he’s holding up the baby’s future, and Morgan rides in, saying, he’s right there. If she harms Grace, she’ll never see her sister again. The same goes if anything happens to his friends. She asks if that’s supposed to scare her, and he says she should be scared. It’s over for her. Everything she is, was, and had is going to get stripped away, and that’s scary. He knows because it was over for him once. She says, by her count, he has one, while she has a bunch. Tell her where her sister is, or she’ll start going down the line, killing them one by one. Morgan says they all need to hear the truth. Virginia is a liar and a hypocrite. She has rules about destroying anything that threatens their future, and all she’s building, but she wants to destroy it. She doesn’t follow her own rules. Janice didn’t kill Ranger Campbell, Dakota did and Virginia covered it up, framing Janice for his murder. Ginny tells Victor, if they blink, start with the old man. She says she gave Morgan a warm bed and fed him, and Morgan says she’s continuing with her lies. John paid for her lies with his life. She tells the others not to listen, and tells Victor, shoot the old man. Morgan says, there’s no future in this place with her. She sells them on a future that never was. Victor says, Morgan is right. If they follow her, they’ll end up dead like Campbell. Next time, it could be one of them; it could be him. He turns on Ginny with his gun, and she tells him, put the gun down. He says she told them to get ready for a big show. He is, and so are they. Some of the Rangers turn their guns on Ginny, and Victor says she entrusted him to build an army. She should have been careful who he used it against. She says, tell her where her sister is, but Morgan says, she’s not calling the shots. Where he’ll put Dakota, Ginny will never see her again. He’ll put her where Ginny put Janice. They can do it the easy way or the hard way. It’s her call. He puts his fingers in the air, and she pulls out her gun. He shoots her, hitting her in the shoulder. He tells the others, stand down, but Ginny grabs Grace. Shooting starts, and Morgan tells everyone, get down. It’s hard to tell who’s on whose side, and June dives under a car, motioning for Luci to follow. Ginny still has Grace, and a Ranger grabs Daniel. They all go behind a car, and Ginny shoves Grace in the back. She tells the Ranger, there are too many for now. They’ll take Grace and Daniel. As long as they have someone, they still have leverage. He pushes Daniel into the car, and gets in the driver’s seat. He drives slow, Ginny walking alongside, crouched down, so she can’t be seen. She drops back before he’s gone.

Victor’s guys start to go after them, but Morgan sneaks up on Ginny, and tells her to call them back. Ginny says if he kills her, and Grace and Daniel will be killed, not to mention the baby. He says if he lets her go, she won’t last long enough make it there, but she says she has Grace, Daniel, and the Rangers. Morgan will keep her alive if he wants Grace breathing. Victor says, don’t do this, but Morgan tells Ginny, get in the car. He gets in the driver’s seat, and Victor says, they’ll find him, but Morgan peels out. Victor fires a half-hearted shot at the car.

In the fallen, now decrepit, water tower, Morgan nurses Ginny’s wound, and she acts like a big baby. He wants her to prove Grace and Daniel are okay. That’s why she’s still alive. He held up his end of the deal; call them. She radios, asking if Grace is okay, and the Ranger says, she’s fine. Morgan says he wants to hear it from Grace, and Grace says she and Daniel are safe. Ginny says she’s in a water tower close to Grit. She’ll check in soon. Morgan takes the radio, and says he’s stopped the bleeding, but the bullet is still there need. She needs medical attention, or it will kill her. He takes a stuffed toy out of her backpack, and she says, it was for Grace. She took good care of Grace and the baby. He says, that doesn’t change anything. He doesn’t want the baby growing up near her. She says he wants to kill her, but he says he can’t. She has Daniel and Grace, but it doesn’t look good for her. She asks if he’s survived something worse, and he says he has, but not for the reasons she thinks. She asks what he means, and he says he finally found out who saved him in the gulch. Ginny asks, who? and he says, her sister. She says, that’s so bullsh*t. There’s no way Dakota could have gone out there. He says, she did. Does Ginny know why Dakota saved him? Ginny says, because of her, and he says, yeah. Dakota thought he would kill her. Ginny asks how he knows, and he hands her the letter, asking if it’s Dakota’s writing. She looks at it, and he asks what she did to that child. She cries, and says, she has to see Dakota, and she’ll release Daniel and Grace. Morgan says, no; sorry. He’s got to see Grace first. She says, it’s not going to happen. She wants him to take her to Dakota, but there’s something she has to tell him. She struggles for a moment, and finally says, Dakota’s not her sister; Dakota is her daughter (shades of Chinatown!). He asks if that’s the truth, and she nods. She says, she was young, and her parents were ashamed. They… He gets up, and looks out. He asks if she can run, and she says, is he kidding? He helps her up, and says, they don’t have a choice. He shoves her toward the car, as a tank comes through the woods. It shoots at them, as they speed off.  

Morgan asks if Ginny is okay, and she says she’s aces. The tank continues to follow them, and Ginny asks, who the hell are they? He says, people not good enough for her settlement. She doesn’t think the fuel will take them much further, and he stops the car. He asks if she can run, and she wonders if it’s a question this time. She gets out, and he pulls her along, saying, let’s go. They run, and the tank stops. People wearing masks get out, and follow them, spreading out. They shoot, and Morgan and Ginny split up. Ginny falls, and crawls under a big log, coming up on the other side. A zombie ambles toward her, but a masked woman kills it. Ginny says if the woman is going to kill her, at least show her face. Shari takes off her mask, and Morgan runs up. Shari says, what the hell? and he tells her, if Ginny dies, people they care about will die. Shari says they’re done waiting for him, and Ginny asks if Shari is from one of her franchises. Ginny doesn’t know her. Shari says she knows Ginny, and points her gun, but Morgan knocks her down. He says he told her, people will die, and she says, that makes him just as bad as Ginny is. He says, her time will come. Ginny will get what she deserves, but that time is not now. Morgan tells Ginny, they need to move, and pulls her up. Shari gets up, but doesn’t try to stop them.  

Ginny cries out, and Morgan helps her along. He asks if she told him the truth about Dakota, and she asks why she would lie. He says so he would take Ginny to her. She saw how it moved him, and knows he has a son. She says she wouldn’t lie about that, but she needs to see Dakota. She asks where Morgan is taking her, and he says, to a place he built. She asks how he found it, and he says, he didn’t; Isaac, one of her Rangers, did. She says, everyone is turning on her today, and he says, Isaac died, but his wife Rachel is there. As they walk, Ginny says, let her and Dakota go away together. Find some place far away. He asks, what makes her think Dakota would want to go anyplace with her? He could kill her without anther thought. She took all of them away. All of them. She shot him, left him for dead, and sent a killer to chop his head off. Her daughter killed his best friend, so yeah he’d like to kill her if he could. He’s had some time to think about what to do, and he could do what Dakota wants, but he won’t let it be the reason he survived. Ginny should have finished him off. She says, some part of him that will risk everything for one person, reminds her of her and her kid. He says, they’re not the same, but she says, we’re all the same. He says, let’s just go, but she suddenly stops, and says, you have been busy. We see the concrete wall that Morgan’s new world lies behind.  

Alicia asks why Morgan brought Ginny there, and Ginny is shocked to see Al and Dwight on top of the wall. Morgan says, Ginny has Grace and Daniel. He had to agree to swap for Dakota to get them back. It was the only way to save them. He brings Ginny through an entryway, and she sees people gardening. She says it reminds her of her grandparents farm outside Temple. He takes her further, until they come to a little town. She asks what he calls this place, but he says, it doesn’t have a name yet. Rachel approaches and says, Isaac wouldn’t have wanted this, but Morgan says Ginny isn’t staying. He asks where Dakota is, and Alicia says, the church. Al radios, saying, Victor is there, and he brought company. Morgan asks, how many? but she says she doesn’t know; at least a dozen, mostly Rangers. Victor sits on his horse, alone, outside the wall, while the rest are up on the hill. He says he knows they’re in there. His people have grievances… and they’re not the only ones. The tank drives along the hill, and stops, the occupants getting out. Al says, people in masks are there too.

They begin to yell for Ginny, and Al says they have some itchy trigger fingers out there. What’s their next move? Morgan asks what they want with Ginny, and Al asks what they want. Victor says, it’s simple – justice. The genuine article not the version Ginny has been doling out. Morgan says, they’ll never get Grace or Daniel back if they do that, and Alicia says, what happens if they don’t turn Ginny over? Al asks, and if they don’t? and Victor says, they’ll take her. Al asks if Morgan heard that, and Alicia says, they’ll never get through. Dwight says, but people will still get hurt; Shari is out there. Alicia says, even if they can’t get through, they’ll do everything they can to destroy the place, and Morgan asks if she has a better idea. Ginny says she does. They’ll change the deal. She’ll go, and let him keep the place. He asks what she wants in return, and she says, Dakota gets to live there. She gets a second chance. What Dakota did to John wasn’t her fault; it was Ginny’s. Morgan says they’ll kill her, and Dwight says, If they don’t, Shari will for sure. Ginny says she thought Dakota needed her, but maybe this is what she needs. Morgan says, talk to her first, but Ginny says she can’t. He can’t make her do that. It will be easier if she just goes. One more thing. He asks, what’s that? and she says she is willing to die, but it looks like they want to twist the knife; she feels it. She doesn’t want to give them that. What she’s asking for in return for releasing Grace and Daniel, and making sure no one gets hurt on her watch, is that he do the honors. Dakota thought the reason he survived was to kill her. Kill her, and the fight ends. He secures the future of this place. He thinks for a moment, and holds out his hand to Alicia. She gives him the radio, and he hands it to Ginny, telling her, make the call.

The door is opened and Alicia comes out, followed by Ginny and the others. Victor sits there on his horse, while the others watch from above. Ginny says, before she dies, she wants them all to know that everything she did was to keep them alive. Victor says, ha! and she says, like she’s doing now, taking her medicine, with Morgan serving it up. Victor says perhaps Morgan misunderstood.  They want satisfaction. Morgan tells them, Ginny said that she’d let Grace and Daniel go if he did this. They’ve got to let him. He stands on a mound of dirt and says, here, pointing to a rock with his battleax pokey weapon. She kneels down, and bows her head. I’m almost touched. She takes off her sling, and puts her head on the rock. Morgan takes a stance with his weapon, and everyone waits. He thinks about everything that’s happened, all the horrible things Ginny is responsible for, and chops… but he doesn’t. She tells him, don’t get cold feet, and he sees the note on the ground near her. He says she told him what she was doing was for the future of her kid. What the hell are they trying to do? He repeats himself, louder, and she asks what the hell he’s doing. Hurry up, goddammit; let’s go. Come on. They want him to do it. He says he knows what they want, and what he’s trying to do. But if they start like this, they’re no better than her. He yells to others, if they start like this, they’re no better than her. There’s no satisfaction here. If they want satisfaction, they should make her feel it. Make her tell the truth. He says Ginny is going tell the truth, and pulls her back inside. I’m confused.

Alicia leads Morgan and Ginny to Dakota, who asks why Ginny is there. Why didn’t Morgan kill her? Victor comes over the radio, saying, if they don’t hand Ginny over, they’re coming in. Ginny says there’s something she needs to tell Dakota, and Alicia says she stuck her neck out for Dakota. If she tries anything, she won’t get another chance. They leave Dakota and Ginny alone, and Dakota says, with everything she did to get away from Ginny, now she’s there. Ginny says she knows what Dakota thinks of her, but she needs to tell… Dakota says she doesn’t want to hear Ginny’s voice. She doesn’t want to see Ginny. She just wanted a normal life. Ginny says, that’s what she tried to give Dakota, and Dakota says, then why didn’t Ginny treat her like she cared. Ginny says she doesn’t know. She didn’t know how. Dakota says Ginny killed their parents, and Ginny says, they weren’t her… She cries, and Dakota says Ginny murdered them. Ginny says, they weren’t her parents. She’s not Dakota’s sister; she’s Dakota’s mother. Dakota shakes her head, and says, no. Ginny says Dakota has got to listen. None of this was her fault. Dakota’s grandparents didn’t protect her, and Ginny had to get her out. Dakota asks if Ginny is saying she killed them for her, and Ginny says she did all this for her. Everything she’s done, everything she’s built, she did it so that nothing like what happened to her would happen to Dakota. Dakota asks why Ginny didn’t tell her, and Ginny says she thought not knowing would protect Dakota. She tried to turn away the ugliness of the world, so that Dakota didn’t have to see it for what it was; ugly. She always loved Dakota, and thought she’d found a way to secure Dakota the second chance she deserved. She deserves this place, but she has to want it. She’ll have to work for it. Dakota says, they’ve both killed people. Why even bring her into this world? She shouldn’t have been alive. None of them should. Ginny tells her, don’t say that, and Dakota walks away, refusing to look at Ginny. Ginny can’t follow because she’s on a chain.

Daniel and Grace head for Morgan’s village on horses, and Daniel says, hey, Victor, what’s going on? Victor says, Daniel remembers him, and Daniel says, it’s a conversation for another day. He asks where everyone else is, when Morgan comes out, and Victor asks where Ginny is. Morgan says, inside… if she’s still alive. John said the ground they were standing on is soaked in blood, and he was right. It took so much killing to get them there, to get them to win, and they have won. John just wanted the killing to stop, and so does Morgan. Doesn’t Victor think they can start by making her live with what she’s done? Morgan chucks his pokey weapon into the ground, and says, it stays there until they need it again, and he prays to God that they don’t. Shari says, it’s not his call. It’s not good enough. These people have suffered because of her. Bring her back now. She starts to move toward the doorway, but Dwight stops her. He says, just because Virginia caused damage, it’s not worth the people causing more. Victor says he hopes Morgan knows what he’s doing, and walks away. Morgan says, anyone who’s ready to abide by the law their foundation is laying down, is more than welcome to stay. He asked them to live before – just live. He hopes today is the day they start doing that, and that they do it there, June ponders, and gets off her horse. She takes John’s hat, and her doctor bag, and goes inside. Morgan sees Grace walking behind Sarah and Rabbi Jacob, who’s appeared out of nowhere, and goes to her. He asks if she’s all right, and they hug. He says he’s sorry, and she asks, why? He says, for taking as long as he did, and she says he doesn’t have to apologize. She wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t fought the way he did for her. He wouldn’t be here. She touches her pregnant stomach, and Morgan says, a boy? She says she doesn’t know for sure; she just has a feeling. She says, what he did up there… He’s still the same man she knew. He says he doesn’t know about that, and they walk inside.

June stands at the door, and Jacob walks in. He has a letter in his hands, and tells her, John wrote this when he thought he wouldn’t see her again. He thought she should have it. He gives it to her, and she puts in her pocket.

Dwight goes to Shari, and asks if she isn’t coming in. She says she won’t find what she’s looking for in there, and he asks what she’s looking for. She says he was right. She had a shot to kill Ginny, and it didn’t feel like she thought it would. It didn’t feel like she was putting the past behind her, but she won’t do it in there. He says she can, and she says, it didn’t feel like she was putting the past behind her, but it felt like a start. She’s not where he is. She thinks she’ll find it with them before she finds it with him. He says, okay, and she leaves in the tank. He watches until it disappears.

Alicia asks where Victor is going, and he says this place isn’t for him. She says he asked her not to forget who she is, and she’s doing that there. He says, they’re still out there. The reason why Virginia was putting together an army. They’re still a threat, and he’s getting ready for them. Whatever is coming, they can do this together. She says she wanted them to do this together. He made it clear he didn’t want to. Why should she believe him now? He says she doesn’t have to; he’ll show her. He’ll give her the reason to come join him. He rides off.  

A dog licks Dakota’s face, and she opens her eyes to find June there. June says, the bullet is out. In a few days, she’ll be fine to go. Dakota says, that’s the second time June saved her life, and thanks her. Morgan says they’ll have to talk, but he’ll let Ginny do what she has to, and then Ginny and Dakota will take their leave. June says, this place doesn’t need her; she needs this place, and Ginny says she gets it; they’re gone. He tells her that he knows a path through the mountains to a place where the Rangers won’t know where to find her. He’s not doing this for her; he’s doing it for Dakota. June says, she needs to change Ginny’s dressing, and stays behind. When the others are gone, Ginny says she owes June any number of apologies, but June says it has nothing to do with Ginny. It follows her wherever she goes; some kind of punishment for her past. She had a daughter. Her name was Rose. She was sick, and June tried to protect her. She ended up getting every survivor in her camp killed, and of course the love of her life was killed by someone’s daughter they were trying to protect. In some ways, it’s what she deserves. Ginny says, June was trying to protect her kid like she was, and June says, did Ginny know when they were back in Lawton with Cameron? Did she know what Dakota was capable of and protect her anyway? Ginny says she’d do anything for her daughter, and June takes out her gun. She says, it’s the gun Dakota killed John with, and points it at Ginny. She says she didn’t protect her daughter after she killed someone. She’d asked why Dakota killed her husband, and Ginny said she didn’t know. Is that true? Ginny stammers, and June says, that wasn’t true. Ginny is evil, and always was. June shoots her, and walks out.    

Morgan sees June, and asks, what happened? but she puts on John’s hat and keeps walking. Dakota runs in, and sees Ginny dead. Morgan calls to June, who wipes the blood off her face, and continues on. Everyone watches, and June looks like a gunslinger who is done with her job, as she walks out, into the sunset.  

Next time, more building in Morgan’s town, Morgan says there’s a threat to their existence and they have work to do, Grace goes into labor, and there’s an attack on the town.

💬 To Be Continued…

Calling it an as not-as-late night. Until we meet at the Hospital and/or on Deck, stay safe, stay composed, and stay not causing more damage to repair the damage already caused.

Apr12

April 11, 2021 – John Looks For Meaning, a Dead Morsel, Joining the Fear, Dead Info, Anniversary Of Thrones & Gloomy

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

John cleans his gun while he watches Meet John Doe. He loads the chambers with bullets. He messes around with some Scrabble letters, and sees a zombie outside. He shoots it through the open door from where he’s sitting, and takes a slug of whiskey. He spells out goodbye June, and puts the barrel under his chin. He shoots another zombie, and takes another drink. He repositions the gun, and says he’s sorry. Yet another zombie toddles along the shoreline, and he shoots it. He puts his head down on the table, and bangs the table with his fist, scattering the letters.

John paddles a canoe under a bridge where a bunch of zombies are contained by blockades. They look down at him like they’re watching a parade. He takes a look at the blockades, then walks to a boarded up gas station. He sees a few zombies bouncing against the side of the building, and shoots them. He looks inside, then opens the door. He says, I don’t want no trouble, but it’s trouble you want, I got some for you. Cowboy talk. He quietly walks through the mini-mart. It seems empty, but he sees some blood on the floor near the restroom. Dakota comes out, and he asks what the hell she’s doing there. She says, running from her sister; him? He guesses he could say the same thing, and asks if she passed the crowd on the bridge. She pushes open the restroom door, and John sees Morgan sitting on floor. He says, hey, John, and Dakota asks how John found them. He says the path to the bridge kept washing up to his cabin. The river has a way of bringing people back to life. He tells Morgan that he looks better, and Dakota says she put up the barricades, and patched Morgan up as good as she could. She heard shots, and didn’t think they’d make it. John says, neither did he, and she asks how he survived. He says he had help. He doesn’t know who, but when he came to, he was patched up and they’d moved on. Somebody else helped him later, and now he has to add Dakota to the list. Dakota says, it wasn’t hard. Somebody stocked the shelves with everything they needed. (Trivia: It was June a long time ago.) Morgan says, it’s good to see John, and John says, he feels like he’s looking at a ghost. Morgan says, Virginia sent the Rangers after them, and they ran. He, Alicia, and Charlie got separated by the herd. He should get back on the road. John says Morgan’s not going anywhere, not like that. Where is he going? Dakota says, Morgan has a place he’s rebuilding, and they hear something at the front of the store.

Dakota moves toward the front, taking Morgan’s battleax pokey weapon. John pulls her back again, and Ranger Marcus walks in. He says, anybody home? but they stay quiet. Marcus walks toward the back, grabbing a candy out of a dish as he walks past. He looks at the old VHS tapes, and looks at a chart on the wall. He sees John’s name, and gets on his radio, asking Hill, does he copy? He’s not going to believe this. He thinks Ranger Dorie has been there. He tells Hill, stand by. He’s coming for higher ground. John motions Dakota to go further back, and Marcus leaves.  

John tells Morgan, he’s gone, and Morgan gets up. Dakota says John should have shot him, but John says he didn’t need to. Morgan says, he’d be like the men they’ve tried hard not be, and John suggests they get out of there. They’ll be safer in his cabin.

John gives Dakota and Morgan dinner, and Dakota asks how John learned to cook. John says he spent summers there when he was a kid. When in Rome… He tries to replace the door with a new one, but it doesn’t fit right. Morgan says, the place they’re going is in a dry river bed. There’s water nearby, and plenty of fish. They need someone who knows how to cook. John says June cooks better than he does, and Morgan asks, how long has John been there? John says, a couple of weeks, and Morgan asks, where’s June? Why isn’t she with him? John says, it’s not worth talking about, and asks where the place is that Morgan settled. Morgan says, it’s 40 miles north, and John says, that’s a ways to go on foot, but he has enough gas in the truck to get them there. Morgan says he was hoping John would come. They could use somebody with his skills. John says, what might those be? and Morgan says, the plan keeps shifting. They can’t make clean trade with Virginia, but she’s going to want her sister back. Dakota asks if he wants to use her as bait, but Morgan tells her not to worry; he’s not going to let Virginia get to her. This means a fight. John says, it’s going to be difficult… Oh, that’s why Morgan needs him. Morgan says, it will be different this time. They’ll be fighting on their own turf, and on their own terms, for their family. Dakota holds up a piece of something, and asks what it is. John says, nothing, and she says, it looks like blood. He says, it’s part of a knife handle, and she asks, what knife? He says, the one that killed Cameron, and Morgan says, the Ranger that Janice was with? John says he thought if he could find the rest, it might lead to who killed Cameron, but he couldn’t find it. Dakota asks why he still has it, and Morgan says John is doing it again. John says, what? and Morgan says, what John told him that he did before, when he was a cop. He hid himself away. John says, the world is different this time, and Morgan asks, why is that? Ginny’s voice comes over the radio, asking if Morgan is there, and John says, don’t answer. Grace says, it’s me, and Morgan says he’s there. Ginny says she thought that would do the trick, and he says he wants to talk to Grace. He asks if Grace and the baby are okay, and Grace says, she’s okay; so is the baby. We see Ginny has a gun on her, and Grace says, it’s been about seven months. She thought he was dead; they all did. Ginny takes the radio back, and asks if he heard that. Grace is fine. Morgan tells her, call the Rangers off. She’ll get everyone killed, including her sister. She says the Rangers are going to find him, but in the meantime, she wants to know her sister is safe. If anything happens to her, it’s not just Grace and the kid; it will be the whole damn coop. We see Sarah, Luci, and June in some kind of jail, and Ginny says, they’ll talk soon. Morgan tells John and Dakota, they need to get out of there. Get to Virginia before she does something. June washed up the last time John holed himself away; now they did. If that’s not the universe telling John to come back, Morgan doesn’t know what is. John says he doesn’t care to kill anyone, and Morgan says, call him a ghost, and he is, but he’s only there to free Grace. He wants to give this baby a chance in the next world, where life might be precious. He thinks they can do it. It won’t be the way they want it, but they can end it. John says, it ain’t right; it just ain’t. He’s sorry. He can’t do it, but he’ll help them cross the bridge. It’s the only way. Morgan tells Dakota, they’ve got to pack up.

They load truck, and Dakota asks if John has enough ammunition to kill all the chompers. He says her guess is as good as his; there’s only one way to find out. Someone shoots at them, and Morgan slides under the car, while John and Dakota fling themselves into it. Morgan comes back out, and sees it’s Marcus on a horse. Before Morgan realizes it, he’s lassoed and being drug through the woods, bouncing behind the horse and rider. John tells Dakota to turn the car around, and shoots at Marcus. She tries to start the car, but says she thinks a bullet hit the engine. John shoots again, and Marcus falls from his horse. John and Dakota run to Morgan, and John asks if Morgan is all right, then checks on Marcus. Marcus looks dead already, and John shoots him in the head. No zombification for you.

John buries Marcus, and Morgan says he’s sorry. John says, what for? Morgan is the one who got dragged through the woods by his neck. He’s racking up a lot of miles, and almost got killed. Morgan says, but he didn’t; John stopped it. John says she should have taken a shot at Marcus earlier. Morgan says, but he didn’t. John has to know why Morgan needs him. He needs John to keep them from becoming like Ginny. John says, that’s not the only reason, and Dakota says, they’re going to need another car. John says he saw another vehicle by Bill’s, but Morgan says, not with the Rangers looking. There might be more when Marcus doesn’t check in. He points, and says, what about that one? and John says, it’s been collecting rust since he was a kid. Morgan uncovers an old truck, and Dakota asks where it came from. John says, it belonged to his dad. They were going to fix it up together. Morgan says he’s spent time in one garage or another making cars in worse shape than this run again. It needs a battery and a distributor cap, but he thinks he can get it running. John says, it’s not too late, and Dakota asks what he means. He says, it’s something his daddy used to say. It’s not too late to learn something, to do the right thing, to fix a mistake, and apparently, it’s not too late to get an old Chevy truck running. Morgan says he saw some cars one cabin over. It’s less likely the Rangers will be there. Morgan tells John to take Dakota, but John says he can handle it. Morgan says he’s not sure if he can. If Virginia comes looking for Dakota, and brings more Rangers, he might just get everyone else in trouble.

Dakota sits on the roof of the truck, while John fiddles with the engine. She asks if John got his tools from the warehouse, but John says they belonged to his pop, who sent them to him the summer they were supposed to fix the Chevy. Dakota asks why his dad didn’t bring them, and John says, he never showed up. He moved to a cabin of his own up north, away from everybody. John got the occasional birthday and Christmas card, and a phone call once in a blue moon, but John never saw him again. He asks her to hold the battery, and she asks why John’s father left. Did he kill someone like John did? John says, no. He did the wrong thing but for the right reasons. She says it seems like his dad was punishing self, and John says, may be. She says, just like him. Morgan is right, isn’t he? That’s why John is there. John tells her, come on. He’s got to get one more thing. He calls her a know-it-all, and she says, what happened with Janice… He doesn’t have to feel bad about how life is now. People kill; people die. He says, it should mean something, and she asks, why? He says, if it doesn’t mean something when you die, it didn’t mean much when you were alive, and she says, so? He says he’s glad Morgan is taking her to that place. She’s starting to sound an awful lot like her sister. They get to a big shed, and John knocks on the door. When he doesn’t hear anything, he opens it. She says there’s nothing in there they need for the truck, and John says, who told her that he needed something for the truck? She asks why he needs a door if he’s coming with them, and Morgan appears. He says, John isn’t coming; is he right? He shows John the Scrabble letters, and says he found these. There are only so many words they spell out. John says they weren’t meant for Morgan, and Morgan says he knows they were meant for June. John says he was going to tell Morgan after they cleared the bridge. He’s going to keep his word, and get them across, but then he’s coming back. Morgan says, because of what he had to do to Marcus? but John says he doesn’t know why he didn’t kill Marcus before. He doesn’t know why he’s not meant to live in this world. If he’d only kept his nose out of it, Cameron would still be alive, and so would Janice. Morgan says, it will be okay. John went looking for a door to shut himself away, and found them. Does that tell him anything? Like the man who walked halfway around the world and found himself at John’s campfire. Morgan found John, and everyone he thinks of as family. He found Grace, and that wouldn’t have happened if John hadn’t insisted he sleep in the truck bed that night. John gave him a family, and has to help him get back. John says he will, the best way he knows how. He’s going to get them across the bridge, and stay out of their way. Morgan says there’s no door that’s going to keep them away, not him or June, and John says, it’s not a door to keep people out. It’s to keep the past from getting at him before he does what he needs to do. He just wants it to be over.

John sits with his gun, and Morgan comes in. He says he got the truck running, and John says, that’s good. Morgan sits, and says, it wasn’t that long ago, he was in a place like John is now. John says, when he works himself up to it, the past washes up, and steals his nerve. Morgan says it’s not John’s time; it’s not how should go out. That night at the gulch, whoever saved him, left him that. He shows John a note that says he still has things left to do. He says, it wouldn’t mean anything unless it was all of them. If he’s going to get everyone there, he had to make a change, or he’d lose all of them. John knows he’s not his dad. He doesn’t have to make the same mistakes his dad made, but he can come with them. Morgan found his way to keep going, and thinks John will find his. John says, don’t count on it, and shoots a zombie through the open door. He says they better get up there, and he and Morgan start to go outside. John sees the discarded doors, and says they might need the doors after all.

At the bridge, we see the front of the truck is rigged with the doors to keep the zombies at bat. John says, they could get tangled in the wheels, and asks if Dakota can get it across. She says her daddy let her drive in the church parking lot on Sunday afternoons, and he says he’ll talk her through it. He leaves her a gun in case the zombies get lucky. John goes to the truck bed, and Morgan unties the blockade. John says, ready, and Morgan opens it. John shoots the zombies as they come through, and Morgan runs back to the truck bed. John says, now, and Dakota starts the truck. She drives to the blockade, pushing it down. Zombies clamor at the car windows, as John hits them back with the butt of the gun. He and Morgan get as many as possible, and John tells Dakota keep going. She continues on, and Morgan gives a zombie a nice spike though the mouth. The doors help shovel them back, and John tells Dakota, pretend it’s one of those Sunday drives. Morgan pushes them back, and the truck stalls. Dakota asks, what’s going on? and we see a zombie wedged under a back wheel. John tells her to put it in first, and clear it. Now the zombie’s arm is getting ground into the wheel well, and John shoots it. The rest of the zombie follows its arm, and is now wedged above the tire. I say, oh, fu…dge.  

Dakota asks what’s wrong with the engine, and Morgan says, it’s the alternator. He’ll go. John says, Morgan is in no shape, and moves to the front of the truck, while Morgan whacks stray zombies away. John gets between the doors and fencing attached to the front, and opens the hood. He says he’ll tell Dakota when. We can see Morgan is in pain, but he still fends off the zombies. One gets near John, and pins him half into the engine. Dakota grabs the gun, and tells John to move. She shoots the zombie through the windshield, and John pushes it onto the ground. He jumpstarts the engine, and tells Dakota, now. The truck starts, and John closes the hood, jumping on top of it. He shoots whatever zombies get through, but one pulls at him, and he smashes it with the gun butt. There are two clingers on the car, and Dakota tells Morgan to get down. She takes off, telling John to hang on, and hits the side of the bridge, knocking the zombies into the river, John kicking the last one off. Brilliant scene. Morgan stabs a few stragglers in their wormy little heads. Success!

They look back at the zombie carnage on the bridge, and John says, that is ugly mustard. Morgan says, yes it is, and they sit for a moment. Morgan gets out of the truck bed, and comes around the front. He tells John, when he was working on the truck, he found something. He hands John a photo of a little boy with a grown man, and Morgan says, that’s John isn’t it? And his dad. John says, his dad was more in his life than he cares to admit. He wonders why his father didn’t come by that summer, but thinks he’s starting to get it. He’s not coming. Morgan says, then John is stuck making the same mistakes as before; the same mistakes his father made. It’s like a loop. Morgan takes out the radio, and John asks what he’s doing. Morgan asks if Virginia can read him, and Virginia asks, what’s the plan? Is he ready to talk? He says he is, but not like this. He wants to meet in person. There’s a general store called Bill’s… John tries to grab the radio, telling Morgan, stop it. Morgan says, there’s a cabin John told them about, and Ginny says, she’s been there; John has terrible taste in movies. Morgan says he’ll wait there for her. He tells John, now he can’t go back, and John says Morgan had no right to do that. It’s not his choice to make. Morgan says it wasn’t his choice to have John chase him down the road when he had a busted leg, but John did it all the same. He’s alive now because John did. John can hit him if he likes, but he’ll be damned if he’s going to stand by and let his best friend kill himself.  

Morgan says he’s going to try and get a signal; hear where Virginia is. He doesn’t want to cross paths with her on his way out. John continues to work on the engine in silence, and Dakota says he’ll have to talk to Morgan eventually. John says, the clip that was holding the wire fell off. That’s why it stalled. He wants to fix it before they get back on the road. He tells her, it’s a little red clip, and they both start looking. She picks up his hat, hands it to him, and thanks him. He asks why she’s thanking him, and she says, for letting her drive, and trusting her with a gun. She doesn’t feel like she needs to be behind locked behind walls all the time. She casually kills a zombie, and says he should come, but he says, it’s not a good idea. She says she thinks it would be; she likes being around him. He can’t go back to the cabin. He says, sure he can, but she says her sister will be there. He says if Morgan leads her to the place he’s working on, it could get messy real quick. He can be waiting for Ginny, and end this. Dakota says he can’t do alone, but he says Ginny won’t be expecting it. Dakota says, she would; she is. She’ll have Rangers with her. Even if John kills her, the Rangers will kill him. He says, then his death will mean something. He finishes the zombies off who aren’t quite undead dead, and says, as it should. Dakota sees the red clip on the ground, and says she found it. She picks it up, and a zombie grabs her ankle, causing her to fall. She stabs it with a knife she has handy, and tells John, it’s okay; she’s got it. He sees the knife, and asks, what is it? What is she hiding? He walks over, and pulls the knife out of the zombie, and asks where she got it. She shakes her head, and says she found it, but he says, don’t lie to him. Oh my God. She killed Cameron; Virginia was covering for her. Dakota says she didn’t know Ginny was going to kill Janice, and John asks why she pushed him to investigate. She says she knew Ginny wouldn’t let it get back to her, and if it seemed like Ginny was hiding something, people would start to doubt her. John asks why she killed Cameron, and she says he figured out how she was sneaking in and out, and he told Ginny. He took away the one way she had to get out of Lawrence. John says, and she thought he deserved to die for that? She says, it’s no different than what everyone else is doing to get what they want. It’s what her sister does; it’s what the Rangers do. He understands. John says he doesn’t understand, but she says, it’s how things are. She can’t. She turns the gun on him, and says he ruined this for her. He says he’s not going to tell anyone. He’s not going to hurt her. He puts his gun in his waistband, and she says he’s lying. He says he knows she’s been through a lot. He gets why she wouldn’t believe him, but give him a chance to show her they can get past this. He can help her. Morgan said he needed a reason to live, to keep going. Maybe it’s her. Put the gun down; she doesn’t want shoot him. She doesn’t want to do that to herself. She doesn’t want to live with that. It’s not what he wants for her.

To the surprise of all of us, she shoots him, and he staggers back. She says, she’s sorry. It doesn’t always have to be something. She pushes him off the bridge. What a fu…dge.

He’s going to live somehow, right? Right? And am I wrong that this was totally out of character for what we know about Dakota? A hot minute ago, she was telling John that he needed to make up with Morgan, and she liked being around him.

John hits the water, and we see blood run from him. He floats to the bottom, and there’s a song part. I feel cheated. He sees the photo on the floor of the river. and picks it up. He looks at the sun above the water, and swims up. He pulls himself onto a door floating in the water, and says, not today. He floats down the river.

When Morgan comes back, Dakota turns the gun on him. He asks what she did, and she says she didn’t want to do it; she had to do it. He asks where John is, and she starts to cry, because she’s an a-hole. He asks her again, and she says, John is floating down the river with a bullet in his chest. Morgan sees the knife in Dakota’s hand, and says, it’s her knife. She killed the Ranger. She says he’s going to take her to the place he’s building, and let her be a part of it, like he was before. He grabs her, and puts his battleax pokey weapon up to her throat. She says he’s not going to hurt her, but he tells her not to be so sure. She says she’s the reason he’s alive. She saved him at the gulch. He says, that’s not what happened. She says, Virginia left him to die, and he dragged himself to the church. The dead followed him, and were on top of him, about to eat him, but she was there. She killed them. He says, that’s not possible, and she says she followed Ginny and the Rangers to the gulch. That’s a good thing, right? She fixed him up, and stopped the bleeding. She gave him antibiotics and painkillers. He says, no more lies, and she says he doesn’t know her, but she heard his message. He needed to do this thing. He still has things left to do. She wrote the note and left it for him, and she was right. She’s seen it. He has to. She had to do it. He says, now what? and she says, he has to kill her sister to have the silly paradise he has to build. He’s grieving because he’s the only person left who can end her. He says, that’s not what he’s about, and she says, it is. It’s the  only reason he’s still there.

Ginny gets to the cabin, and says they cleaned the place out. Where the hell are they? She asks June, where? but June says she doesn’t know. A Ranger asks if she’s sure she doesn’t know their whereabouts, when Morgan radios Ginny. She tells him that he’s late, and he says, John has been hurt, and needs help. Her sister did it. June asks where John is, and Ginny asks where her sister is. Morgan says, John is coming down the river. Help him if Morgan can’t find him first. He’s trying to get to him. Please help. Then they can talk. Ginny tells her Rangers, find Ranger Dorie.

Alicia is walking with Charlie and Dwight, and says, this is it. Morgan comes over the radio, and tells Dwight, get the damn wall ready. They might be bringing the fight with Virginia to their own doorstep. He needs to get Shari. They’ll need all the firepower they can get.

June tells Virginia, send more Rangers, and Ginny say she already has. June says, if Virginia wants her to help, she needs to know what happened. Morgan comes on the radio, and June grabs it. She asks, what’s going on? June looks out the door, and Ginny grabs it back. John has washed up on shore, and June runs out, calling to him. She stumbles, and falls to the ground just as she gets to him. He pulls himself along, and we realize his eyes are milky. He reaches for her, and puts his hand on hers. She stays there a moment, then stabs him in the head with a knife. I guess that’s love?

This season, Virginia says, bad things are about to happen, Daniel says it’s not safe, we meet a new group, John Glover joins the cast, and says Alicia doesn’t know what he’s setting out to do. He looks kind of like a mad professor.

👌🏻 Interesting tidbit. Jenna Elfman was on Talking Dead tonight, and said because of the pandemic, they had to sit on this episode for a year and half before it was actually filmed.

📰 Latest Additions…

New blood will be coming to FTWD this season.

https://www.cbr.com/fear-walking-dead-john-glover-keith-carradine-nick-stahl-cast-season-6/

⚰️ Dead News…

What’s to come in season 11.

The Walking Dead Season 11: The Commonwealth, Reapers, and What Else to Expect

What came last week with Here’s Negan.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-season-10-finale-recap-heres-negan-origin-backstory-1022/

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/negans-last-name-revealed-on-the-walking-dead-heres-negan-smith-robert-kirkman/

🐉 Celebrating the Game…

HBO has plans.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/game-of-thrones-iron-anniversary-hbo-celebration/

🎉 After the Party’s Over…

Whether you called it a weekend, or just another two days on the calendar, I hope you changed it up a little. Until it’s time to sail away, stay safe, stay keeping it simple, and stay making sure it all means something.

Apr5

April 4, 2021 – Here’s Negan (the moment you’ve been waiting for) & Amazing Mahalia

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

In a voiceover, Negan says he had a deal with Carol. She said if he did this for her, he would be thought of differently. So he disappeared, and wore a flesh mask. It was sick as all hell, but he gained Alpha’s trust. He found a way to steal her kid, and brought Alpha’s head back. He helped take out Beta and the horde, but nothing changed the way Maggie sees him. He understands; he really does. Some things can’t be forgotten.

Maggie walks with her son Hershel through Alexandria, and they chat. She asks if he remembers the song they used to sing, and he sings You Are My Sunshine. Negan looks at them, but Maggie ignores him, saying good morning to the woman working alongside him. Carol watches from the window.

Negan sees Carol in the woods, carrying a dead rabbit she’s trapped. He walks with her, and thanks her for getting him the hell out of Dodge. Things with Maggie are tense. He doesn’t mind lay low Negan, but there’s only so far he can go to get out of her way. He’s thinking maybe Carol could put in a word for him. At least get the ball rolling. Given their recent history, he figures she owes him that much. He follows her to a cabin outside of the town, and he asks if she knows this place. She says, mm-hmm, and goes inside. He says he sees he’s moved in, and she says, Daryl helped. The council voted to banish him. What he wants isn’t going to happen, and she knows it’s not what she promised, but given their less recent history, it’s better than he deserves. He says, it is what it is. If she doesn’t mind him asking, is it that the council banished him, or is it more like Carol is seizing the reins? She smiles, and says the rabbit is for him.

Negan looks into the fire, and has a drink. He hears, little pig, little pig, let me in, and sees himself sitting in a chair with his bat Lucille. He turns away, but illusion Negan says, it’s all right. He knows Negan can hear him loud and clear. Nobody likes to hear an I told you so. He must be a bit masochistic. The sad part isn’t that he ended up there. Face it. It could be a helluva lot worse. The sad part is, he thought for a second those folks would see him for anything except who he truly is… which is me. He’s a clown, a cultive personality with no cult. Negan can call him names, but he wants Negan to admit that he got further with a kind word and Lucille than just a kind word. It’s time to face the facts, old man. He’s nothing without her. Negan smashes the glass against the now empty chair.

We see the tree where the stained glass panels hang, looking a little worse for the wear. Negan remembers telling Rick that Carl said they didn’t have to be fighting, and Rick beating him down near the tree. He flashes back to being in his cell, telling Michonne that he needs to see her, and Michonne saying they don’t have his bat. He’s brought a shovel with him, and starts digging near the tree. He sees a zombie in the distance, shakes his head, and keeps digging. He digs in another spot, and another, and pretty soon, the area is full of holes. The zombie is closer, and he digs some more. He finally hits something, and scrapes away the dirt. He smiles, and pulls out Lucille, turning the bat in his hands.

Twelve years earlier. Craven from the Valaks Vipers biker gang walks over to a guy tied to a chair wearing a hood. Craven removes the hood, and the man is a younger Negan. Negan says Craven has to let him go. His wife has cancer and needs that. Craven  takes an IV bag out of a cooler filled with the medicine, and takes a bag out. Negan says, keeping him here, kills him and her, and Craven says he knows; Negan told him. His heart goes out to Negan. He can’t imagine what Negan is going through, just wondering if she’s ever going to get her treatment. He handles the bag, and says they drove out to where Negan told them the doctors gave him the stuff, but they weren’t there. Negan says it’s not his fault. He told them, the doctors move around, but Craven says, they were never there. It was so overgrown, they couldn’t get the pick-up down the road. He can’t get this stuff just anywhere; somebody took care of this for a long time, and probably has a lot of other stuff too. Tell him where he got it, and Negan can take it to his wife. Otherwise, he’ll pour it in the toilet, and make Negan watch. He punches Negan in the mouth, and Negan says, please put it back in the cooler. He’ll tell Craven what he wants to know; please keep it safe. He tells Craven, the medical part is true, and Craven says, they have a facility, right? and Negan says, they have a stockpile. Craven asks where they keep the drugs, and Negan says he doesn’t know where the stuff came from, but he’d been tracking them for weeks. He found them…

Two or three days ago. Negan hides behind a tree in the woods, holding a gun. He takes a quick look at a couple of trailers, then jumps out. He startles a man outside, and sees another one on the roof of a trailer. He says he doesn’t want to shoot, but he will, and the man says, take it easy. Negan’s vision is getting blurry, and the man says, don’t! A woman hits Negan over the head, knocking him out, and the man says she didn’t have to do that. (FYI, it’s Laura who will become one of the Saviors later.)

Negan is handcuffed to a chair inside the trailer. He tells the man that his name is Negan, and the man says he’s Franklin. Franklin takes out a key, and asks if they’re going to have any problems. Negan says, no sir, no problems, and Franklin uncuffs him. He gives Negan some pasta, and Negan wolfs it down. Franklin says, Negan is exhausted, add malnutrition, and no wonder a guy like him is in the state he’s in. He’s trying to rob a bunch of doctors with an empty belly. Negan says his wife has cancer. She was under treatment when the world went to sh*t. They’ve been trying to keep it going. Franklin asks if Negan is a doctor, and Negan says he’s a high school gym teacher. Franklin asks what he means by keep it going, and Negan says the doctor gave him a calendar of what was needed when. All he had to do was find it, and figured out how to do infusions. Franklin says, a doctor taught Negan how to give chemo? and Negan says, it’s not complicated, unless something goes wrong. Franklin asks if something went wrong, and Negan says, yeah, you could say that.   

Six weeks earlier. Negan goes to the refrigerator, and takes out a bag. His wife Lucille digs in a box, and says she’s trying to figure out what James Bond movie to watch. He tells her, the generator makes too much noise, and we hear a zombie outside. She says he’ll have to kill it, but he says if he turns the generator off, they lose interest; they always do. He puts two IV bags in the freezer, along with a thermometer. He goes outside to turn on the generator, but sees a zombie clamoring at the fence.

Back in the house, Negan reads out loud from Pride and Prejudice, and tells Lucille, this book sucks; he can’t do it. She says he won’t let her watch James Bond, so read. We hear the zombie again, and she says he’s got to take care of it. Outside, the zombie bangs on the house, and Negan comes up behind it, but as soon as it sees him, it grabs him. He swings a hammer at it, but it gets the better of him, and pins him against the house, snapping at him. He stabs it in the eye, but the knife doesn’t go deep enough to even slow it down. He says, seriously? and a shot rings out, the zombie slumping to the ground. Lucille stands there holding a gun, and still attached to her IV. He asks if she’s all right, and she tells him, turn the generator on so she can watch a movie. She goes back inside.

Negan tries to syphon gas out of a car, but gets nothing. He goes inside the car, and looks around. He finds a pouch, looks in it, and smiles.

Negan asks his wife how she’s doing, and she says, good. He says he’s got something for her. He found a stash. It’s a little dried out, but it will help with her nausea. She says he has to go out further every time, and he says, they need gas, and the place has been picked over. That’s what’s keeping them safe; there’s nothing there anyone wants. She wonders about reaching out to other people, but he says, it’s too dangerous out there. She says, that’s her point, and he says, they have three treatments left. That’s it. When they get her strength up, he’ll strap her to his motorcycle, and they’ll go wherever she wants; wherever she dreams up. He promises.

They lie in bed, and Negan sings You Are So Beautiful to her. We see them goofing around in wigs, and him giving her treatments. A zombie makes noise outside, and Negan says, dammit. She says, it’s not like killing a person. It’s kind of like killing an animal; don’t let it bother him. He says, it doesn’t. He’s just worried he’ll get used to it. She says, okay, then turn the generator on. He continues to eat, and asks, how’s her dinner? She says, really good. If she’d known dog food could taste like this, she would have been eating that sh*t all along. He laughs, and she tells him, happy anniversary, handing him a gift bag. He asks if she actually knows what day it is, and she says, no, but they had one coming up. He takes out a leather jacket, and says, holy sh*t. Where did she get this? She says, it was in the crawlspace the whole time. She was so mad that she couldn’t return it, she hid it. She’s sorry. If she’d known all this was going to happen, she wouldn’t have cared about the stupid credit card. He says he knows, but he doesn’t deserve anything from her. She shouldn’t be apologizing to him. He should be apologizing to her, for the man he was, and the pain he put her through… He lies awake at night wondering how he got so lucky she stuck with him. She laughs, and sits on his lap. She says she stuck with him because she’s always seen the man he is now, even when he wasn’t. And that a-hole really had it coming. He says, yes ma’am, and she suggests they go to bed. He says, no, and she asks if he has to go to work tomorrow. He asks if she’s sure she’s okay, and she kisses him.

They lie in each other’s arms, and Negan wakes to the sound of dripping. He jumps out of bed, and says, no! He runs to the refrigerator, and opens the freezer. Water pours out, and he looks at the thermometer, which is in the Fahrenheit 40s.

He looks at a map, and asks if she remembers a guy and his family who came through. Their kid had leukemia, and they were looking for a group of doctors who travel around. He showed Negan his map, and said they travel the same route, and make the same stops every time. He thinks he knows where they are. If he leaves now, he could catch them. She says, they could be dead, and even if he finds them, he has nothing to barter with. He starts to argue, and she says, stop. She has something to tell him.

Seven months earlier. Normal life is still happening. Negan is playing video games, and says, don’t be a p*ssy. You’ve got to take it. Lucille comes in, and asks if he’s playing with children, and he says they’re mostly over ten. She looks at the credit card bill, and says please don’t tell her that he spent $600 on this Happy Days bullsh*t. He says he’s got two leads, one of which is going to pay a lot. He’s celebrating early. She says he’s telling her about leads, but he can’t be a gym teacher anymore. He’s being charged with misdemeanor assault, and he refuses to go back to school. Tell her all about the job that’s going to pay for his legal bills. He doesn’t say anything, and she says she’s returning the jacket. He says he threw the receipt away.

We see Lucille on the phone with a friend, who says talks about it being cute when he was younger, but not now. Lucille says, it feels wrong to give up on him. He wasn’t in a good space. He loved his job and the kids. The friend says he put someone in the hospital, and Lucille says, that a-hole had it coming.

Negan and Lucille have dinner in silence. He asks how the food is, and she says, good. Did he do something different? He says he used rosemary instead of oregano, and a white wine reduction for the chicken sauce. She tells him that she has a 2:15 appointment tomorrow, and he asks, what appointment? She says she’s getting an MRI, and needs him to drive her home. He says he can’t tomorrow. He has a meeting with his probation officer. She’ll probably have to sit for three hours for them to tell her everything is fine anyway.

Lucille sits in the waiting room, and thinks about hearing, if it’s caught early on. She stares into space, and the doctor asks if she has someone to drive her home.

She gets in her car, and calls Negan, but gets voicemail. She tries calling her friend Janine, and the call also goes to voicemail. She calls the probation officer, and says, he should be there. He said his appointment was at 3; he should have been there 20 minutes ago. The parole officer says, sorry. He doesn’t know what to tell her. He’s not on the calendar for another two weeks. She cries quietly, and looks at her phone, she sees the call to Negan and Janine both went to voicemail at the same time, and realizes they’re seeing one another. She slams phone down, and pulls out, blasting rock and roll. I think AC/DC.

Lucille sits at home with a gun by her side. Negan comes in, and asks, what’s going on? What is it? Her hand moves slightly on the gun, but she throws cancer treatment pamphlets on to the table instead. She says she’s got cancer.

Back to where we were before, and Negan says, she knew about them the whole time? Just so she knows, he broke up with her as soon as they got the diagnosis. He never saw or talked to her again. He cries, and she says she knows. He says he doesn’t understand why she’s telling him now, and she says she wants him to know he made up for it. If he really wants to help her, just stay. He says they’re so close. It can work; the doctors said it could work. She says, no, they didn’t. Now it’s time for him to go on without her. Live life for her. Stay. He says, no. They’re not giving up. They’ve made it this far, and they’re going to see it through. He’s going to find the doctors, and they’re going to kick the cancer out of her. They’re not giving up. Not ever. She kisses him, and I’m feeling very sad.

About six weeks ago. Negan tells Franklin, he scavenged along the way, but it was worse than they thought. Then they had a problem with the dead, and here he is. Franklin says he sent his daughter Laura to the warehouse to see if they have what he needs. Laura comes in with a cooler, and says they had it all. Negan tells them, he doesn’t know what to say, and Franklin says they have a lot, and just want to help.

Outside, Negan says he came threatening their lives, and they patched him up, and gave him the first decent meal he’s had in weeks. They gave him everything he asked for, and haven’t asked for anything in return. Franklin says, what goes around, comes around, and Laura asks if the gun is Negan’s only weapon. He says he broke his knife on the way there, and she says, take this, handing him the bat. He says, the bat she hit him with? Damn, that girl packs a wallop.  

Craven tells Negan, enough. Tell him where he got the drugs. All Negan has done is told one stupid pointless story after another. First, he wouldn’t talk, now he’s begging Negan to shut up. Storytime is over. Tell him where he got the drugs, or he’s going to pull the trigger. Then Negan’s wife dies, and she’ll think he ran out on her. If Negan doesn’t start talking, he swears to God… Negan says bring him his map. Another man unties Negan’s hands, and he circles a spot on the map. Craven asks, what about security? and Negan says, it’s light. It’s just a guy and his daughter. The guards on top of the RVs are decoys, and there could be a couple of others, but they have no guns. Craven says, if they’re not there for literally any reason, he’ll come back and kill Negan, no questions asked. He tells the other guy to keep Negan locked in the storage room.  

Negan is told he’s good to go. He grabs the cooler, and runs outside to his bike. I feel sick. The trailer is in the parking lot, and Negan hears Laura saying, no! Stop! He gets on his bike, and rides out, taking one last look. There’s a scream from the trailer.

Negan arrive back home, and calls for Lucille. He heads for the bedroom, but the door is closed, and written on it is, please don’t leave me like this, with a heart. He opens the door, and hears zombie noises. He looks at the bed and cries. Lucille has restrained herself, and there’s a plastic bag tied on her head. She makes zombie gurgles, and reaches her free hand toward him. He takes out the bat. He’s obviously in anguish, but she’s nothing but a monster now. He comes closer, and we hear Joe Cocker singing You Are So Beautiful. Negan rips the bag from Lucille’s head, and cries some more, getting as close as possible.

He sits against the bed, and she reaches for him, still chained down. He rolls a bottle of scotch around in his hands, and looks at the cooler.

Outside, Negan cuts barbed wire from the fence, and wraps it around the bat.

He pours gasoline all over the house, stands in the bedroom, and lights a match. He drops it, and the room begins to burn. He looks at Lucille through the flames.

He busts out the front door with the bat, and leaves the house. He drives away on his bike, knocking the mailbox (which says Smith) down with the bat as he goes by.

The house burns.

Craven pummels Franklin, and laughs. He says, it’s been a long day; he didn’t get much sleep. This is the last time he’s going to ask. Tell him where they keep the good stuff or he’ll bring out the girl. She’s a little young for Franklin, doesn’t he think?

The other guy sits outside, and Negan comes back with his bat, and bashes the guy with it. A guard comes out of the trailer, and Negan shoots him.

Hearing the shot, Craven asks, what the hell is going on? Another guy says he’s checking it out, and Franklin works at the same screw in the chair that Negan did when he was in it. At the time, I thought it insignificant, since nothing came of it. I should have known better. There are more gunshots, and Craven ducks. He gets on his radio, and asks, will one of you idiots tell me what the hell is going on? He hears shots come closer, and looks scared. Franklin unties himself, while Craven is preoccupied with aiming at the door. Franklin gets free as Negan walk in and shoots Craven. Craven crawls for the gun, and Negan whacks him with the new Lucille. Franklin asks if there are any more of them, but Negan says he got all of them. Franklin says, damn, and Negan hands him a gun, telling him to take it and find his daughter; make sure she’s okay. Franklin leaves, and Negan pulls Craven up to his knees.

Negan sits and says, look at us; here we are again. Last time, Craven said he talks too much. The bad news is, he’s got stuff to get off his chest this time as well. This time, Craven best hope he never stops talking. When he does, something terrible is going to happen to Craven. He never killed a man before tonight. He came close once. There was a bar that he and his wife used to go to; it was their favorite bar. It was their favorite because it had their favorite jukebox that played their favorite song; You Are So Beautiful, by the one and only Joe Cocker. The greatest love ballad ever written; he’s sure Craven agrees. There was this guy there who had one of those voices you can’t unhear; it was like Negan’s brain had been hijacked until he couldn’t hear anymore. Their song was playing, and the guy was talking and laughing, so Negan’s wife Lucille goes over to where the guy is, and politely asks him to keep it down so she can hear her song. Let’s just say he chose poorly. So now, Negan has to get up, and go over. He says the guy owes him 50 cents, so they can play the song again, and he can shut the hell up so Negan’s wife can enjoy her song. Now here’s the important part – the part where he really wants Craven to pay attention. You know when people say they’re so angry, they see red? That sh*t is actually true. The a-hole comes at him, and all he sees is red; it’s like he’s looking through blood. He wailed on the guy until he wasn’t moving, reached out, grabbed his wallet, and took out a dollar. They played the song twice. It turns out, the pr*ck had kids who went to school where Negan taught gym. Needless to say, the school was unthrilled. He got fired, the guy sued him, and since he had no job, his wife had to pay the guy’s medical bills. The point of the story is, there are consequences to him seeing red. Seeing red meant bad things then; he was a bad man then. Now, nobody is suing anybody, nobody got fired, and nobody’s keeping score. Now seeing red is a question of what Negan is capable of. He hates to break it to Craven, but he’s starting to think he’s capable of damn near anything. So this is for not killing him. He beats Craven with new Lucille.

In the present, the zombie has finally reached Negan, and he whacks it twice. He looks at looks at the bat, breathing heavy.

Negan is back in the cabin, sitting in front of the fireplace, holding the bat. He says he’s sorry. He was a coward. He couldn’t face the pain he was in. He ran away, and made himself not feel anything. He didn’t want to feel shame; shame was the one thing he still felt. He’s sorry she went out like that; he should have been there. He’s sorry he named the baseball bat after her, and sorry for the pain he put her through. He hopes she found someone in the afterlife, and is screwing her brains out… Not really, but fair is fair. He misses her. He loved the sh*t out of her, and he’s going to do her fighting for her. He puts a cloth over the bat, and puts it in the fireplace. He watches it burn.

Negan walks back into town. Carol and Maggie see him, and Carol walks over to him. He asks where the A-team is off to, and she says, an Army base. If they find anything, they’ll bring something back to his cabin. He says, that won’t be necessary. The situation isn’t going to work out. Carol says, if Negan stays, Maggie will kill him. Carol didn’t want his death on her conscience; now it’s not. He says, fair enough. He keeps walking, and looks at Maggie as he goes by. He smiles, but with Maggie, it’s more like, if looks could kill…

This was the finale, and Fear the Walking Dead starts its new season next week.

This had to be the saddest episode ever.

💐 Happy Easter…

Hope you enjoyed whatever it is you enjoy on Easter Sunday, or if Easter is not your celebration, enjoyed whatever you enjoy on any Sunday. See you tomorrow for Sailing, and until then, stay safe, stay seeking wisdom, and stay not judging those who carry baseball bats covered in barbed wire. You might not know their whole story. Although then again, you might want to non-judgmentally run.

Mar29

March 28, 2021 – Carol Needs To Fix Something, What’s To Come, Behind the Scenes, Psychic Dive & Visualizer

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

In a voiceover, Carol tells us that she didn’t plan on surviving. She was going die with the horde, but her family pulled her back; they always do. The Whisperers destroyed Hilltop, and she had to tell Maggie that she’d sent Negan to be part of them. They’re working tirelessly to rebuild in Alexandria, but the Whisperers destroyed their crops. The return of Maggie, along with more people, meant more mouths to feed, and she and Daryl found that the horde had killed everything worth hunting. Every tough decision Carol made was to protect them, and she’ll do whatever it takes. She’ll do what she can to make things right.

Carol walks with Daryl and Dog on a path through the woods, Daryl gives Carol a knife to open her canteen (I find out later on Talking Dead that it’s Leah’s knife), and they share some water with Dog. Carol says she wishes they had more to show for their trip. All the new mouths to feed… He says she’ll make it work. She always does. She says, he’s not coming back? and he says he’s staying a while longer. He asks if she wants a ride; his bike isn’t far. As they walk, he says, hey… and she says he doesn’t have to apologize. He tells her that he was just going to say good luck. She says, good luck to him too. They walk in opposite directions, and Dog is conflicted, but goes with Carol. Daryl says, fine.

Daryl pushes his bike out of woods, and starts it up. He drives off.

Carol returns to Alexandria with Dog. Dog pokes at a ratty scarf on the ground, and Carol picks it up and keeps walking. She goes into where she and Daryl stay, and gives Dog a bowl of water. Funny, I see Dog drink a lot of water, but never see him pee. She tells Dog, for the record, she didn’t need an apology from Daryl. She knows what he said – an apology is just a truce. It doesn’t fix anything. She pets Dog.

Carol walks through town, and sees Jerry. She says she was thinking of working on the north gate post, and if that works out, she’ll clean the dead fish from the fishery, but Jerry says Rosita already has a crew fixing the gate post, and the fishery has been cleared out. She says, it doesn’t smell like it, and he says it’s being used for fertilizer. He asks how the trip was, and she says, good. He asks if she need help, but she says, no. She has to figure something out. He asks what she’s got in her hand, and she says she found it in the street. Somebody must have dropped it during the evacuation, and she thought she’d mend it. She just wants to fix something. Tell her how she can help; anything at all. He says he’s thinking, and his stomach rumbles. He says, food is important to thinking. She says she’s sure she can whip up something from what she found, and he tells her, a bunch of people are crashing in Michonne’s kitchen, and the solar panels are messed up; Whisperers probably. They also had to throw out a bunch of grain. Carol asks, why? and he says, rats. She says, anything else? and he asks what she’s going to make. She says she doesn’t know; maybe soup. She’s got a couple of fish, nuts, and mushrooms. She’ll make it work. He says she always does, and she asks if he ever heard the story of Stone Soup. They used to read it in school. (I actually remember having that book as a kid.) A stranger came to a village, and had nothing to trade but rocks. He convinced the people that he could make stone soup. Then he told one person that he needed to borrow some salt, and another, a little bit of onion. A little bit of this, and a little bit of that from everyone in the village, until there was real soup, and everyone was happy. Jerry says, it doesn’t sound very tasty. Maybe Ezekiel and the others will bring help soon, and she won’t have to make soup out of rocks. She says she hopes so.  

Daryl is riding along the path, and his bike stops. He checks something, takes up his crossbow, and begins to walk.

Carol checks out the pantry/garage, and finds a few things. She cuts some mushrooms, and chops up some fish. She puts some salt in the pot, and throws some over her shoulder. She hears Dog growling, and runs into the living room where Dog is attacking a blanket. She says, hey, and he grabs the scarf. She picks up a book that belongs to Daryl, The Golden Age of Piracy, and says Dog is being a bad dog. He knocks over a lamp, and she tells him, back off. Take it easy. She rights the lamp, and sees the cord has been chewed. She looks down and sees rat droppings. And tells Dog, it’s okay. It’s a rat, She hears it too. Dog takes off through the house, and knocks the pot over in the pantry. She says, bad dog. Go. She tells Dog not to look at her like that. This is serious. They need that food. Go. Dog goes back in the living room, and Carol closes the door. She looks at the spilled ingredients, and says, dammit. She devises a trap, and sets it on the floor, saying, see you later, a-hole, and leaves.

Jerry sees Carol, and asks how the soup is coming. She says, great. She needs a couple more ingredients, and she’s going to see what she can rustle up. He tells her, rustle up some stones too, and she laughs. She walks around a field, gathering some greens. A zombie toddles along, and more come out of the woods. She asks if they think she can’t take them herself. She says, first, you, and stabs the loner in the head. She points to the others, and says, then you, you, and you, and you.

We hear zombie noises, and the sounds of zombies being whacked in the head. We see the wildflowers in the forefront, while Carol dispatches zombies in the background. Carol picks up her greens, and continues on.

Daryl walks through the woods on the path. He sees an abandoned car, opens the hood, and pulls something out. How convenient! He sees a truck, and goes underneath, taking something else. It’s like a mini graveyard of cars, and he sees another with a decrepit zombie inside. He opens the hood, but can’t find what he needs. He puts down his stuff, and slides under the car. I say, don’t do that, but he doesn’t listen. The zombie moves to the backseat, and the car moves, nearly squashing Daryl. He tells it, stop moving, and the car rocks as the zombie scrambles to the front. Daryl grabs some wires, and slides back out. He bangs on the window, picks up his stuff, and says, thanks, buddy.

Jerry sees Carol coming back with blood on her, and asks, what the hell happened? She says, nothing, and tells him that she got some greens for tasty nutrition. He asks if she’s sure she’s okay, and she says, yeah. Back to it. She returns to her place, and dumps out the greens. She checks the trap, but nothing yet.

Daryl goes back to his bike. The music is tense, so I wonder what’s going to happen. He checks his pockets, and remembers handing Carol his pocketknife. He takes out a bigger knife, and screws around with something on the bike. He walks the bike out onto the road.

Carol rights a solar panel, and strips the ends of the wires. Jerry comes by with a wheelbarrow, and asks if she’s got it. She says she’s good, and he says, let him know if she needs anything. He keeps walking, and she says, sure will. Then she single-handedly fixes the solar panel. On his way back, Jerry sees the panel, and just looks at her. She goes back in, and tries the light switch. The light comes on.

Daryl continues to walk alongside his bike, and pushes it up a hill. He comes to railroad tracks, and sees some zombies in the distance. He takes out binoculars, and checks them out, seeing one wearing military camo. He puts his backpack on the bike, takes up his crossbow, and walks toward the zombies.

Daryl gets his bow ready, and walks toward the zombies. He steps on a twig that cracks, and it captures their attention. He walks faster past them, and they follow. He aims his bow at a zombie in camo caught in a tree near the edge of a hill. I guess he figures, why waste a shot? since he puts the bow down, and tries to reach for the zombie. He slips, and the zombie goes sliding down the hill along with him. He manages to throw it off of him, and gets on top of it, grabbing for the knife on the ground. He stabs its head, and goes through the zombie’s stuff, pulling out what he needs. He hears the others coming, and sees them at the top of the hill. He sidesteps, and one slides down, the rest following like lemmings. He heads back to his bike. He messes with the engine, and a zombie crawls toward him. He’s like, enough already, and shoots it with his crossbow. He takes the arrow out of the zombie, and goes through its pockets, finding some good stuff. Too bad there isn’t an engine in there. He says, nice, and fiddles some more with the bike.

Carol tells Dog, come on. Dog sits, and she says, don’t make her beg. She tells him, good boy, and he comes into the pantry with her. She puts the greens in a pot, and tells him, if he’s good boy, she’ll save him some scraps. She lifts the trap, and is startled by the rat, who gets away. She chases it all around the pantry, knocking things over, and Dog is like, WTF? She yelled at me for doing that. The rat runs into a hole in the wall, and she stuffs a towel into it. She tells Dog, what? Are you two friends now because I yelled at you earlier? She says, screw it, and unplugs the pot, saying, she’ll make soup tomorrow. She goes into the bedroom, but dog hesitates. She tells him, come on, and he jumps on the bed without any coaxing. He lies next to her, and she says she feels the fight coming out of her. Dog misses him, doesn’t he? Don’t worry; he’ll come back. He always comes back. She doesn’t though, does she? She asks if Dog thinks they should scram, and get out of everybody’s hair. They could. Dog gives her kisses. I love Dog.

Daryl does an elaborate fixing of the bike, using a multitool, and holding a flashlight in his mouth.

Dog stirs, and wakes Carol. He makes a small bark, but she tells him, shh, and gets up.

Daryl tries the bike, and it starts. He drives off.

Carol goes downstairs, lighting the way with a flashlight. Dog goes ahead. I also constantly worry about Dog. She looks around the pantry, and hears Dog making noises near the wall where the rat was. She pokes through the wall with a knife, and makes a hole. She listens, and waits. She slashes at the wall some more, and waits again. She goes back another time, and makes more holes in the wall. She knocks over a shelf, and starts bringing down the wall by hand. She leans against what’s left, and slides down to the floor. Dog looks worried, and comes over to her, lying next to her. She puts her hand on Dog and pets him, because dogs calm everyone down and make everything better.

Carol cleans up the pantry, sweeping up the mess. Jerry knocks at the door, and she slides it open. She says, hey. He looks inside, seeing the wall, and she says, it’s fine; she’s fixing it. What’s up? He says his cover story is that he’s coming by for soup, but no poker face. He’s going to fess up. He’s just checking on her. She asks if he thinks she needs checking on, and he says he does. Ezekiel would agree with him. She says she can’t argue with that, and Jerry says he wishes he could check on Ezekiel too. She says she’s sure Ezekiel is coming back as fast as he can. He likes checking up on people as much as Jerry does; it’s pathological. Why can’t they just let people like her suffer in peace? Jerry says, it’s a real problem, and she says, yesterday wasn’t her best day. It was a bad day. He says, the wall is all busted up. Ezekiel would have a saying for this kind of thing. She says maybe she just needs to fix what she broke. He says, a friend thinks you’re perfect even when everyone thinks you’re broken. He noticed Daryl didn’t come back with her, and two plus two equals eureka. She says, what if you’re broke, and your best friend realized later than everyone else? and he says, Ezekiel probably has a saying for that too. He just doesn’t know what it is. She asks what he would say, and he hugs her. The rat walks out the door, and goes around the corner. He says, was that… and she says, yeah. Come on in. The soup is almost ready.

Daryl drives into Alexandria. Carol is putting the wall back together. She starts to put on the scarf, looks at it, and says, sorry, throwing it in the trash. She goes over to close the door, and Dog runs out. He runs to Daryl, and she asks, what the hell happened to him? He says he was going to ask her the same thing. The usual. He says, yeah, same, and she asks if he found anything. He says, yeah, and asks if Dog was good. She nods, and wonders if he’s hungry. She made soup for everyone. He says he’s all right, and thanks her. She says, sure, and tells him that she forgot to give him his knife back. He tells her to keep it, and she says, really? He nods, and she puts it in her pocket. He says he’s beat. He’s going to hit the sack. She says, her too, and he goes off with Dog. Carol goes back inside, seeming lighter.

Next time – the finale – Here’s Negan. Negan’s backstory, and the birth of Lucille. Hilarie Burton Morgan – Jeffrey Dean’s real life wife – will be playing Negan’s wife, the first Lucille.

🧨 Here He Is…

A preview of what’s to come in the finale.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-heres-negan-sneak-peek-season-10c-finale-jeffrey-dean-morgan-hilarie-burton-morgan/

⚰️ Drama in Deadland…

A little gossip, a little news.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-creator-robert-kirkman-defends-former-showrunner-scott-gimple-fan-ruined-show/

🩹 About That Splinter…

Showrunner Angela Kang does a deep dive into the psyche of Princess.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-princess-angela-kang-showrunner-splinter/

🚕 You Don’t Have To Go Home…

The weekend has come to a close, so back to the same old after two days of the other same old. Whatever same old it is for you, stay safe, stay being open to opportunity, and stay thinking your friends are perfect, even if they’re broken.

Mar15

March 14, 2021 – Gabriel and Aaron Follow Maggie’s Map, Fun With the Dead, Nervous Norman & Spell

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

We hear Gabriel in a voiceover saying, the Whisperers took their toll, and they saw darkness, but they kept the faith. The righteous enter and are safe. They had moments of despair, but a miracle happened, and by the grace of their friends, they were saved. But they still have more work to do to rebuild their community, provide for their families, and save their souls.

Gabriel and Aaron are surrounded by zombies in a clearing. They hack away, covering the surrounding wildflowers in blood. They walk through the woods and come across some ruins. Gabriel looks at his map of possible food sources. I guess not this one anymore. Aaron sees several burned bodies that are nothing but charred bones now, and asks, what happened here? Gabriel says they’ll never know, and they keep walking. The see a decrepit zombie sitting up against a tree, and it pulls away, part of it staying on the tree. It doesn’t get far, since Gabriel slices it through the top of the head. Gabriel sets a timer, and throws it into a field area. When it goes off, a bunch of zombies rise out of the grass, and head off to who knows where. Gabriel looks at Aaron, and they follow at a distance.    

Near a road, they see more skeletons, and a line of cars. Aaron looks at a zombie in a van, and Gabriel opens another car. Aaron asks what he’s doing, and he says, he’s searching; there could be something there. Aaron slides open the van he’s been looking in, and they go through all the cars. Gabriel opens a trunk, and finds some cans of food, but he turns it over to see what looks like a bullet hole in it. He tells Aaron, two more.   

They try to smash into an old, boarded up casino, and zombie arms pop out. Gabriel hacks off an arm. Aaron motions for him to remove a board, and when the zombie emerges, Aaron stabs it in the head. They each take an arm to pull it out, but the skin comes off, and they fall back with skin arms in their hands. When they realize what happened, they quickly rid themselves of the skin arms, and I laugh my head off. Aaron sees a shopping cart hanging off the roof, and Gabriel climbs up. He sees a near-skeleton lying down, and another with a little more flesh on it, tied to post, moving around a little. He sees a skeletal couple lying on mattress. Aaron asks if he sees anything, and Gabriel looks at the couple and says, just a ladder. The camera pans out, and we see SAVE US written on the roof.

Zombie arms reach for Aaron, and he hears Gabriel hacking away inside. Gabriel opens the door, and comes out. Aaron says, anything? and Gabriel shakes his head. He sheaths his machete, and looks at his map again. He says, one more, and Aaron says they’ve been at this two weeks, and what do they have to show for it? He can’t. Gabriel says they have to see this through. Aaron says they can go back to the hunting ground, but Gabriel says, it’s spent; there’s nothing there. Aaron says, so is every other place on Maggie’s goddam map. He misses his daughter, and he knows Gabriel misses his too. Gabriel says, one more, and starts to walk. Aaron follows.

They walk through some mud, and Gabriel slips, tripped up by a hidden zombie. It rises, covered with mud, but Gabriel holds his machete point up, and Aaron pushes the zombie onto it. Aaron laughs, and Gabriel says, a little help? Aaron helps get the zombie off of Gabriel, and helps him up. The map is officially screwed, covered in mud like Gabriel. Gabriel says there was a water tower by their last location. They just need to head north until they see it. Aaron says he’s not doing this without a map, and Gabriel says, it’s only an hour. Aaron says he doesn’t care, it begins to rain, and Gabriel says, fine. They’ll follow their tracks back. It starts to pour.

They come out of the woods, and Aaron asks, is this on the map? We see a warehouse, and Gabriel says, no. 

They shine flashlights around inside the warehouse. Aaron bangs on something, but there’s no response. Gabriel closes the door, and they split up. Gabriel finds a pile of Bibles, and picks one up, finding a bunch of pages torn out. Aaron hears something from behind a door, and says hello? Gabriel looks in a file cabinet. Aaron says, hello? again. He says his name is Aaron. He’s a friend. Please don’t be afraid. Hello? He opens the door, and Gabriel hears yelling, and takes off. He runs to where Aaron is, and finds Aaron standing over a wild boar. He says, it came at him, and Gabriel smiles. I say, food! Aaron says, what? and Gabriel says, nothing. That was quite the scream. Aaron says, these things are vicious, and Gabriel says, clearly… hence the scream. Gabriel starts to laugh, and says, sorry, but doubles over. Aaron says, all right. Let it all out. Is he through? Gabriel shakes his head, and keeps laughing, saying, oh Lord! Aaron smiles, and Gabriel says, know what he feels like? Aaron says, what? and Gabriel says, dinner. And drink. He holds up a bottle of whiskey.

Aaron shows Gabriel a toy, and says, remember these? Gabriel says he remembers news footage of people trampling each other at toy stores to get them. Aaron says, Grace will go nuts. They sit to eat, and Gabriel pours them each a tiny bit of whiskey. Aaron says, that’s it? That’s all they get? Why? It’s just whiskey. Gabriel says, no; it’s not just whiskey. It’s perfection. It’s rare. This bottle is easily over $2000. Aaron says, the fact people would pay that much to get drunk was a huge part of what was wrong with the world. Gabriel says, it’s not to get drunk. Smell it. Aaron does, and Gabriel asks what he’s getting. What does it remind him of? Aaron says, maple syrup… vanilla… breakfast as kid. Gabriel says, take a sip. Let it sit. Pay attention to the finish, and how the flavor evolves. Aaron says, wow, and Gabriel says, exactly. Now eat, and the meat will taste even better. Aaron says, look, he gets that it’s rare and all, but they had a rough day. He holds out his cup, and Gabriel pours some more, but Aaron continues to hold it out.  

They play poker for bottlecaps, and Aaron says he’s out. Gabriel says, he has the whiskey. Aaron considers putting his cup in the pot, but folds. Gabriel says, many thanks, but Aaron wants to see the cards. Gabriel shows him what I assume is a really poor hand, and Aaron rolls his eyes.

Aaron asks Gabriel what God would think about him gambling, and Gabriel says, He’d probably okay it. Aaron says, a card shark priest. Did he get training in whiskey class at the seminary? Gabriel says, Reverend George was his mentor. He was a good friend, and a great teacher. His first class was at a boy’s funeral; Tony Franklin. He died of cancer. He was in his freshman year of college and he died. Everyone in town came, and Reverend George performed the service. He spoke, and said all the right things without trying; it didn’t look like he was anyway. They got in the car to go to the wake, and he just took off. He floored it the whole way, saying they had to get there before the others. He was running stop signs, saying a prayer each time, and Gabriel had his eyes closed the whole way. They got there and the Reverend headed for the liquor cabinet. He asked what the Reverend was doing, and was told to shut up. The Reverend snatched off Gabriel’s collar, pulled off his own, and started pouring. The boy’s father walked in, and the Reverend walked over to him with two drinks in hand, and just started talking. He talked to everyone; put them at ease, smiling and laughing. He told Gabriel, just be with them in the moment. Speak from the heart, and don’t worry what you think they want to hear. He tried, but he’s not as good as Reverend George. Later, the Reverend told him, real ministering isn’t preaching from a pulpit. It’s talking to people one on one, on their own terms, relating to them. He smiles, and says, that’s how he knows about whiskey. That’s how he knows about a lot of things. Aaron says Gabriel needs to start preaching again. He’ll be mad if Gabriel doesn’t. When he was out there, finding people to bring to Alexandria, it felt right. Helping people was right. They haven’t done that in a long time, and they’ve got to get back to it. Gabriel says he doesn’t want to preach anymore, and Aaron asks, why? Gabriel says, does Aaron really think things will go back the way they were? Aaron says he does, and Gabriel says, they won’t. The world isn’t built for the way they used to be. Aaron says Gabriel’s head is full of Whisperers, who and what they were, and it’s not most people. Gabriel says, evil people are not the exception to the rule; they are the rule. Aaron says he’s getting sober. After the next round, he’s going to climb up on the roof and jump off head first. Gabriel says he wants to perform last rights, and Aaron says, they’re back to him again.  

Gabriel snores, and an obviously hung over and/or still drunk Aaron gets up. Gabriel asks where he’s going, and Aaron says, to piss. Gabriel goes back to sleep.

Light comes in through a dirty window, and Gabriel wakes up. He doesn’t see Aaron, and walks around the warehouse, his machete drawn. He sees a man by the entrance, and the man asks what he was cooking. Gabriel says, boar, and the man asks, how was it? Gabriel says, it was good, and the man walks into the light. He removes his hood, and we see his face is scarred. He says he’d like a bite.

The man eats, and Gabriel introduces himself, asking the man’s name. The man says Gabriel came there with a friend, and Gabriel asks if he’s seen Aaron, but the man says nothing. Gabriel asks what he wants, and the man says it seems like Gabriel is the one who wants something. They broke into his place, ate his boar, and drank his whiskey. Gabriel says it didn’t look like anyone lived there, and he asks if Gabriel thinks the boar got in there by itself. Gabriel says they were looking for food. They didn’t mean any harm. The man takes out Aaron’s metal spiked ball hand, and tosses it on the table, saying, does this say no harm to you? Gabriel says they’re part of a larger group, more than twenty armed fighters. They’ll be coming if he and Aaron don’t get back. The man wonders if they’re joining the card game. He sits back, his automatic rifle in his lap, and asks if Gabriel thinks it’s loaded. Gabriel says, there aren’t a lot of bullets left, and the man lets a load of shots fly. He asks Gabriel if he thinks he made it. Gabriel doesn’t understand, and the man says his friend is in there, pointing to the wall he shot at. He gets up, tells Gabriel, easy, and opens the door. He says, still breathing… he thinks. Gabriel says he wants to see Aaron, and the man asks why he’s still wearing his collar. Gabriel says, probably for the same reason the man keeps the Bibles. Because the Word of God still matters. It’s a light in an otherwise dark world; a reminder that light is still in them… love, mercy, forgiveness. The man says, toilet paper, and Gabriel says, what? The man says, the Bible. He like the bent pages. Gabriel suggests that he read it instead of wiping his ass with it, and the man says he read it, cover to cover. That’s why he wipes his ass with it. He says, it must be hard preaching about something Gabriel doesn’t believe in, and Gabriel says he does believe. The man says, evil people aren’t the exception to the rule, and Gabriel says he was drunk. The man says, drunk is honest. There’s nothing left but thieves and murderers. Gabriel says, there’s still goodness, but you have to look for it, and he man asks who Gabriel is trying to convince, him or himself? He’s so close. Gabriel says, close to what? and the man gets up, keeping the gun on Gabriel. He kicks he door open, and drags Aaron out, tied to a chair and gagged. He puts Aaron at the table, and takes the gag off. He unties one of Aaron’s wrists, and knocks all the bullets out of a handgun. He puts one back in, and says, one round. One in six chances. He spins it, and shuts it, and says they’ve got a choice. Each time, they can aim it at themselves, or the man sitting across from them. The winner goes home.

Gabriel says, they’re not doing this, and the man says, then they both die. Aaron asks how they know he won’t kill them both anyway? and the man says, they don’t. Aaron says, they’ll make it right. They’ll get him a new boar. The man says, it’s not about the boar, and Gabriel asks what it is about. The man says, enlightenment. Go ahead. Gabriel looks at Aaron, and picks up the gun. He puts it to his own head, and pulls the trigger, but it just clicks. Aaron looks freaked out, and the man slides the gun over to him, saying, now you. Aaron follows Gabriel’s example, and asks why the man is doing this. The man asks what happened to Aaron’s arm, and Aaron says, it was crushed in a construction accident. The man asks who blinded Gabriel, and Gabriel says, no one. It was an infection. He wanted to hear someone plucked out Gabriel’s eye or chopped off Aaron’s arm? Why? To prove how evil man is? Does the man think he or Aaron will shoot each other? The man tells Gabriel, pick it up now, and Gabriel repeats what he did the first time, and the gun only clicks. Aaron takes the gun and cocks it, and the man asks if Aaron heard that. It makes a different sound when the chamber loads. It’s his choice to make.

Aaron says, they’re not thieves or murderers. They don’t kill each other; they protect each other like family. The man asks if family is supposed to mean something. He knows about family. When he was with his brother and his brother’s family on the road, he saved their lives more times than he could count. One day, he woke up to find his brother stealing the last of his food. His brother just stared at him, then came at him with a knife. Aaron asks, what happened? and the man says he handled it. He didn’t blame his brother, because his brother gave him something valuable that day. Gabriel says, his brother didn’t give him anything. He’s just trying to make sense of what happened. He walled himself off, believing everyone left out there was evil. It was easier to accept than the truth – that he meant less to his brother than a scrap of food. Aaron says, Gabriel… but Gabriel says the man needs to hear it. He knows about looking for meaning. Most times, there is no answer, no grand design, no enlightenment. The man’s brother ripped up his face, and he’s so hate filled, he can’t see. So he murders good people for what? To prove what? The man tells Aaron, pull the trigger. Him or you? Who’s it gonna be?

Aaron starts to point the gun at his own head, and  the man says, what about Gracie. Aaron wants to see her. He knows what he’s got to do. Aaron looks like he’s going to cry, or maybe throw up, and the man says, does he want to see his daughter again or not? Aaron says he does and the man says, then what is he waiting for. Three…  two… one… Aaron starts to put the gun to his own head again, the man says, stop. That’s who people are. Gabriel says, he was wrong. People are capable of more than killing each other. They still love and sacrifice for their brothers. His brother didn’t give him truth; his brother only betrayed him. If he punishes them for his brother’s sins, he’s no better than his brother. He wasn’t always like this; none of them were. But they have to remember who they were, and know who they are. The man says he knows who he is, and Gabriel says he does too. He knows people like the man, good people who’ve been broken by the world. He doesn’t have to be; there’s another way. They have a community of real people, people who were lost and found their way back. He can too. They can help if he lets them. The man says he doesn’t believe Gabriel, but Aaron says, it’s true, and puts the gun down. He says the man should believe Gabriel because that’s who they are. The man thinks about it, sighs, and picks up the gun. He sticks it in his waistband, and cuts Aaron free.

The man says, Mays. His name is Mays. Then, stunning all of us, but mostly Mays, Gabriel takes Aaron’s metal hand, and whacks Mays with it, presumably killing him, and spattering Aaron’s face with his blood. He tells Aaron, it’s okay. They’re good. Aaron says, are they? and Gabriel says they couldn’t take him with them. He killed his brother’s family. Aaron says, let’s just go.    

Wow. I’m so disappointed. Can we not have one episode where everyone plays nice? I want Z Nation back.

Gabriel says Mays heard everything they said. Where was he hiding? Gabriel opens a hatch, and sees a lantern. They walk through the space, which is flanked by steel shelving holding all kinds of supplies. The see a restrained man, who looks like your classic hermit, cowering in the corner. Aaron says, it’s his brother. They see the brother’s wife and child dead on the floor, and Gabriel says they’re not going to hurt him. The brother is obviously scared out of his wits, and Gabriel moves forward. He undoes the restraints, but the brother suddenly has a gun. Aaron tells him, drop it, and Gabriel says they just want to help him. The brother says, help? and Gabriel says, yes; get him out of there. Aaron asks if he wants to come with them, and Gabriel says, just put the gun down. The brother sees his dead family, and in possibly the saddest moment ever, puts the gun to his own head. Gabriel and I both say, no! but he shoots himself, falling next to his wife and child. I almost want to cry.

Gabriel takes the gun, and grabs some cans of food and other supplies. Aaron looks at pictures of Mays, his brother, and his brother’s family in happier times.

Gabriel and Aaron continue to walk. We see a water tower in the distance, and Gabriel says, the water tower. It’s the last place on the map. What does Aaron think? Aaron looks sad, as he has through a lot of this episode, and he nods. He says, one more, and they walk toward the tower.  

Next time, Aaron’s nervous breakdown (just kidding). Princess and the others are captured by stormtroopers, and plan an escape. Ezekiel says they don’t know these people, and they can’t trust what they don’t know.

⚰️ On the flipside, Talking Dead was one of the funniest ever. Seth Gilliam (Gabriel), Ross Marquand (Aaron), Robert Patrick (Mays/Mays’s brother), and writer & co-executive producer Jim Barnes were guests. The lot of them were hysterically funny, with Ross doing a spot-on imitation of Sly Stallone. Robert said Ross had entertained them throughout filming with impressions, and ragged on Seth for being a lousy priest through the entire episode. We also got some nice insight into Robert’s acting technique. He said when playing the brother, he didn’t have much to work with as far as character development went, but tried to incorporate what a rescue dog would have felt like; one that’s been abused, and was afraid of strangers. I thought it was a brilliant choice. Another tidbit we got was that the whiskey brand was named after Duane Jones, who played Ben in the original Night of the Living Dead. This was probably one of the best TD episodes of all time IMO.

🏍 Not So Smooth Daryl…

I’m not sure why he was so nervous. It’s not like there was human contact.

https://ew.com/tv/walking-dead-norman-reedus-daryl-leah-find-me-interview/

🖇 Next…

Time to move on to my other job, and hopefully making up for that lost hour this weekend. Until we meet once again at the Hospital and/or on Deck, stay safe, stay looking forward to spring, and stay on Gabriel’s good side.

Mar8

March 7, 2021 – How Daryl Met Dog, How It Ends, Enter Mays, Josh Takes a Ride, Chaos Filmed, JimmyVision, Jen’s Called Out, Ex-Royal Bombshells & Bad

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Dog! Daryl messes with his bike, and gets on. Carol comes by and picks up a map from the ground, and puts it in Daryl’s backpack. The engine isn’t turning over, and she asks if she ever told him about the pedal sewing machine her grandma had. She’d help when her grandma got tired. She said Carol had an especially strong right foot. He says, she followed him out there… She tells him, no one is following anyone, and he says, she wants to come, right? She says she wants to hunt what’s left to hunt, and he needs a spotter. The bike starts, and she gets on. He tells her that he didn’t say she could come, but he takes off, Dog running behind them as they bicker in fun.

They go through the woods. Carol gives Dog a snack, and Daryl says, five miles due south at the east gate. He tells her, stay close, and remember this spot in case she gets lost. She says she’s not going anywhere. Dog spies something, and they follow him to a dead deer. Carol says, the other deer are probably all gone by now. She suggests they find another spot, and Daryl says he’s thinking the river. She says, let’s do it, and they walk.

Carol stops, telling Daryl that she has a foot cramp. He hopes it’s not her very special strong right foot, and she says she’s fine; give her a minute. He thinks they should have gone the other way, but Carol says they should fish before noon. It’s worth a shot. He gives her a stick, and says, be his guest. He tells dog, watch this disaster, and Carol immediately gets a fish. He says, no way, and she shows him. He says, beginner’s luck. She guts and scales the fish, as he watches, and she tells him, say it. He doesn’t think she’s doing it right. He tells her, try closer to the bone, and she says she’s fileted fish before. Why doesn’t he do it himself? He says, it’s fine, but they should go. It’s going to be dark soon. They need to find a place to stay. Carol asks if he thinks their luck has run out, and he asks what she means. She says, Hilltop was hard for everyone to take, but at least they were there to fight for it. But losing Alexandria… He says, they didn’t, and she says, not yet. It feels different, like everything good in the world is not on their side anymore. He says, they’ll build and start over, and she says, until it happens again. They had a good long run; longer than most. He knows this world. The dead will catch up to them eventually. He says, if they let it. He’s not going to let it. He tells her, let’s go, when Dog takes off. Carol wonders if it’s another animal. He calls to Dog, and they follow.

They move faster, and Dog runs into a clearing, where there’s a cabin with a sun porch. Carol asks if Daryl is coming, and she and Dog go inside to investigate. Daryl sees a woman on the porch, petting Dog, but it’s just in his mind. He goes inside, and Carol is there with Dog. He looks around, and Dog acts all busy. Daryl looks out the window.

Five years ago. Daryl sits by the river. Dog as a puppy runs up to him, and he picks Dog up, kissing him, and wondering where he came from. Dog runs off, and Daryl follows. He finds a makeshift shelter, and takes out a map, putting it on the wall. He circles something, and keeps walking. He sees Carol across the river, and asks, what’s going on? She says, nothing, and he asks if she’s sure. She says, it doesn’t matter. Things are just different. He asks, how? and she says, it’s harder to talk; harder to trade. Maggie left. She took Herschel, and went with Georgie. She’s on her own journey now, like him. He says she knows she’s got to do this, right? She says she knows, and he asks how the kids are. She says she doesn’t know. It’s been two years. How long does he plan on staying there? He says he doesn’t know. As long as it takes. She asks if anything has turned up, and he says there’s a spot up the river that he’s going to check out. She says she does understand. If not for Henry and Ezekiel, and things going on back at the Kingdom… Daryl says he gets it. She should go. There’s a storm coming. Carol tosses him a backpack, and he thanks her. She tells him, be careful, and he says he will.

Daryl sees a lone zombie, and looks near it through binoculars, seeing an overturned canoe near the river. He stabs the zombie in the head, and rights the canoe, seeing a body underneath it. It starts to move, and he smashes its head with his foot. That’s one way to get your aggression out.

Daryl sits in the shelter as it storms around him. He realizes his map is getting soaked and damaged. He grabs it, yelling at the sky. Some of the shelter topples, and he walks out into the storm.

One year later. Daryl sees a knife or something sticking out of a tree. Dog is bigger now, and runs to the cabin, Daryl running after him. He follows Dog into the cabin, and kills a zombie. A woman comes out of another room with a shogun, and asks who the hell he is. Daryl puts his hands up, and she says she asked him a question. He says he’s leaving, and she says, no, you’re not.

Dog digs at the floor, and Carol asks if he found something. She pulls up the floorboards, and Dog gets excited. He pulls out a cuttle bone, and runs off with it. Carol asks if she lived here, and Daryl says, it was a long time ago. He goes outside, where Dog is chewing his bone on the porch. He says he already told Carol everything, but she says, no, he didn’t. He asks what else she wants to know, and she says, whatever he wants to tell her.

It’s night, and the woman pulls the downed zombie outside using the rug. Daryl sits by a fire, his wrists bound. He asks if she’s going to kill him, and she says, should she? He doesn’t say anything, and she says, that’s what she thought. Something tells her that he wants to die. Not today. He says she doesn’t know him, and she says, he’s right; she doesn’t. So she’ll ask him again, who the hell is he? What’s he doing out there on her land? He says his name Daryl. He didn’t come looking for trouble. Her dog found him. He was just trying to help. She says he’s tied up in her cabin with a 12-gauge pointed at his head. What kind of help does he think she needs? She lowers the gun, and takes out a pocket knife. She cuts him loose, and he says, she’s letting him go? She tells him, get out, before she changes her mind. He puts on his backpack, and heads for the door. He asks if she’s going to tell him her name, but she says, no.  

Six months later. Daryl is using a tree stump as a desk, when Dog runs up to him. They walk together, and the woman sees him heading toward the cabin. She thanks him for bringing Dog back. She says Dog likes Daryl, and Daryl says, he’s just a dog; he don’t know any better. If she won’t tell him her name, what about his? She says, Dog, and he says, just Dog? She asks if he’s got something better, and he says, no. At least he won’t forget what he is. She says, it’s not for everyone; living out in the wild and chasing the dead. He says, it catches up with all of them after a while, but she says, only if you let it. He says he’s going, and she tells him, be careful, and goes inside.

Eight months later. Daryl walks down the river in the water. In the forest, he gathers wood, and a bunch of zombies come out. He shoots one with his crossbow, and stabs another in the head. He hears a gunshot, and the woman motions for him to come. He follows her, and they hide behind a tree, as the zombies toddle past. They’re in pretty close proximity, and Daryl almost smiles. When the zombies are gone, he tells her that she needs to stay away from his camp, and keeps walking. She says, name’s Leah, as she walk in the other direction.

Three months later. Daryl heads for the cabin, and tosses a fish inside, but it’s quiet, and he leaves. While he warms his hands over a fire in the woods, a fish is flung at his head. Leah says she can catch her own damn fish, and he asks why she’s always throwing something at him. He was trying to be nice. She says she doesn’t need him to be nice. She doesn’t him to be need anything. She wants to be left the hell alone. He says he won’t bother her again, and she says, then she won’t come around again. He says, good, and she says, great; bye. He turns around, and says, she’s still there. He says he thought she was gone, and she says she is. He tells her that he gets it; being out there by herself. She asks if he’s been out there a long time too, and he says, he lost track a long time ago. She looks at his hands and asks if it’s frost nip. He says, no big deal; he’s had it before. She says, it’s not a big deal until you lose a couple fingers or a hand. Come on.

Daryl sleeps on the floor of the cabin, and wakes to Leah picking up pieces of glass from a frame. She says, it’s his birthday today, and he sees her looking at a picture of herself with a little boy. She says she didn’t have a family growing up. She knew she had to find her own way, her own family. She found it in her squad. They fought side by side for years, and when the world went to hell, they swore they’d stay together, fight together. They gave her hope, and she tried to give it to her son… Matthew was her son. She didn’t give birth to him, but he was hers. He was born of her sister; that’s what Leah called her anyway. Leah lost her when he was born. It doesn’t matter; he’s gone. She fiddles with her bracelet, and covers the floor hiding spot, smoothing the carpet over it. She walks past Daryl, brushing tears away, and looks out the window. She says she held Matthew tight, Dog’s mama next to her; she was pregnant. The dead came from all sides; there was so much screaming… so much blood. She cries, and says she was separated from her family, and she ran; it felt like she ran forever. She ended up there. Her boy was bit. She said goodbye to him the same day Dog was born, and hasn’t seen another soul since. She turns to him, and says, not until he came along. Who did he lose? He says, his brother, and she asks, how? He says, it was an accident. They never found the body. She asks if Daryl thinks he’s still out there, but he says he doesn’t know. He’s not stopping until he finds out. She says, always the hero, huh?

At the river, Leah shows Daryl the fish she caught. He says, lucky shot, and she gets another. He walks away, and Dog follows.

Daryl and Leah look at the moon, and she says, it’s beautiful, huh? They lie together next to the fire, and she motions him closer.

Ten months later. Daryl and Leah eat in silence, and he says if she’s not going to talk to him. She gets up, and he says, it’s only going to be for a few days. She wonders where he belongs. Out there on the river, looking for his dead brother, day after day after day? Or does he belong to the family he left because it became too hard to face what happened? Or does he belong there with her? He says he doesn’t know, and she says he does. She tells him that he has to choose, and leaves.

Carol approaches Daryl, as he’s looking at his map. She says she’s happy to see him too, and he says he’s just busy. He asks, what’s up? and she says she was going to ask the same thing. Does that mean he’s coming back? He says, no, and she gives him a sweater. He says, tell him why she really came, and she asks if she can’t bring a friend a gift. She came because she wanted to tell him that it will be a while before she comes back. He says, okay, and she says, things are tough at the Kingdom, and Ezekiel needs her there. He wonders if she’s asking permission, and she says, no. He says she doesn’t need to ask him to move on with her life, and she says, it’s just… He says she wants him to move on with his? She says she wants him to find some peace. She doesn’t want to lose him because he can’t figure out when to stop. He says she ain’t gonna lose him. He’s just got stuff to do.

Daryl walks through the woods. And walks. And walks. He runs.

Daryl calls for Leah. He sees the broken, now empty, frame, and looks around the cabin, but Leah isn’t there. Dog runs up to him. He packs up some cans, and writes a note. I belong with you. Find me. He puts it under the floor, and leaves with Dog.

On the porch, Daryl tells Carol that he should have been there. He could have helped her. She asks if he thinks Leah is alive, but he says he doesn’t know. She says, it’s possible Leah just left, and he says, what? She says, it’s not an accusation. He says he walked away, and she says he didn’t. He thinks that every time he loses something, it’s because of him. He says he made mistakes, and she says, they all do. Losing Leah isn’t on him. Neither is Rick, or Connie. He says, no. Connie on her, because she never knows when to stop. Carol says she’s sorry for Connie, but not sorry for going after the horde, or making Alpha pay for killing Henry, because she was right. He says, and that’s all that matters; you being right. She says, it’s not just about Leah, or Connie, or anyone else. Why doesn’t he say what he wants, that she shouldn’t have gone. He says she wanted to help, but she says she wanted to run, so she ran. What the skins did to Alexandria, she just couldn’t deal with the guilt. He says, that’s not his problem, and she says, his only problem is that he thinks he can save everyone. She doesn’t need a savior. She doesn’t need a martyr. She needs a friend. He says, friends don’t have the damn same conversation over and over again, and she asks if that’s what’s happening. He says, that’s what’s been happening. He’s sick of it. She says he should have let her get back on the boat, and he says he should have stopped her from running. She’s a runner. Run. He knows where he’s supposed to be, and won’t stop her this time. She says she was right. Our luck has run out, you and me. She tells him, no one is around except them, and it’s going be dark soon.

Next time, Gabriel wonders if think things are ever going to go back to the way they were (as we all do), Gabriel and Aaron explore, Gabriel meets a stranger, and Aaron puts a gun to his own head.   

⚰️ Sometime In the Future…

Sadly, Walking Dead will come to an end with season 11, but at least it will be stretched out due to the pandemic. There’s always an upside.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/the-walking-dead-showrunner-angela-kang-how-story-ends-season-11-final-season-summer/

🌱 Dead Newbie…

Speculation on new character Mays.

https://undeadwalking.com/2021/03/03/walking-dead-fan-theory-robert-patricks-mays-__________/

🏍 New Ride…

Josh Brolin was Norman’s guest rider on the first episode of the new season. It doesn’t ride any better than that.

https://www.amc.com/shows/ride-with-norman-reedus/episodes/season-5-the-north-island-of-new-zealand-with-josh-brolin–54234

💭 Note To Self: STFU…

I’ve never read this YA series, but it sounds like you literally wouldn’t be able to hear yourself think.

https://comicbook.com/movies/news/chaos-walking-movie-review-tom-holland-daisy-ridley/

🦸🏼‍♂️ Jimmy’s Vision…

Jimmy Fallon parodies the world of Wanda.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/late-night-lately-a-very-special-wandavision-episode

👠 AShahlted…

Well, if you can’t pop off at your designer, who can you pop off at?

https://pagesix.com/2021/03/05/jen-shahs-designer-accuses-rholsc-star-of-verbal-assault-amid-audio-leak/

👑 In Case You Weren’t Watching…

All the bombshells that were fit to drop during the ex-Royals’ Interview.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/07/uk/oprah-harry-meghan-interview-intl-hnk/index.html

https://www.popsugar.com/fitness/meghan-markle-suicidal-thoughts-oprah-interview-48203318

https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/prince-harry-meghan-markle-oprah-interview-revelations-48201552

🚘 Another Weekend In the Rearview…

The Dead have come and gone, signaling the start of another workweek, or another stretch of seven days, depending on how pandemically affected you are. But regardless of the calendar you keep, stay safe, stay bouncing back from whatever life throws at you, and stay not having the same damn conversation over and over again with your friends.

Mar1

February 28, 2021 – Maggie Returns To the Fold, All the Globes, That’s a Fact & Good

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What I Watched Today

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

The Walking Dead

Lydia narrates some flashbacks, and brings us up to date. We see the fall of Beta. Lydia says they won, and now they’re on the verge of something else; a bigger world full of endless possibilities and uncertainty.

Maggie hurls a knife into a zombie’s head, pinning it to a tree. Judith walks with her, and Maggie asks what Judith told RJ. Judith said she told him that their mom is looking at same stars under the same sky as they are. She said the same to Herschel. It’s true. Lydia helps get a wagon ready to go out, and Negan tells them, be safe. Maggie looks at him, and he says, hey. He didn’t escape if that’s what she’s thinking. Maggie doesn’t respond, and walks past him. He says, well, sh*t. The credits now give us a short history of the story in silhouette.   

Carol and Daryl confer, and Maggie joins them. She introduces her people Elijah and Cole, thinking they can stay at Hilltop. Carol seems hesitant, and Maggie asks what it is. Carol leads them to piles of dead bodies outside the walls of Maggie’s old home. She says, Negan was with the Whisperers that night. She wanted Maggie to hear it from her that he’s in Alexandria. Maggie makes a face, and says, they let him out? Carol says, Alpha needed to die. Negan was their best chance. They were going to lose everything, and Negan was the reason they didn’t. Cole asks, what now? They go to Alexandria, where Maggie will live next to the guy who torched the place and killed her husband? Daryl says, they’re still figuring things out, and Maggie says they need to get to Hershel and the others. Daryl tells Carol that she didn’t have to, but Carol says she did. She owed Maggie that much. Maggie will never come around on him, but it’s good to see her though. Daryl grunts out a few monosyllables.

Kelly finds Daryl, and says she wants to come with him. She can be his lookout. He says, come on.

They walk through the woods, led by Maggie. Daryl shows Kelly a piece of material stuck to a branch. Maggie walks faster, but Cole says, they’re 10 miles east. They might not get there before dark. Maggie insists they keep going, but he says they have a half hour if they’re lucky. They shouldn’t be out there. They come to a lot full of storage containers, and see a bunch of zombies behind a metal fence, Maggie says, okay, and Kelly says, okay, what? Daryl thinks they should find higher ground in the forest, but Maggie says they’ll sleep better in a shelter. Daryl agrees, and Kelly says, so all they have to do is clear a parking lot of sickos and break into a container. Cole says, no sweat. They open the gate, slicing, dicing, and using a slingshot on the zombies. Cole does a nice double stab to the eyes, and slash upward through the head. (Talking Dead later saluting this one as The Eyes Have It walker.) Maggie opens a container, but a load of zombies are inside, and start to push their way out. She tries to shove the door shut, and cuts open her arm. She calls for help, and Daryl pushes alongside her. These are some tough zombies. Elijah joins them, and puts enough pressure on the door to nicely squash the head of the zombie still preventing closure. Very impressive. Cole tells Kelly, maybe a little sweat.

Daryl finds Maggie in one of the containers and tells her, it’s all clear. He’s glad Maggie is there. She says she was close to the drop for a long time, but when she was, she just didn’t stop. He sits next to her, and asks, what happened out there? She says, Georgie had all these good ideas about doing for others, and it felt good. They found groups, and did what they could, but it always went sideways. He asks if Georgie is still out there, but she doesn’t know. They were in a place near Knoxville a couple summers ago, and found a group. They taught the group how to find water and forage. Georgie and the twins went to check out another place, but she stayed behind with Herschel. The place fell, and they ran. She hasn’t seen Georgie since. He asks, what happened to the village? and Maggie says, not now. It does her good to say some of it out loud. She just can’t say all of it right now. Maybe she should have gone back after Knoxville. He asks why she didn’t, and she says she took a detour. Her Nana had a place by the ocean. After Beth died, she and Glenn had talked about going there for a little while, but they never did. Herschel loved it. Waves twice his size would knock him down, and he’d get right back up, laughing. They got up at sunrise, and watched the water crashing against rocks; it was so peaceful. There were hardly any walkers. They stayed up late one night, and she told him stories about his family, and his grandaddy. He asked how his daddy died – she knew it was coming eventually – and she told him a bad man killed his daddy. He wanted to know if the man got what he deserved, and was he dead. The truth is, she left because couldn’t have Negan taking up any more space in her head, and she realized she didn’t want to bring Hershel back to that. The next morning they met a community of people who needed her and Herschel as much as they needed the community. It felt like it was meant to be. That’s over too. Daryl says, come on home; Carol did. Maggie says, it’s what she had to do. God knows what she would have done if she’d been there. He leaves, and Maggie sighs.

They emerge in the morning, and Maggie says, it’s time to go. Kelly sees a truck farther out in the woods, and bangs on it. She knocks on the cab window, and opens the door. It’s empty. She looks up and sees a blanket hanging from the top of the container, and starts to reach up for it. Someone grabs her ankle, and she sees it’s Elijah. Maggie says Kelly left her post, and tells her that she can’t run off by herself like that. Daryl tells Maggie that Kelly’s sister is missing. Elijah jumps onto the truck, pulls down the blanket, and tosses down some other stuff. Kelly picks up a notebook, and looks through it. Maggie says, Elijah just lost his too, and tells Kelly, they have to go. Kelly says she just had to check.

Maggie asks Daryl if Kelly’s sister is still out there, and he says he hopes so. They can only look so many times. She says, they’re almost there. She can’t wait for him to meet Herschel. They see smoke, and Maggie says, no! and takes off running. They run behind her, and Cole says, sh*t. It’s them.   

Maggie runs into a smoldering building, and calls for Herschel. Elijah runs in, and he and Maggie walk through the house to the back, where Cole, Kelly, and Daryl are standing by a dead body. Cole says, they were followed. They were so damn careful. He doesn’t know how, but it’s them; they’re out there. Maggie says they don’t know that. Cole says, they have two dead, but where’s everyone else, and why haven’t they come back? It’s the Reapers, and Kelly asks, what’s that? Maggie says the Reapers attacked their home, and Cole says, they wipe out anything in their way… Maggie says, enough. They need to get their heads on straight. They need to find their people; find her son. Daryl looks through the rubble, and sees tracks. He says, they scattered. They were running, headed north. They’ll find them; all of them. He asks Maggie if there were more kids in the group, but she says, that’s it. She tells the others, come on. Be quiet and alert. If they run into anything besides their people, kill it.  

Daryl kills a random zombie, and they keep walking. Daryl says, the trail splits, and Maggie asks about Herschel, but Daryl says he lost him. Someone could have picked them up. If they split up the group… Cole says, no way, but Maggie says, splitting up is the best way to find them. Cole says, what if something else finds them? and she says, stay alive. Keep heading north, and she and Daryl will catch up. She and Daryl go in another direction. Cole, Elijah, and Kelly keep walking. Elijah stops for a moment, and looks around like he smells something, and continues on with them.  

They duck down in a ditch, and Kelly says, something’s out there. They’ve got to move. Elijah stays where he is, and Kelly asks if he’s okay. She crouches down next to him, and says, can he… He lifts his mask, revealing a the face of a young man about her age, and she puts her hand on his shoulder. She says, it’s a lot, but you’re not alone. You and me, okay? Maggie is counting on them. Cole hears something, and Kelly tells Elijah, come on.

Daryl seems to be following a trail as he and Maggie go through the woods. We see someone with a spear crouched down, but Daryl grabs them from behind. Maggie tells him, stand down; she’s one of theirs. (Her name is Ainsley, which I also find out later from Talking Dead, and she’s with Maya and Gus.) Daryl says, sorry, and Maggie asks, what happened? Ainsley says, everything was fine, then the whole place was set on fire. Daryl asks if they saw who did it, but she says, no. They just ran. She tells Maggie a few people didn’t make it out. There was something in the woods that took one out, but they couldn’t get a clear look. Gus says, it’s the goddam Reapers. The Reapers are hunting them one by one. Maggie asks where Herschel is, and Ainsley says, he’s out there somewhere, but they’re the first people they’ve seen. Suddenly, a dart hits Gus in the throat.  

They move, darts flying at them. Maggie and Daryl crouch behind some trees, then keep moving. It’s quiet, and they move forward silently. We hear a shot, followed by a scream, and Maya falls in a clearing, clutching her stomach. Maggie and Daryl run toward her, but Daryl says, it’s a trap. They’re trying to flush them out; pick them off one by one. Ainsley runs to Maya, and Maggie says, oh sh*t, calling out Ainsley’s name, but it’s too late. Ainsley falls, but before she dies, points toward them. Maggie says she thinks Ainsley saw Herschel, and that’s what she was trying to say. Daryl says they’ve got to get to Herschel first. Someone shoots at them, and Daryl says, there’s only one shooter. Maggie says, they’ve used three shots. When is it time to reload? She says she’ll go around behind, and tells Daryl to keep their attention. She slips around, and moves toward the shooter, her bow at the ready. She sees the gun sitting on a stand, and looks around.

Daryl goes the other way, and we see an eye watching through the bushes. Maggie hears something, and turns around. A huge dude in tree camouflage appears, and she tries to fight with him, stabbing him. He steps back, and takes out the knife. Maggie steps back as well, and right into a noose that tightens around her ankle. She’s pulled several yards, and he follows, but gets an arrow in his side for his trouble. Daryl flies at him, but arrow or not, this dude tosses him aside like he’s a tissue.

It’s blurry, and we see tree guy remove his camo. He takes a knife out of a tree, while Maggie struggles with the rope. She gets herself loose, and Daryl crawls forward, picking up a weapon on the way. Maggie is on her feet, and says, come on. Tree guy gets an arrow in the chest, and Kelly, Elijah, and Cole surround him. Maggie asks who he is. He’s one of them, right? He attacked their home, and killed her friends and family. Why? They did nothing to them. Who is he? What does he call himself? Tree guy remains silent, and she says, they know it’s just him. Answer or die; his choice. He sees he’s surrounded, and drops his knife. Maggie asks why he did it, and he smiles. He says something that sounds to me like bo-bo chick, but I find out from Talking Dead (tonight’s font of information) that it’s, Pope marked you. He reaches in his jacket, and bringing his hand out holding the pin of a grenade. Maggie yells, get down! and tree guy explodes.    

The dust clears, and they move on. Maggie whistles, and hears a whistle back. She looks up to see a cute little Glenn mini me, wearing a baseball cap, and sitting in a tree. He says, hey mom.

Cole sleeps, and Elijah gives Kelly something to eat. They fist bump. Kelly chows down like she hasn’t eaten in a while. Maggie thanks her for helping Elijah. He’s been through a lot. Kelly says, it’s okay. They all have. Maggie asks who’s older, Kelly or her sister? and Kelly says, Connie is. She came as a surprise for their parents. By that point, their parents were too tired, so Connie kept an eye on her. Even when she had her own life, she shared it with Kelly, and tried to take care of her. She says, Maggie had a sister too. Is she the oldest? Maggie asks how she knew, and Kelly says, you can just tell sometimes. It seems like Maggie has been in charge her whole life. She protects them, so she must have protected her sister. Maggie says she hopes to get to meet Kelly’s sister someday, and Kelly says she will. Daryl looks in, and asks if they’re all right. Maggie nods, and says, yeah, and Kelly leaves. Daryl tells Maggie, it’s real quiet out there, and she says, for now. He says, that guy knew he was a dead man. He was just messing with her. They’ll stay a couple more days, sweep the grounds, and make sure. They’ll take the long way back, cover their tracks, and make sure nothing follows them. He asks if this means she’s coming home, and she says, her people deserve it, and so does Herschel. She’ll deal with Negan if she has to, but right now, all that matters is Alexandria.

They get to Alexandria, and see everyone building the city back up. Daryl asks Carol, what happened? and she says the Whisperers left a parting gift. Cole says, home sweet home? and Maggie says, yeah, it is. She takes Herschel’s hand, and walks in. Negan watches as she walks past him, and he goes inside. Maggie walks through the town with Herschel.     

Next time, Carol says it feels like everything is not on their side anymore. She and Daryl both know this world is going to catch up with them. Daryl finds an occupied cabin in the woods, and lots of zombies are killed. You’d think we’d be running out of them by now.

🏆 Tomorrow, Fashion; Tonight, WTF…?

I don’t even know what to say in a year when Borat wins over Hamilton. People have no taste? It fits with our pandemic times?

Winners & Nominees

I vote for making a highlight out of overturning the vote for Best Musical Comedy.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/28/entertainment/2021-golden-globes-highlights/index.html

Okay, just a little fashion, to take the edge off.

https://www.instyle.com/awards-events/red-carpet/golden-globes/golden-globes-red-carpet-2021

📌 That’s a Fact…

Some moments in Black HERstory, past and present, courtesy of R. Riveter.

Madam C.J. Walker [is] an icon when it comes to entrepreneurship and was the first female self-made millionaire in America.

https://www.rriveter.com/blogs/american-women/black-her-story-month

Gloria Jean Watkins, otherwise known as Bell Hooks, is an author, professor, activist, and feminist who was born during a time when the United States was experiencing lots of change. These changes and their lasting impacts became the topic of many of her writings and professional career. Her unique perspective has given readers insight into how race, gender, and class intersect and shape each person in society.

https://www.rriveter.com/blogs/american-women/black-herstory-month-bell-hooks

Get ready to be impressed beyond your wildest dreams. Kathryn Finney is founder and CEO of digitalundivided, an author, and mentor. It seems she has always been a dreamer and a go-getter her entire life. She graduated from Rutgers University having participated in their student government, honors program, USA Today All Academic team, and had other awards bestowed upon her.

https://www.rriveter.com/blogs/american-women/black-herstory-month-kathryn-finney

⛵️ Until We Sail Away…

Tomorrow brings a new season of Below Deck Sailing Yacht, but whether you’re on board or not, stay safe, stay away from trees that are really dudes in camouflage, and stay continuing to learn about Black History every month, not just February.

Nov16

November 15, 2020 – A Fire In Tank Town, Percy Creates the Louvre For Iris & Lovely

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What I Watched Today

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

Fear the Walking Dead

A woman named Page runs through the woods. We hear horses following. She falls near a zombie downed by a tree. Ginny rides up with John and Ranger Hill. Ginny says it doesn’t have to be the end for her. Page asks what she did, and Ginny calls Hill over. He takes a can of spray paint out of her backpack, and Ginny says she’s been marking the trees. Page says she’s marking which ones to fell, and Ginny says, like this one? pointing to the one on top of the zombie. It says, The End Is The Beginning on it, and Ginny says they’ve found it a lot in the woods, and other places. What the hell does it mean? How long has Page been working with them? She tells Page, Jasper lost his way, and asks Hill if they didn’t bury Jasper around there. They’ve been chopping the lumber she’s using to build a future, and she’d do anything to protect it. Page smiles, but Ginny says she doesn’t recall saying anything worth smiling about. Page says Ginny is scared, and Ginny asks if she looks scared. Page says she does. Ginny asks Hill if Marcus is finished back at Lawton, so she can get the answer she needs. Page grabs Hill’s gun, and says, it’s not about them, but it’s about what Ginny is building. Their future. Ginny says, what about it? and Page shoots herself. Hill asks what they’re going to do with her. A zombie is already gnawing on Page’s arm, and Ginny says, see what she’s got. Cut her stomach open, and see what she ate. There may be a clue. Then bury her where Jasper’s leg is.

We hear voices on an unattended radio. June stands in the back of a truck, and motions two zombies toward her, stabbing them in the heads when they get close enough. She closes up the truck, and Sarah says June is good at making new friends. Malcolm is on a table, surrounded by medical equipment, and June asks when was the last time he ate. He says, a couple of days. June examines him, and tells Sarah her findings. Sarah looks something up, and says, ruptured appendix. He should have been there yesterday. June says, it has to come out, and he asks if she’s done this before. She says, there’s nothing to worry about, and gives Sarah some surgical gloves. June says she’s seen dozens of emergency appendectomies; he’ll be fine. He asks if Sarah is a nurse, and she says, truck driver; a marine before that. She was booted out of boot camp. She told them stick it sideways. He wants to wait for the doctor, but Sarah says, he’s not so good anymore; he’s dead. June gives him some booze, and he says, it’s terrible. Sarah says she’s working on it. June tells him that she’s giving him a shot to make him calm and sleepy. Everything is going to be okay. Sarah says, he’s stable, and June says, let’s do it. They hear a zombie outside, but June says she needs Sarah to stay there. June cuts into Malcolm’s side, and looks at the instructions Sarah is holding. The monitor begins beeping like crazy, and June says he’s going in shock from the infection. He flatlines, and June gets on top of him to begin CPR, telling Sarah to get the adrenaline. She says, come on, Malcolm, and continues, but Sarah says, it’s not her fault. It’s over. June won’t stop pumping on Malcolm’s chest, and Sarah unplugs the monitor. June still keeps going, and Malcolm turns and wakes, throwing her to the ground, him tumbling on top of her. He’s totally crazed, and Sarah stabs him in the head.

June buries Malcolm, and Sarah hands her a flask. June takes a swig, and coughs, saying, she’d hate to taste the bad stuff. Sarah says, it doesn’t matter. Like her brother always says, as long as it gets you to the same place at the end. They pass the flask back and forth. June asks where Wendell went, and Sarah says, wherever June was. June asks how long they’ve been away, and June says, 29 hours. They have to be at Paradise Ridge in three. June says they can’t keep this up, but Sarah says she’s got No-Doze. June says they’re stretched too thin, and there are too many people too far apart. They keep doing too little too late. Sarah says everything June is asking, to build a hospital, Ginny won’t go for it. She already asked, didn’t she? June says Ginny told her it was too dangerous for people to travel. Sarah says, too dangerous for Ginny. Speaking of which, where’s Terry; he’s late. John comes on the radio, and asks if they’re still near marker 68. Terry is sleeping one off, so he volunteered. He tells them, sit tight. He’ll be there in five. June can ride with him.

In the car, June tells John that she lost Malcolm. She told him it was going to be okay and she lost him. When Ginny put her in charge, she thought she’d actually be saving lives. John says they could leave. She asks what he’s talking about, and he says, the cabin is 100 miles from Paradise Ridge. If they’re careful, they can make it on the gas they’ve got, although they might have to hoof it for the last 10 to 14 miles. She says they can’t leave, but he says, Janis and Cameron had a whole plan before Cameron died. Janis tried to give it to him so he and June could escape, but he didn’t take it. She says she wants to save people and make a difference. How can she save anyone by running? John says she can save him. He can’t stay there. He has the feeling if he does, he’s not going to last long. June says, whatever happened, he doesn’t need to protect her. They could get as far away as possible, and Ginny will hunt them down. He says, not if she can’t find them. They’ll be there before she knows they’re gone. June says they can’t leave everyone behind, but he says he wants this for them. Wouldn’t she? Come with him. They hear someone on the radio say, get their asses to Tank Town. There’s been an accident. It’s bad. June tells John, no one will know they’re  gone if they don’t show up. He suggests they go, and put some cans of gas in the car. they can have gas to spare to look for supplies. I wonder why Ginny is so unoriginal with town names.   

They pull up, and see people blackened with soot, some still coming out from under the bridge. June tells Sarah to start assessing who needs help. She asks Luci, what happened? and Luci says, a well blew. They were digging a new one, and everyone got hurt who was working there. There are open flames near the tank. She says they have to go back in, and Sarah tells June, they have to get them out. June asks if they can walk, but Luci says, no. That’s why they’re still there. Another car comes, and Luci says, sh*t. Ginny gets out, and I say, sh*t. Luci says, workers are still in there, and June says she’ll do what she can. Luci tells Ginny, she’s not stopping them, but Ginny says, she wouldn’t dream of it. She came to make sure to keep everyone alive. Luci says, it was safe; they did everything by the book. Ginny tells a Ranger to question the people outside, and tells John to go up above. Make sure oil is the only thing raining down on them. John tells June that Ginny is only helping people for her own ends, but June says she’s going to help those people come out. Then they’ll go away together. They have a brief kiss, and she goes to the truck.

Sarah drives them in, and Luci tells her, be careful. The soil might be unstable. June asks, what happened? and Luci says they had to drill a new well. Sarah asks if she knows why, but Luci says, no. Oil spurts up and is pouring down everywhere. Luci says they don’t want get stuck in it. Keep their eyes on the wind. If it changes direction, they might have to get out. June says, don’t breath it in, and don’t look up. Sarah asks if she’s done this before, and June says, it’s kind of how they met.

They get out, and Ginny asks how long this could go on. Luci says, for months, actually years. Ginny wants them to stop the oil flow, but Luci says they’ll get the workers out first. Ginny looks up, and says, they’re resident philanthropist has been at work. We see a water tower with The End Is The Beginning written on it. Ginny says, it wasn’t there this morning. That’s not an accident; someone meant to do this. She’s not leaving until she finds out who. June says she won’t be finding out anything if they’re not alive, and yells for stretchers. She asks a guy lying on the ground if he’s okay, and Ginny asks his name. June says, he might have a perforated eardrum, and has someone move him. She sees Wes, and asks if he can walk, and Ginny asks where the bunks are. She has to narrow down the field somehow. June calls for bandages, and tells Wes he did great. There’s shrapnel in his stomach, and they have to stop the bleeding. A zombie toddles in, and June fights with it. Ginny shoots it, and looks at scratches on June’s arm, saying, it looks like she arm wrestled with a polecat. We see razor blades attached to the zombie’s fingers, and June says, someone put those on there. Ginny asks what Wes isn’t telling them. This is what she’s there to find out. June asks why she makes it so hard, but Ginny says, everything she does is to protect people. June gives a nearby woman a flask, and says, to take the edge off. The woman takes a swig, and says, it’s terrible. Ginny tells someone to get the woman in the truck, but she says she doesn’t know anything. She tells June, she’s not doing so hot, and June says, load her up. Luci tells the woman, she’ll be fine, and June tells Wes to do his best to stay still. Ginny says they need answers, but June says he’ll die if they move him. Luci says, Wes didn’t do it, and Ginny says, maybe; maybe not. She calls to one of the Rangers to show them what he found in Wes’s bunk. The Ranger dumps out some spray paint cans, and Ginny say she wants to know why he’s spreading destructive ideas around the community. She tells June and Luci that they’re going to help her figure it out.

Ginny asks how long he’s been doing this, and Wes says he doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She asks why he has paint, and he says he likes to paint. She says, here’s the deal. Tell her what she wants to know, and he’ll stop hurting. June says, he needs to be sedated; get him in the truck. Ginny asks why he likes paint, and Wes says he just does. She presses on his wound, and he cries out. She asks where his brother is, and he says, dead. She asks if his brother was with the rebels, but Wes says he doesn’t know. She pushes on his wound again, and he yells. Ginny says, come on. Answer the question. June sticks in the syringe, giving him the sedative. She tells Ginny that she’s going to kill him, and Ginny says, all right. Get him in the truck, but she’s not letting him out of her sight until he answers every question. Is that clear? Ginny looks unhinged, which we’ve never seen before.

June tells Ginny, don’t even look at him until he’s patched up. Ginny says she doesn’t let people die for no reason. They both want the same thing. June says she wants to help these people, and she can’t even help her husband. They open the truck to find everyone has turned into zombies. I guess June won’t be helping them either. June stabs their heads, and Ginny shoots. Sarah gets Wes into the truck, and June tries to lure the zombies away. Luci calls to June, and closes the truck. June says she’ll be right behind. Ginny continues to shoot at the zombies, and the tank that’s on fire blows up. It’s a domino effect, and everything blows and burns.  

Ginny lies unconscious. She opens her eyes, and a zombie next to her gets up. June wakes up near them, and the zombie is on top of Ginny. She smashes it’s head with something, but still gets bit on the hand. She says, no, no, no, and cries. Karma anybody? Couldn’t happen to a nicer person. I’d actually like to see zombie Ginny.

On the radio, Hill asks if Ginny is okay. Ginny says, no, and he says they’re trying to get entry. She tells him, try harder. Where the hell is he? He says, the whole place went up. It’s going to take time. She says she doesn’t have any more time, and smashes the radio. She takes off her belt and makes a tourniquet. She pours alcohol on the wound. June grabs an ax lying nearby, and Ginny says she can do it with that. June says, yeah, but she’s not going to. Ginny asks what she said, and June says, Ginny heard her. Those people died because of her. She made them wait while she asked questions. Ginny says she’ll do it herself. Give her the ax. June won’t give it to her, and Ginny goes all Joan Crawford, repeating, give me the ax. Ginny knocks June down, but June fights back. She sits on Ginny, and picks up the ax. Sarah radios, and Ginny asks June to help her. June says, some dogs you need to know when to put out to pasture. Sarah needs help with Wes, and June gives her instructions. Ginny says she was trying to save everyone from something effecting all of them. June thinks this rag tag group is going to help, but they don’t know what they’re doing. Page blew her own head off rather than answer some questions. They care more about themselves than their women. June may not like her, but they need her. She’s the only thing standing between them and what’s out there. June says Ginny is the problem; she always has been. Ginny asks what June wants. She’ll get it for her; anything. June says she wants to wake up and have her husband back. Sarah comes on the radio, and says they goddam did it. Wes is stable. Get her ass out there. Ginny says June helped people after all. One thing she’s begging June for… Dakota, her sister. June needs to make sure Dakota is all right and taken care of. Everything she’s done, she did because she wanted Dakota safe. That’s all she wanted. Maybe June will have better luck. She does love Dakota; she did love her. June has no idea what it’s like to care so much about someone, and not able to help. June says she does, and puts the grain alcohol on the ax. Ginny asks what she’s doing, and June says, something she may regret. Ginny yells, and we hear a chop.

Ginny comes to, and June tells her, don’t move. There are two things that can calm a rising wound; gun powder and hot metal. Today is Ginny’s lucky day. Ginny says, that’s not what it feels like. June asks what Ginny knows about these people. Who did this? Ginny says they should talk; they’ll talk. June says they will. Ginny was right. There is something she wants. Ginny asks, what is it? John comes through the wreckage, and he and June hug. He sees Ginny, and radios for a stretcher.

Ginny is in the car, and Hill asks what she wants him to tell her sister. She says she needs to talk to her. She needs to hear Dakota’s voice. He radios for someone to find Dakota. June asks Luci if Wes is okay, and Wes says he’s in one piece. Sarah says they can’t say the same for Captain Hook, and asks June, what happened? June says she saved Ginny’s life, and Wes asks why’d she do that? Luci says she was wondering the same thing, and Sarah says, that makes three of them. June says she’s giving them a hospital, but Luci says they can’t trust her. Good people died; their people. They have to matter. June says they have to make it matter. They can watch their backs. They’d be calling the shots, not Ginny. They get to choose where to put the hospital, and who works there. Sarah says they’re force isn’t exactly John Hopkins, and June says she made Ginny give them another medic. Or at least someone who should have been one. A car pulls up, and Wendall says, got room for him? Sarah runs out, and hugs him. I get a little teary.

John tells June, they’ll be clearing out soon, and June says they’re going to be given a hospital. She can’t leave. She doesn’t want to leave. He doesn’t understand. Every time she’s run, it leads to something worse. She wants to lead; she doesn’t want to run. He says he can’t stay, and June says, they might need him too. Ginny goes past in her car, and John says Ginny pulled the wool over June’s eyes like she did with him. June says, it’s them, here, now; and John says, maybe she can do it.  Sarah tells June, they’re going scouting, and Wendall says they have no gas to burn anymore. June asks if John will follow behind, and he says, of course. She runs to the truck.

John follows the truck until they get to a fork in the road. He goes the other way.

Next time – the mid-season finale – Dakota tells Victor, now is the time to do something; Morgan says, it doesn’t have to go this way; Alicia gets into trouble; and Ginny asks Victor who’s side he’s on.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond

Huck had a weird ass acid trippy dream involving a bar with a jukebox. She woke up, cleaned her gun, and went out hunting for whatever she could find. She rifled through a zombie’s clothes, taking what was usable, and found a Marine pin, which she took as well. A truck came by, and she hid until she saw it was Felix. He took her back to where they were holed up, and she passed out clothes. Tony showed Elton some magic, and it was all good. For a minute.

Huck gifted Felix with a full bottle of Mountain Dew, and he said he would never stop missing it. He drank it like water back in the day. She told him, as long as they kept to the side streets, they should be good, but he said they didn’t have enough fuel to get to New York. Tony said he had a lead on where they could get some more, and showed them a military map. He said it looked to be useless, but looks were deceiving. He took out some sheets of plastic, and explained he’d used them in illusions. When they put the plastic on the map, and shined a light on it, it oil drops were revealed. Tony said, that’s where the hidden CRM fuel caches were. It was all gas they needed. Percy told them it was where the helicopters touched down to refuel. Tony asked Felix when they were going to drop him off, but Felix didn’t know yet. He told Tony that the girls’ father was in a secret research facility. 

We got some of Huck’s backstory when she flashed back to the same bar her dream took place in. She was there in a blindfold playing darts, and hit the target in the center. She flirted with a guy there, who said they had each other’s backs. Suddenly, there was breaking news on the TV that a 6th hospital was on lockdown.

Percy found Iris using the plastic sheets on another map, and asks if she found anything. She told him to get Hope, and said it was the map the colonel gave her. She pointed to something, saying, there it was; a double helix. Now they knew where their father was. Everyone was happy. For a minute.  

The kids found some liquor, and partied upstairs. Felix wanted to put a stop to that, but Tony told him, let them be teenagers. Huck excused herself, saying she was tired. Her trip had brought back memories. Tony and Felix shared a flask.  

Elton said the booze was like a warm sack of nails hugging his insides, and Hope said, let’s party. They pulled some couches over, and Percy suggested they play Truth or Dare. Elton didn’t know what that was, but he was in. Iris chose truth, and Percy asked, if she could do anything she wanted, what would it be. She said she’d hit the Louvre, and Percy said he’d been hoping for an answer with a less tranquilizing effect, but she said, a girl can dream. Percy made a toast to dreaming.  

Felix drank with Tony, and wondered if he was helping or putting everyone in more danger. Tony said they couldn’t predict the future. He was a man of many lives before he became Percy’s legal guardian. He got money from the state, and thought he’d hit pay dirt, but it wasn’t a day before he knew he’d give his life for Percy’s. Who knew? They heard the kids laughing, and Felix said, who knew?  

It was Hope’s turn, and she also chose truth. Percy asked what was the worst thing she’d ever done, and she said she locked the faculty bathroom after spiking the teachers’ coffee with laxatives. Percy didn’t think it was the truth, and said, you can’t con a con man. Silas told him to stop, but Hope said he was right. The worst thing she’d ever done was agree to play this stupid game. She left, and Elton followed her. He hugged her, and she told him that he was drunk, and she needed to be alone.

On the roof, Huck pondered the Marine pin, and remembered being back in the military, along with the guy from the bar. The sergeant told them they were being deployed to the city. They were to locate civilians, escort them to safety, and eliminate the hostile targets they encountered. Everyone yelled, kill! They shot a bunch of zombies, one of the Marines asking, what the hell were those things? Huck said they had been people, and a shot in the head shot seemed to take them down. Huck and her friend heard live people in a building, but it was dark, so they had to put on special goggles that made the live people show up in red. They shot the zombies, and Huck told the people they were safe.     

Hope found Huck on the roof, and Huck told her that she shouldn’t be up there drunk, or there at all. She asked what was eating at Hope. Something had been up since the blaze, and it wasn’t something small. Hope said she’d killed someone the night the sky fell. She didn’t know who the woman was, but the woman was scared Hope’s mom was going to take her truck, and freaked out. Hope started to cry, saying, it was all her fault. She told Huck, the woman dropped the gun, and she picked up, pointing it at her, and it went off. The woman was pregnant, and Hope killed her. She was Elton’s mom. Huck told Hope that she was just a kid, and the woman had killed her mom in front of her. Hope said Iris knew, but didn’t know it was Elton’s mom. Huck told her, she shouldn’t. They couldn’t change what was done, but they could carry the truth for others. They had the strength to do it. She said, welcome to the party, kid. The night managed to get darker, but she promised the light would come.

When they got to the fuel cache, Tony told them there was gas enough for whatever they wanted. Hope told Huck that she’d finished his mother’s book, and thought she was smart and kind. She thinks his mother just freaked out because of what was happening, and thought Elton would forgive what happened, but Huck told her to choose the finer thing. Hope said they’d be stuck living lie, but Huck said no one knew it was a lie. The others got to live, while the two of them would pay, but the others would live because of them.

Huck flashed back to getting orders from Central Command; Sunset Protocol. They were to kill all targets in the grid, and put down anything walking. Friendly or unfriendly; civilian or hostile; living or dead.

Still on the roof, Huck heard a noise, and thought it was Hope. She went inside to find a guy holding a gun to Hope’s head. Downstairs, Tony and Felix were checking the place out. Tony said his philosophy had been keep moving, keep conning, keep surviving. He’d been living on the streets, surviving on anything, when he met a girl who showed him there was more, but it’s different now. Felix said, maybe it didn’t have to be. They went into a room filled with pipes, and found the fuel. Tony said, jackpot.

The guy told Huck to stand back, and she said she was a statue. She saw a wound on his leg, and he said, they were the helicopters. He asked how many more there were, but Huck said she and Hope were just scavenging; they weren’t them. He said they had the same symbol on their jackets, and asked who they were. The place was belonged to his group, and they took it, so his group took it back. Huck said it wasn’t them, and he said he woke up, and his brother had turned. Huck told him that he wasn’t going to last much longer with that leg. She said their names were Hope and Huck, and they were just passing through. She asked his name, and he said, Walter. Huck told him that she could help him, but he had to let her friend go first. Then he could train the gun on her. Hope was just a kid; focus on her. Walter let Hope go, and he asked how she could save him. It was impossible. She said, trust her. They could do it. He let Hope go.

In Huck’s mind, her friend said a Central Command order was like a order from God. What if it was the only way they could stop it from spreading?

Walter said they shouldn’t be there. Maybe none of them should be. It wasn’t personal. Huck said if he shot her, he’d be taking his own life. She could help him. She’d seen people survive after the infection.

Huck remembered the sergeant saying he had verification on Sunset Protocol. He didn’t like it any more than they did, but it was absolutely necessary. Any Marine that failed to comply with orders would be taken into custody, and brought up on charges.

Walter said, it wasn’t supposed to go this way. Huck took his gun from him, and told him it was okay. Huck flashed back to seeing live people behind a fence, including children, frightened and crying. She kicked the light switch, and shot all of the Marines, including her friend. In the present, Huck shot Walter, and Hope said Huck told him that she could save him. Huck told her, sometimes, you have to forgive yourself. The others joined them, and Huck said she saved Hope. She suggested they get the hell out of there, and Tony looked at a CRM notebook Walter was carrying. He said it was something to work with.

Iris checked out the notebook, and said Hope was more bummed than she usually was. She felt like they were changing, and Hope said she felt like it was just a start. Tony announced that he and Felix talked it over, and he and Percy decided to extend the terms of their agreement. They were going to stick around and help find the girls’ dad. After that, who knows? Let the chips fall where they may. Felix said they were getting on the road at first light. Percy told Iris to come to the truck in an hour. She asked, for what? but he told her to just come. Silas kept an eye on all of this. Elton told Hope that he was sorry about what happened. It meant everything that she was still alive and with them. He did a disappearing card trick, and said he wouldn’t want lose her like the queen of hearts. Show someone the impossible, and suddenly everything seems possible. She thanked him for sharing his mother’s book, and said, she was an amazing woman. Elton said she was, and maybe she still is. Who knows? Everything is possible. Hope agreed.

Hope told Huck that she was right. If she’d told Elton, she would have just been doing it for herself. The truth would crush him. Huck said Hope was a good person, and Hope showed her a necklace, saying she took this from Elton’s mom. Did Huck still think she was a good person? Huck said she knew it, and the necklace proved it. It was a reminder, something she wore every day, to remember something bad she’d done. A reminder to keep living to do good. It was the only way to make the bad mean something.

Iris looked inside the truck, and Percy had made it like a room in the Louvre. At least as much as you can make a truck look like that. He had posters of artworks hanging up, and a larger reproduction of the Mona Lisa with a light on it. There were candles all around, and books on art. Iris fell asleep reading one, and when she woke, went back inside to find Percy. What she found instead was Tony with his face bashed in, and Silas’s wrench nearby. She called to Felix and Hope, and they saw a trail of blood leading to another body. Elsewhere, Silas was drunk and passed out.  

Next time, Felix says Silas was found passed out covered in blood, Iris says Tony and Percy must have had enemies, Elton tells Silas they’re going to leave him, and we see Silas tied to a tree while a zombie approaches.  

⛴ Until the Ship Sails…

I have to get up early, so that’s all, folks. I’ve tried that staying up all night stuff, but then I crash by noon. Until we meet on Deck, stay safe, stay unflinching, and stay living to do good, and making the bad mean something.