The Walking Dead

[Diddly]

Man, one episode left... where has the season gone? Seeing a lot of hate for this season online but I've loved it outside of the stupid hospital arc.

So many questions... what is Nicholas going to do with Rick's blender gun? What's up with the Wolves? Where does Sasha factor in? Will Carl avoid the friend zone?

One weird thing I noticed, the episode takes place over like 2 or 3 days. Why didn't Deanna interview Eugene or Glenn about what happened? Their stories would sync up for the most part. That's also plenty of time for Maggie to warn Rick and co about what Gabriel did, maybe have somebody go rough his worthless ass up.

Biggest issue with the episode was the naked chick Daryl and Aaron found tied to the tree. Same issue Jesse James (I think) pointed out with the zombie that bit Herschel's ankle in season 3; if a zombie isn't snarling or moving, it's dead. They don't "sleep." It should have been up and moving the second they approached it.

[Jesse James]

Zombies DO sleep, sort of.  They've mentioned that, but I dunno what stirs them.  Maybe she was just coming to, as a zombie that is, since that'd happened just
recently? 

They have proven they do nothing though, and go dormant...  The ones in the bar/diner place in Rick's home town for example, and other places.  They just sorta chill out.  The ones in the church too...  which had constant noise around them, but they still just sat in pews, which is even weirder.  That goes back to the first episodes actually too, where they sort of have residual memory to where they try to get into their homes, or do familiar things.  I've always found that kinda weird/interesting.

This was a boring episode, simply put.  I'd have liked to have seen more regarding last week's referenced in this week.

Frankly I find the whole domestic disturbance arc silly...  Nobody would give a ****.  He's a surgeon, Rick's been out in misery so long.  He shouldn't be caring about this other than story/tension being crowbarred.  It'd be more interesting if it were another character taking an interest in it.  I just don't buy Rick biting on this whole thing though, and think the more "realistic" thing would be he'd not care that much.  Slightly, but not a lot, and not enough to screw stuff up.  He's been through far worse than this.  I think at best he'd just discuss it with Deanna, say it needs monitored, but basically leave it alone.

Also 100% don't buy Pete getting ANY upperhand on Rick.  Rick's first a trained police officer, and not in exactly BAD shape.  Second, he's been out in the real world, not behind the fantasyland wall.  Third, he's fought the Governor, Claimers, Terminus guys, prisoners, and a sea of undead...  Suddenly Pete the Surgeon is an F'n ninja though?  Please.

Had the scene of going through the window been simply Pete going through it, and Rick coming out the front door, I'd believe that a billion times more.  I hated that entire fight sequence.

And I really hate everyone in Alexandria at this point.  The only redeemable citizen is the dog the kid was walking, and maybe the fat girl at the warehouse who obviously forgot to do her cardio in the zombie apocalypse.  The rest are idiots, and Deanna is their queen.

Oh, and very much over Sasha...  FFS kill her soon because she's boring at this point.  She's apparently the only one allowed to have feelings.

I was warned this episode was ass, and it kinda was.  Darryl/Aaron were without a doubt the most interesting aspect of the whole thing.

[Qui-Gon Jim]

Maybe she was just coming to, as a zombie that is, since that'd happened just
recently?

I think that the girl was dead, and that she turned while Darryl was holding her head.

At one point during this episode, I asked my wife if anyone was actually inside the walls.  Definitely disappointed that there was no follow-up on Gabriel.   I agree with Jesse- Rick ripped someone's throat out with his teeth.  A softie from inside the walls is not beating Rick in a scrum.

[McMetal]

I hated this episode. I thought the writing was atrocious, especially pretty much everything Rick said/did. He just seemed completely out of character. WTF was he thinking telling Deanna about executing Pete? Rick wouldn't do that. And he certainly wouldn't go all crazy Rick waving his gun around like that at the end. He's way past that. And NO WAY IN HELL does a weak dope like Pete go toe to toe with Rick like that even for a few seconds. This is the dude who destroyed Man-Mountain Tyreese. He's got chunks of guys like Pete in his stool, for chrissake.

I kept thinking what Carol told Rick when they arrived: "You were wrong, but you were right".

He should have taken the moral high ground with Deanna, who is basically revealed to be just like Dawn. Go ahead and rape/abuse our women as long as it keeps things running smoothly. What kind of idiotic self-loathing woman, a former congrsswoman no less, would get on board with that? It's asinine. Rick could have made that obvious but he bungled that whole conversation.

How would Nicholas have known about Rick's gun? And why would he even care/need it?

Sasha is an idiot. Keep wasting ammo, babe, that's just what "they" are hoping for by herding all these walkers towards your gate. And WTF was she looking at when she saw that woman running? Her act is growing tiresome.

I didn't really get the whole thing with the woman strapped to the tree. What were the remains by the fire? Not hers clearly. Was she with someone else and they got jumped? Is that the implication? She was supposed to be walker bait?

What I did like: the girl with Carl turning out NOT to be a mole/psycho/whatever. Just a normal kid. Also liked Glenn getting heavy with Dick-o-las.

Agreed it was weird that Deanna never took the time to talk to Glenn or Eugene.

#KeepWalking

[Qui-Gon Jim]

Pretty much with you note-for-note, McMetal.  Rick has seemed pretty out of character since they arrived.  One smell of a clean woman drives him nuts?  Hasn't it only been a couple months at best since his wife was killed? 

Also so, so done with Sasha.

[BillCable]

Sasha was looking at the crowd rush to see the fight.

I think the loose limbs are somehow associated with that truck full of torsos they ran into earlier in the season.  I'd guess they're trying to weaponize them somehow, but I can't imagine how being limbless would make them effective.  Maybe they fill a pit with them and toss in enemies?

Doesn't make sense at all how Rick's lost his ****, but I expect a lot of people are going to suffer as a result of it.

[Scockery]

Based on Deanna's desire for transparency, we'd have to assume she talked to Glenn and Eugene. But they didn't want to pay Eugene for this episode (is that how it works?).

I dislike how they did the follow-up to last episode. The awkward family listening to Nine-Inch Nails, the casserole snub, the "who is in the graves?" mystery (did anyone recover body parts from last week?), Glenn's wasted efforts talking to irredeemable Nick.

Rick made Gabriel's case better than Gabriel ever could.
Rick is now Shane, Michonne is Rick, Sasha is Michonne.

Lifetime channel movie antics with Rick and the abused wife...watch, she'll end up killing Pete or her youngest son will.

There is an absurdity to Alexandria, because so far, Aaron seems to be the only competent person. Deanna has noble ideals, but cannot enforce them well. Everyone else seems to think what happens outside the walls, stays there.

The magic hollowed out make-out tree, which would be a death trap if the walkers saw you inside it.

[Matt_Fury]

The people of Alexandria think they are completely secure...it will take something drastic to wake them up.

The people of Alexandria do not think other people pose a real threat to them...it will take something catastrophic to make them think differently.

Someone, or some group is out there cutting up walkers to use their torsos as some sort of weapons.  They attacked and killed everyone at Noah's home and now seem to have moved near Alexandria.  Guess we will find out who they are next week.

[Jesse James]

Catapult zombie torsos in?  Like raining fire down, but in zombie form?  Seems kinda unlikely.

BTW let me also say, F the constant wasting of ammo...  highly unbelievable that anyone in this situation would be letting Sasha go release pressure by pissing away AR15 rounds in the woods.  Get back to killing silently with melee weapons and grow the F up you silly little girl.  Welcome to the apocalypse, my kid cut his baby sister out of his mother's stomach then shot her in the head...  I think you're not the only mental case out here.  Dumb dumb.

All of them though, stop wasting rounds...  Just stop it, and quit with the douchebaggery.

[BillCable]

Don't they have a pretty stout supply of ammo?  I remember racks of rifles and a freezer full of handguns, but I don't remember seeing ammo boxes.  I think if there was any hint of a shortage the quartermaster would stop handing it out.

[Jesse James]

In a world where you can't go to WM and buy more, you always have an ammo shortage.  Unless they have someone there capable of reloading, it is always a waste.  Especially the larger caliber stuff.  .22 shells may be ok to piss away some and pick off zombies long range but I think I'd want a stockpile of the big stuff for bigger problems.  Like people.

[P-Siddy]

Perhaps the show is on "Unlimited Ammo" mode?

[Qui-Gon Jim]

Perhaps the show is on "Unlimited Ammo" mode?

I'd say that's the case since it seemed like Michonne fired 7000 shots from that pistol. I don't really care about this kind of thing normally, but everything else is presented as so realistic, the lack of concern about using bullets drives  me nuts.

[JediJman]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I'm really liking the Alexandria storyline.  These people had stockpiles of supplies and wouldn't have had trouble getting more with most of the population initially cleared out.  They got a wall up with little opposition and are absolutely clueless about how to survive in the new world.  Given those circumstances, of course they are mostly made up of worthless idiots.  Deanna recognizes that they need to change and grow - I just think she's overwhelmed with grief over her son.  She hasn't experienced loss as much as most people.

On the flip side, I think Rick and others are wildly confused about what's right and wrong in this new world.  I think a lot of you are disregarding the long term mental impact of surviving a zombie apocalypse.  It would have to be shocking surviving on the road for so long, then showing up in a gated community with all the riches of normal life.  Look at how Michonne felt like she was coming out of a daze this episode.  They're stuck between this fantasy of safety versus knowing the dangers (human and zombie) that are right outside and maybe even within Alexandria's walls. 

Rick has opposition for leadership for pretty much the first time since Shane.  He talks big about taking what they want, but I think that heavily conflicts with his sense of humanity and right vs. wrong.  I thought the domestic struggle was fascinating.  I saw it less as Rick vs. Pete and more about Human Rick vs. Animal Rick.  He could have just shot Pete if he could bring himself to do that, but instead he's grappling with what to do about this guy and further conflicted because he's drawn to Jesse.  He's holding back.  Is he doing this for her benefit or for his and what's really the best thing for the group if this is their only doctor?  That's totally Rick fighting with himself, not Pete kicking his ass.

I think Nicholas spotted Rick hiding the gun initially, which makes sense if he's one of the group's runners.  He snatched and hid it for an emergency.  I hope he never gets the chance to use it.  I loved the voting on the talking dead where people said the most interesting thing to throw at a zombie would be Nicholas. 

I do think the blatant waste of ammo is annoying.  It was great when Rick's group stood by the overpass and just dodged walkers to get rid of them.  But the Alexandria people are living a life of excess, so not surprised to find it's fairly easy to acquire and waste bullets at will.  Also getting tired of Sasha - she is filling a critical role as sniper, but the rampage is getting tiresome.

I suspect the people of Alexandria know what's going on with the W - they just haven't said anything about it yet.  This wasn't in the comics that I recall, but I think it's leading up to a new baddie for the group to tangle with, which should be great.  Can't wait to see what the premise is for zombie torsos.  The most interesting part is that the girl tied to the tree just recently turned.  So if she's not from Alexandria, then there must be other survivors nearby. 

I really like the Daryl and Aaron pairing.  Agree that they are the best part of the show right now.  I don't understand why they didn't go after the campfire or whatever it was they saw though.  Their job is to find new people and it sure seemed like they had time to get to the camp or whatever that was.  Even if they got there late, isn't Daryl some kind of master tracker?  Whoever that was is clearly tied to the whole W mystery.

Bring on the finale!

[Scockery]

Walking up on a camp of unknown people at night would be dangerous.  Aaron waited until morning to contact Rick's group.