The Walking Dead

[Matt_Fury]

3) I thought Alpha said something about the walking dead crew going to their territory. So are the baddies nomads or do they have a base? And if the cemetery is part of their home turf, how is this the first time everyone's bumped into each other in 6+ years?

If you saw the symbol on the street sign when the folks from the Kingdom were leaving the theater, that's a symbol to mark the territory of the Whisperers.  My guess is that the Whisperers moved into the area with the herd sometime after the communities cut themselves off from one another, so they've gone relatively unnoticed until now.

[Matt_Fury]

Pretty good episode last night, good insight into how the Whisperers live.

I like how they are portraying Beta.

[Dave]

When are we going to finally find out about Michonne and Daryl's scars, and why there was a breakup between the different communities?  They've been dragging this plot point out all season long.
 

Are they going to wait for the fair episode and bring that all in to the mix?

[Matt_Fury]

When are we going to finally find out about Michonne and Daryl's scars, and why there was a breakup between the different communities?  They've been dragging this plot point out all season long.
 

Are they going to wait for the fair episode and bring that all in to the mix?

I'm sure it's coming....my guess is either the season finale, or the episode before that.

[GrandMoffNick]

I thought that episode was a dud.

Wouldn't Lydia tell you what Beta looked like and then Daryl coulda just shot the tall zombie instead of a random one?

And would they really just let the Highway Men have access to the fair because they agreed to a deal over a movie?

[Matt_Fury]

I thought that episode was a dud.

Wouldn't Lydia tell you what Beta looked like and then Daryl coulda just shot the tall zombie instead of a random one?

And would they really just let the Highway Men have access to the fair because they agreed to a deal over a movie?

They had a plan to separate the Whisperers from their walkers....it wasn't just about getting Beta.

I kinda liked the highwaymen storyline....especially the throwaway line by Carol about the splinter group of saviors not being a problem anymore. 

[GrandMoffNick]

I still would have taken my opportunity to kill Beta.

[Dave]

I know its a zombie apocalypse show, so I need to suspend disbelief, but I'm continuously annoyed by new groups popping up just down the road that nobody has encountered before. 

We're ten years in to an apocalypse and large organized groups like The Whisperers and The Highwaymen just appear within a days walk of The Kingdom / Alexandria / Hilltop, etc.  How were these groups never found during scavenging missions, destroyed/assimilated by The Saviors, or just died off through attrition (no doctors, etc.).  I can probably buy Magna's small transient group just wandering in to the area, although not stashing bottled water in a warehouse if they're perpetually on the move.  I could maybe buy it if The Whisperers were a transient group following a herd, but they're marking territory that they feel they own so they must not be venturing all that far.

I know they need some level of conflict to drive the plot, but I would hope that they could find something more logical and creative then what they're doing now.

[Matt_Fury]

I still would have taken my opportunity to kill Beta.

About halfway through the fight...I bet Darryl agreed with you!

[Matt_Fury]

Did anyone else notice that the commercials were kind of screwing with the episode last night?  There were definitely some scenes that got cut because of odd commercial placement.  I ended up recording a later viewing to make sure I didn't miss anything.  I saw all the major plot points though....overall a good episode.

[BillCable]

It was great seeing Rutina Wesley!  I used to love her in True Blood.

Pretty satisfying explanation for the scars and Michonne's paranoia. 

[Matt_Fury]

Pretty satisfying explanation for the scars and Michonne's paranoia.

I totally agree...especially since that all happened approximately 6 months after Rick "Died".

[Dave]

Pretty satisfying explanation for the scars and Michonne's paranoia.

I totally agree...especially since that all happened approximately 6 months after Rick "Died".

I don't get it at all, and really didn't care for the episode.

They teased "X" scars all season and it comes down to a single lady and a bunch of kids gaining confidence, stealing food and not guns, capturing, and then branding people???  WTF???   What were they going to do next, just let them go with brands on them?  Torture them to death?  What was the point of the branding other than to get the kids to be mean?  Why not just have them slit their throats?

I was totally let down by the "X" scars and how Michonne is no longer willing to trust outsiders.  Maybe this plot line needed to be more than one episode, or maybe it just needed to be better.

I'm not even going to get in to my usual rant about how a single lady and a bunch of kids could survive unnoticed within easy walking distance of Alexandria for years and not be killed/absorbed by The Saviors, zombies, or starvation.

I don't know if these guys are running out of ideas or good writers, or both.  It seems like the story lines made a lot more sense in previous seasons.

I too was annoyed by the 20 second bits set in the middle of a commercial break.  At first I thought there was a problem with the broadcast, and then just realized they were doing something weird.  Is that supposed to force us to watch the commercials more?

[GrandMoffNick]

I thought the logic of the branding was weird. But I guess the purpose was to give us a physical something to see all season and then wonder about.

I'm on board with liking the explanation of why Michonne would shut down her community. I thought they nailed that.

And lastly to Dave again, man you and I are on such different pages on this. I think the show would be really boring without other people surviving. And if the only groups that can survive are supposed to fit into some wilderness savy, survival savy, adults, etc etc etc whatever, then that sounds boring too.

My standards are too low maybe, but what we need our logic in a TV show about the zombie apocalypse to fit is so different. I'm glad I don't watch this show with those glasses on.

[Dave]

And lastly to Dave again, man you and I are on such different pages on this. I think the show would be really boring without other people surviving. And if the only groups that can survive are supposed to fit into some wilderness savy, survival savy, adults, etc etc etc whatever, then that sounds boring too.

I totally agree that for the show to be interesting they need to have external conflict - zombies, wildlife, nature, new groups, etc.  Internal conflict is kind of boring - e.g. Maggie arguing with Michonne.

The part that bothers me is that we've seen some highly organized and heavily armed groups (The Saviors, Terminus, The Governor's group, etc.) get destroyed through conflict.  And any groups that wandered in to their sphere were quickly wiped out/assimilated. 

My ask is that any outside group that has managed to survive for five+ years needs to really have their act together.  Especially if its a large group - e.g. The Whisperers, Highwaymen, etc.

Ultimately I'd like to see some more creativity around the threats.  And it still bugs me that you can walk for a few hours and find a whole new group that is threatening yours that you never new existed, even though you've been there for 10 years.