THE WALKING DEAD 407: DEAD WEIGHT

Golf will never be the same…

Look at this, it hasn’t even been 24 hours since this week’s episode of The Walking Dead aired and we are posting our review.  [Insert virtual pat on the back].  Hopefully, this becomes more of the norm, instead of the last minute blog posts.  Although forcing yourself to think about the previous episode right before the new one airs does have some benefits.  I will admit that I felt fully prepared to see what The Governor had in store for us this week.  So, let’s get to talking…

1.  Seriously, still no prison gang – TWD, you are killing me.  Another full week of The Governor?!  And, to make it worse, we are back to the crazy, violence-loving guy that I hate.  I guess the writers decided that redemption for The Governor wasn’t going to happen.  We all likely knew that was coming, especially given the face-off between The Governor and the prison gang that has been alluded to over and over again.  But, why was I forced to watch two full episodes of this mad-man when nothing has really changed for him?  Come on!

2.  Not Michonne! – Yes, I was screaming at the TV last night when The Governor had his gun pointed at Michonne.  Full on screaming.  (Again, be glad you don’t have to watch this show with me).  The previews indicate that one of prison gang will die in next week’s mid-season finale.  And, it is clear that The Governor has his “eye” set on Michonne.  But, please please, let’s not kill her off, or Rick, or Daryl, or Glen, or Hershel, or Maggie…  My vote is for Bob.  Ain’t nobody got time for this alcoholic in the zombie apocalypse.

3.  The psycho is back – As I mentioned before, the psychopath Governor is back.  And, I am not a fan.  Seriously, what was the point of the entire last episode if The Governor ends up just being as crazy as he was before?  I mean, I get the whole angle that the show was trying to go for–let’s show The Governor trying to keep his evilness in check, but then ultimately being unable to do so.  I think the problem is that I am just tired of The Governor.  I find him to be uninteresting and simply annoying.  Because of this, I am looking forward to next week’s episode a lot…but not because I want to see a huge battle; instead, because I am hoping The Governor will die and I won’t ever have to see his pirate-patch again.

*Side note – although I didn’t think it at the time, all those signs nailed onto the headless bodies described The Governor, didn’t they?  Liar, murderer, rapist??  Sounds like him to me.

4.  Here is what I am concerned about – Beyond being worried about who the zombie flu has next attacked or how Daryl handled the news about Carol, I am worried about whether the prison population will even stand a chance against The Governor’s crew and that tank!  Taking on The Governor the first time around when everyone was healthy was hard enough, but is anyone beyond Carl strong enough for an all-out battle??  This is what keeps me up at night.  (Well, that and never being to un-see Olivia Pope’s mom chew her own arm off…yeah that happened on Scandal last week.)

What did y’all think?

-LJ

THE WALKING DEAD 406: LIVE BAIT

Seriously, who doesn’t like spaghetti-os??

Nothing like waiting until the last minute.  That seems to be the trend with the blog these days.  But, I have 30 minutes left until this Sunday’s episode airs…so, we better get to talking and fast!

1.  So, that is what he has been up to – Much to my dismay, this episode of TWD focused entirely on The Governor.  Now, as I said last week, I like David Morrissey.  But, the crazy, cartoon-ish man that The Governor became last season was too much for me.  So, imagine my frustration when I had to watch an entire episode about him.  Let’s just say I was not pleased.  Unfortunately, I have no power in TWD world, so I will just have to suck it up and deal with the fact that we are back to living with The Governor.

We learned this week that The Governor got abandoned by his few homies that he didn’t kill at the end of last season (probably because he became dead-weight).  It appears that The Governor went through some sort of existential crisis in the months since his attack on the prison.  I find no fault in his compadres leaving him.  Frankly, I would have too, if I had witnessed him seemingly ignoring a walker that was coming straight for him.  In the zombie apocalypse, you can’t surround yourself with people like this.  It will surely lead to your downfall.

2.   Was there really a need to burn down Woodbury? – Now, The Governor standing in front of a burning Woodbury sure made an awesome image, but was there really a need for him to burn down that town?  If you are believing that The Governor is trying to separate himself from his past horrific actions, then I guess I can see his reasoning in destroying the town where so many horrible things took place.  I suppose we are to assume that by extinguishing the town from existence, The Governor is also attempting to extinguish his prior evil-self.  I just have a hard time believe that this guy is going to be able to change.

3.  Looks like he got a new family – I understand the idea that giving The Governor a new “family” and someone else to care about could do some good in rehabilitating his image.  Afterall, if the audience sees him saving these people enough times, maybe they will forget what a horrible human being The Governor actually is, right?  My problem is that the scenario just seemed a little too predictable to me.  Oh, The Governor had a daughter…now there is a new little girl that needs his help.  Shocking.

4.  How could you think leaving the apartment was a good idea? – I really don’t see how anyone in this group thought that leaving the apartment (that was safe and stocked with food) in an old beat-up truck was a smart move?  Why did these people leave this obviously good situation for a dangerous unknown life on the road?  It makes no sense whatsoever.  And, why did The Governor agree to take these three women with him on the road when it was clear that they have no survival skills whatsoever?  Heck, these fools didn’t even know how to kill a zombie before The Governor showed up!

5.  What happens now? – I can’t buy into this whole “reborn” Governor idea.  The scene with him creepily looking over the prison showed too much hate and evil in his eyes (or should I say “eye”).  So, what happens between now and when he reappears at the prison?  Because I surely don’t believe that this guy has changed.

What did y’all think??

-LJ

THE WALKING DEAD 405: INTERNMENT

Who is in for spaghetti Tuesdays?

As you can probably tell from the blog, it’s been a busy week in our household.  Unfortunately, when that happens it means that the blog takes a backseat.  I promised myself though that I would write about last week’s TWD episode before Sunday night.  And, while I am certainly cutting it close, I still have time.  So let’s get to talking before we find out what the Governor has in store for our prison gang…

1.  The Governor is back (unfortunately) – Now, I think David Morrissey is freakin awesome.  I really do.  And, I will say that the last shot of the Governor at the end of the episode completely shocked me (which is always a good thing).  But, I am not pumped for the Governor’s return.  In my mind, the problem with the second half of season 3 was largely due to the caricature that the Governor became.  His character became a mad-man who was no longer grounded in reality, which made it incredibly hard to equate The Walking Dead world to real life.  In the end, I felt like the Governor was a “big bad” that just didn’t end up being as great as it could have been.  So, I have been hoping that the show would simply leave the Governor in the past and concentrate on the new “big bad” in season 4–the zombie death flu.  It appears now that this is not the case.  So, I can only hope that the writing for the Governor is better this season and the character becomes a lot less cartoonish.  After all, David Morrissey can be brilliant, so let’s try and give him a better character.

*So, judging from the shot of the Governor, I am assuming that he is the one who orchestrated the mass hoards of zombies attacking the fence.  But, the scene of our mystery rat person, showed someone from the inside of the fence feeding the zombies, correct?  I guess this means that someone in the prison is still on team Governor (as a lot of the internet predicted).  Who do you think it is though?  Bob?  He does seem crazy enough.

2.  So, Maggie is pretty awesome – There was a lot of impressive marksmanship this episode.  But, I think we can agree that Maggie wins the award for most impressive shot.  I was somewhat pissed at her stupidity to go into the infected-zone when it clearly meant that she was putting herself at risk, but in the end I am sure glad that she did.  Further, she certainly proved herself to be a strong and capable young lady.  It is comforting to know that the younger generation is capable of standing up and taking on difficult situations–at least there is potential for their survival even without the “adults” of the group.

3.  A little father-son bonding – I know Rick has been struggling with trying to raise his kids in this zombie world.  And, I think his attempts to give Carl a “real” childhood are admirable.  But, let’s be honest, they are somewhat naive.  I think Rick has finally realized that and is attempting to strike somewhat of a balance between letting Carl be an “adult” sometimes and still trying to preserve his childhood.  Because the truth of the matter is that the group needs Carl.  Carl can be extremely reliable and capable when it is needed and with some guidance can eventually turn into a leader in the group.  I can’t even imagine what would have happened had Carl not been there to machine-gun-down all those zombies alongside Rick.

**Let’s pause and remember the awesomeness that ensued when Rick and Carl took down the hoards of zombies.

4.  Talk to Rick – I am assuming that Daryl is going to find out what has happened to Carol in tonight’s episode.  I can’t imagine that this talk is going to go as well as Rick’s conversations with Maggie and Hershel.  I just really really hope that there isn’t a major freak-out when Daryl hears the news.

5.  Lizzie – Lizzie still continues to be creep me out.  She names the zombies, she now takes to calling them like a puppy, and likes to play with blood.  I am glad she saved Glen, but this girl still be crazy.

What did y’all think?

-LJ

THE WALKING DEAD 404: INDIFFERENCE

Seriously, don’t ever call me mom.

I am attempting to get back to the regular review schedule this week.  Real work, be damned.  This week’s episode had a lot less action and a lot more talking, but I enjoyed the nice change of pace.  I found that this episode reminded me a lot of the Rick/Michonne/Carl road trip adventure that happened last season, which ended up having one of my favorite scenes (the Carl/Michonne mini-escapade).  We definitely got no real glimpse at what is happening inside the prison (and more specifically in cell block A) and instead focused on the six individuals who are out on “runs” searching for supplies.  Let’s get to talking before Rick asks us to leave the group as well…

1. The Rick-tatorship is back – So we have to start with the biggest event that happened in last night’s episode, Rick kicks Carol out of the group.  I probably should have seen it coming especially as Carol recapped her entire character history to Rick as they searched for supplies in the abandoned town.  But, I didn’t.  Do I feel bad that Carol is leaving?  Yeah, probably.  Especially since I have been enjoying her take-charge attitude and the her very amusing relationship with Daryl.  But, I also don’t feel too bad for her.  I mean, come on lady, you killed two people.  I am not saying that I don’t understand why she did it.  I really do think she thought she was doing what had to be done to save the larger group.  But, at some point, there has to be some kind of moral check on the group’s behavior.  Otherwise, what keeps these people from being any better than the zombies (or the Governor for that matter)?  I can’t imagine that Daryl is going to be happy when he returns and finds out what happened though.

*I seriously doubt that we have seen the last of Carol.  Characters on this show have a habit of reappearing.

**I can’t imagine that Tyreese is going to be happy with the fact that Rick let Carol go either.  While I am sure that Daryl would have wanted leniency for Carol, I am certain that Tyreese would have wanted a fate worse than banishment for her. 

2. Lizzie is crazy – While we didn’t get to see much of the prison life this episode, we did get one more chance to experience the craziness of Lizzie.  I repeatedly find myself screaming at Lizzie because this girl is nuts.  I don’t know what it is going to take to make her understand that these zombies are not people (or people that get to “come back”).  Zombies are bad Lizzie.  They are trying to eat you.  Please get this through your head.  I really am beginning to think that it was Lizzie who was feeding the zombies (although I still question whether the flashlight was too high for there to be a kid holding it).

3. Michonne gives up the Governor – We got some nice scenes with Michonne this week.  As I have said before, I am all about Michonne.  I am particularly glad to see that she has decided to give up her search for the Governor and is warming up to the idea of staying at the prison–mainly because this hopefully means that we will get more of Michonne for the rest of the season.  Michonne + Daryl = true love.  Ok, that is probably not true, but I do like their friendship that has developed.

4. Seriously, let go of the walker – In my last post, I said I thought there was a change in Tyreese as a character.  I thought he decided to give up his b*tch-ass ways after he got out of the car and miraculously managed to kill all those walkers.  It appears however that he hasn’t.  What I know for sure though is that he needs to stop acting like a fool.  I get that you are upset dude, but let’s try not and put other people’s lives in danger–especially not the lives of Daryl and Michonne.  Don’t worry I was yelling at him to let go of that walker too (he can totally hear me through the TV, right?).

5. Is there AA in the zombie apocalypse? – I can’t decide who I am more annoyed with this week…Bob or Tyreese.  Tyreese is so consumed with anger that he is making stupid decisions.  Bob is so consumed with his love of alcohol that he is making stupid decisions.  Neither of these guys is making it to the top of my favorite character list anytime soon.  What I do like about the development of both these characters though is that The Walking Dead is making it very clear that inside threats are just as terrible (if not more so) than the outside threats of zombies.  We are in episode 4 of this season and we have seen one big “inside” threat so far–the zombie death flu that is inside the prison.  On a smaller scale though, both Bob and Tyreese are showing that threats that come from “inside” one’s own self can be just as damaging as the actual zombies as well.  Bob’s love of the drink and Tyreese’s anger issues have caused both of them to make stupid and unsafe decisions this season and have put others and themselves in harms way.  It will be interesting to see what other “inside” threats occur throughout the rest of the season.

What did y’all think?

-LJ

THE WALKING DEAD 403: ISOLATION

What’s more terrifying 7500 zombies or having the zombie death flu coughed all over your face?

At this point, I think I might take the zombies.  That flu looks horrible.  Although, I am not sure what it says about my immune system that I think I would have better luck knocking out the zombies than overcoming that nasty virus.  In any event, let’s get to talking… (I feel like the longer I delay, the more likely another member of the group may shoot blood out their eyes and die).

1.  Is Carol a killer? – Clearly, the most shocking part of this week’s episode was Carol’s admission that she killed Karen (and David).  If this is true, then Carol has managed to become even more different from the character we first met on The Walking Dead.  I have genuinely liked seeing Carol become this sort of take charge, no nonsense type person.  And, I even support the fact that she has been teaching the kids how to fight.  But, with the admission that she is now killing others (who presumably weren’t already dead…at least that was alluded to on The Talking Dead this week), I am beginning to wonder if she is taking things a little too far.  Obviously, I don’t live in The Walking Dead world, but is there really much point of survival if you lose your sense of humanity along the way?  That got deep real quick, didn’t it?

*There appears to be some theories out there who think that Carol wasn’t the actual person who killed Karen and that she is possibly covering up for someone else (maybe Lizzie).  To be honest, I am still not convinced that Carol is actually the person who did the killing.  I guess only time will tell though.

**Was the shot of Tyreese standing over Carol as she tried to get some water out of the barrel not great foreshadowing?  We knew that Tyreese was incredibly upset by the death of Karen and bound and determined to direct that rage on the person responsible.  I thought the scene with him standing over Carol was ominous in the way that it was shot and I think a nod to the fact that Carol might have been the one responsible.

2.  Magic tea – Let’s hope that magic tea works.  I have to imagine that we are going to be losing a lot more people over the next few episodes to the zombie death flu.  And, I am a little hesitant to believe that Hershel’s tea is going to become some magic potion.  But, here is what I do know.  We can’t lose Glen.  We just can’t.  I need my Walking Dead to be mixed with a little love story and if Glen dies then I think the show is going to become way darker than anyone of us can handle.  So, I am crossing my fingers hoping that the tea buys a little bit of time for the rescue crew to get back with some medicine.

3.  Really, Tyreese didn’t get bit? – So, I think I might be in the minority on this, but I really wasn’t going to be upset if Tyreese died in this episode.  I haven’t yet watched more than a few episodes of The Wire (I know, it’s a shame), so I am not exactly attached to the actor or to Tyreese as a character.  And, let’s be honest, Tyreese has really been somewhat of a whiny little b*tch this season.  “Oh, I don’t like killing zombies…oh, I’m in love…oh, let me take out my frustration on someone who isn’t actually responsible for Karen’s death…”  (yup, that was my impression of Tyreese, spot on, right?) So, when the scene of him seemingly deciding to stay in the car while the zombies attacked came, it was safe to assume that I was comfortable with Tyreese dying.  In fact, it seemed like an appropriate thing for Tyreese to do…just give up.  Instead, however, we saw a turning point in Tyreese, I think.  We saw Tyreese demolish zombie after zombie with a hammer and it was intense.  It might be a little unrealistic that he didn’t get bit in that mass of zombies, but if Tyreese did survive unscathed than I think we are about to see a new Tyreese (one that could possibly be very dangerous).

4.  Why aren’t people locking the cells? – This has been a pet-peeve of mine since the beginning of the season.  I don’t understand why people haven’t been sleeping with their cell doors closed.  This would fix a lot of problems.  If someone turns into a zombie during the night, it doesn’t matter because they are trapped in their cell.   If a zombie wanders into a cell block during the night, it’s okay because you are locked in your little room and it can’t get you.  Yet, it still appears that this precaution isn’t being taken yet, especially in cell block A where all the sick people are.  Please start putting one person in each room and locking them in.  Let’s try and prevent more zombie on people attacks, thanks.

Apologies for the late post this week.  It was a hectic week at work.  And, I really don’t understand why I just can’t say to my boss…”umm, I can’t do that project right not, I am writing a post for my blog.”  What did y’all think of the episode?

-LJ