Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 414 ‘The Grove’

Holy shit.

I am nearly speechless after watching The Grove, which could easily be the best episode of Season 4 unless the final two episodes end up being super-awesome and incredible.  I mean, wow.  Just, wow.  This could end up being the Season 4 equivalent of Clear.

After the past few installments of the season, I was starting to get tired of the bottle episodes, clamoring for Rick and Michonne to return.  This is one of those moments where I realize that I should’ve just held my tongue.  I wouldn’t trade in this episode for anything and I’m so glad this story had its own full hour in which to develop.

This episode had it all and it’s really what The Walking Dead is all about.  It had amazing character development for both the adults and the children.  The acting and writing was all incredible.  The entire episode kept me in suspense, and even when the group found what seemed to be a good shelter, it always seemed very dark with a constant feeling of impending dread.  I just knew that there was no way things were going to end well.

Carol, Tyreese, and even Lizzie and Mika were all fantastically developed in this episode.  Their respective actor and actresses all did incredible, I thought, especially Melissa McBride who delivered one of the best television performances I have seen.  You could practically feel Carol’s heart breaking and I felt myself hurting with her.  Chad Coleman also delivered in such an incredible way that I’m now a much bigger Tyreese fan than I was before.

I also liked hearing the characters talk about the ones they’ve lost, such as Carol remembering Sophia and Tyreese talking about his nightmares about Karen.  I like when the deaths of characters actually mean something, so it was nice to see Carol and Tyreese express their hurt over the ones that have died.  It was like when Daryl talked about Merle in his bottle episode with Beth.  Those other people may be gone but it’s nice to see that they’re not forgotten.

I have to admit that Lizzie killing Mika might not have been as surprising for us fans of the books who might have been expecting this to be the TV version of a similar event from the comics.  However, I say that this is one of those rare times when the TV show managed to pull off a comic book scene much more efficiently— and don’t get me wrong, I loved the similar storyline from the comic.  But, the characters involved on the show were developed so much better, and Carol’s discovery of the scene and subsequent actions were far more emotional and heartwrenching than what happened in the other medium.

I didn’t realize at first that Carol was taking Lizzie outside to execute her.  I thought she was serious about her plans to just run off with Lizzie, keeping her away from all other people.  But I think Carol realized that Lizzie was simply too far gone and was psychologically never coming back.  Trying to keep Lizzie hidden from the world for the rest of their lives was simply not a good life to live, especially when you consider it was probably just a matter of time before Lizzie got herself devoured by the walkers she loved so much.

This way, Lizzie can go quickly without even realizing it, the final thing she sees being something pretty.  Lizzie, in her sick mind, thought she was doing something good for her sister, so now she won’t have to deal with the realization that she murdered Mika and that Mika would never come back.  She won’t get bitten and slowly die from the fever.  She won’t be munched on to death.  She got to look at the pretty flowers in the grove before moving on to the next life.

I will say that the scene reminded me of George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men.  The obvious difference, though, is that Lennie wanted to tend the rabbits while Lizzie wanted to skin them.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 413 ‘Alone’

The fragmentation of the prison group has continued to result in episodes focusing only on certain characters as we bide the time until everybody can regroup.  While it has opened the door to provide further character development for certain characters, such as Daryl and Beth in the previous episode, I think it’s starting to get a little annoying.

Rick and Michonne were nowhere to be seen.  Judging from the next episode’s previews, it seems they won’t be around then, either.  I get that they’re already heading to Terminus and the story wants to show us how everybody wound up on that same path.  However, so many episodes without Rick seems like a bit much, and I’m definitely ready to get everyone back on track.

I didn’t care as much for the Beth and Daryl storylines in this particular episode, despite having enjoyed Still the previous week.  I think that was the problem, in fact.  We had just spent a full hour on the two of them, getting to know them pretty well, and their scenes in this episode didn’t really further their story.  We can see that they’re getting along much better now, but other than Beth getting kidnapped in the end, I don’t feel like it really added much to the show.

Speaking of the kidnapping, what the hell?  Was that house a trap house?  If so, how did the kidnapper know that only Beth would escape to the road without Daryl with her?  I wonder if the kidnapper is taking her to Terminus.  Terminus is constantly referred to as a sanctuary, and there was a crudely painted cross on the back of the car, so it seems possible.  But would this mean that the people at Terminus are indeed messed up people?

It’s interesting to see Daryl join up with another group, this time a heel faction.  What the hell else is he going to do with everyone else gone?  I can only imagine this is going to come to a head when this group eventually comes across some or all of the other survivors from the prison.

I liked the flashback at the beginning with Bob Stookey.  At first, I didn’t realize it was a flashback and thought he had maybe gotten separated from Sasha and Maggie.  I liked when he ran into Daryl and Glenn and was asked the three questions.  It was a very nicely done flashback, I thought.

The most suspenseful part of the episode was probably when Maggie, Bob and Sasha were back-to-back in the dense fog, hearing the groans of the walkers all around them but not knowing which direction they’d be coming in from.  I thought about how scary it would be in that situation, and holy hell, how terrifying!

I was wondering why nobody had thought to leave a note or something similar at the signs leading to Terminus.  I would want to put up a sign or something saying, “Hey, I survived the prison assault!  Might try this Terminus thing.”  Then, just as quickly as I had wondered why that wasn’t being done, Maggie gets the bright idea to create a giant note written with blood that couldn’t possibly be missed.  Smart move, Maggie!  Now Glenn is going to be able to track her.

Honestly, though, that kind of scares me.  It’s starting to seem too obvious now that Glenn is going to find Maggie, which is scaring me into thinking that it won’t happen.  I’m sure the higher-ups at AMC are going to want a big moment for the end of the season, at least something to top Hershel’s death, and they might want to sacrifice another major character… someone like Glenn or Maggie.  It’s going to be that much more devastating knowing they came that close to meeting back up if one of them dies either right before or right after a reunion.  I feel like Maggie’s a goner, but I really hope I’m wrong on this one.

It’s just that a happy reunion between the two seems unlikely given the overall lack of happy endings in the Walking Dead franchise.

I’m happy to catch up with Tyreese, Carol and the kids in the next episode, although as I said, I’m not happy that there seems to be no Rick.  It seems like so many episodes in a row without the former King County policeman, but then again, maybe I just feel that way as he’s my favorite character.

There are only three episodes left, and with the next one probably focusing only on Tyreese and crew, I’m betting the final two are going to be incredible.  All of these fragmented episodes have got to be leading to something big.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 412 ‘Still’

Still is the 12th episode of the 4th season of The Walking Dead and, like the 12th episode of the previous season (Clear), it’s a self-contained “bottle” episode.  Considering the high praise from fans and critics for Clear, Still had a lot to live up to in that regard.

While not quite as good as Clear, it was a pretty good episode.

The most suspenseful moments of the show were in the very beginning when Beth and Daryl Dixon were trapped in the trunk of a car, desperately trying to stay quiet as shambling walkers bumped against the vehicle.  No music was played, no dialogue was spoken between the two of them.  All we could hear was the sounds of the walkers and all we could see was the terror in the faces of the two survivors.  It was pretty riveting stuff, even if I was sure they’d make it out, being the beginning of the episode and all.

I liked Beth’s quest for her first taste of alcohol.  Her father’s gone, everyone else might be as well, it’s probably just a matter of time before she is, so… why the hell not?  Drink up, Beth!  At least it gave them a temporary goal, something to do other than just sitting and rotting in the middle of the woods.

Could you imagine if Beth wound up with Bob the drunk instead of Daryl?

It was interesting to see Daryl and Beth explore two very different locations, one being a country club for richer folks and the other a run-down house of a dirty redneck family.  In a way, it kind of mirrored the two of them and their very different upbringings and personalities.  Beth represented the fancy, high-income folks at the country club, which could explain why Daryl was so hostile towards her as she represented the things he used to hate about society.  Daryl felt right at home in that old, beaten-down shack, so if not for the end of the world, people like Beth and Daryl probably never would have crossed paths.

Now, all they have is each other.

Some people are already “shipping” Daryl and Beth, clamoring for a romance between the two.  Personally, I don’t see it that way, and I don’t think Daryl would, either.  I think the two of them merely arrived at having a much greater respect for one another.  I feel like Daryl is so introverted with women and sex or a relationship wasn’t even on his mind.  I think he really just wants to look after Beth and he’s becoming more of a guardian for her rather than a lover.

I liked the symbolism of burning down the house in the end.  In the episode, we learned that Daryl was still somewhat clinging to his troublesome past, such as instinctively gathering money and jewels as if that junk was still valuable.  Burning down the house that reminded him of the abusive and terrible lifestyle he had always lived could only be therapeutic for Daryl and help him continue to evolve into the much better man he has become.

I think it was good for the show to give Daryl and Beth both some much-needed character development.  I found myself caring about each of them so much more by the episode’s end.  I’m ready to hook back up and touch base with everyone else now, though, and hope we all can get back together before too long.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 411 ‘Claimed’

Claimed was a very suspenseful episode of The Walking Dead and a great follow-up to the previous excellent installment before it, After.

All of the scenes with Rick were very good and easily the best of the episode.  Being unarmed and trapped under a bed, hiding from devious intruders, certainly had me afraid for Rick.  I realize that Rick dying in this episode would be highly unlikely, but the suspense was still incredibly high.  Even if they didn’t kill him, I thought he could be hurt or captured, and I was definitely afraid for him.

Rick’s walker bomb idea was genius.  When he opened the door slightly after killing the man he encountered in the bathroom, it didn’t really click for me as to why he did that until the end of the episode when it seemed that the man had turned and attacked the other raiders.  It was also pretty sweet to see Rick as a badass again, showing that he’s still got it with his incredible escape from the house.

I found Rick’s stealthy escape really reminded me of the video game The Last of Us.

The exploration with Michonne and Carl was interesting but I felt that it moved a little slowly.  Maybe a little too much time was spent with Carl grilling Michonne about her child, because we, the viewers, already know this.  We really didn’t learn anything new about him other than his name, Andre (which sounds pretty close to Andrea.. maybe that’s why Michonne bonded with Andrea so easily?)  I do like seeing the two of them bond though, but I also didn’t really care for the cliche line Carl threw out in the beginning, where he says, “I would rather drink Judith’s formula…”

It just seemed a little forced.

Abraham has grown on me a little more since his corny introduction, but I’m still on the fence with Rosita and Eugene.  Rosita has barely spoke or done anything really, other than look pretty in her unrealistic outfit.  I do have hopes for her though, because I am a fan of her comic counterpart, and the same goes for Eugene.  I do dig the Euge in the comics, but so far I’m unimpressed with the TV version.  He’s come across as really weird and kind of annoying, but I guess that’s probably the point.

I do like Tara and I’m glad she’s stayed so loyal to Glenn.  It’s going to be her only saving grace when the group does finally get reunited (assuming they all actually do get back together).  I am sure some of the others will recognize Tara from being a part of the Governor’s militia which brought about the destruction of the prison.  Hopefully Glenn stays in one piece because he’s the only one that’s got her back.

Overall, this was a solid episode, and as I said, the Rick stuff (and thangs) was highly intense and riveting.

Blogging Dead; The Walking Dead: Fall of the Governor: Part Two – Review

I liked the book.

This novel moved at a brisk pace and held my attention a lot easier than the previous two titles (The Road to Woodbury and Fall of the Governor: Part One). Of course, it had the advantage of starting in the midst of the most interesting part of the story– the feud between Rick’s prison group and the Governor. It picks up after the mutilation of the Governor by Michonne, so things have already escalated and continue to do so quickly.

It was very, very interesting to see everything from Woodbury’s point of view during the iconic battle from the comics. I thought Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga did a good job of humanizing the formerly faceless and nameless drones who we only saw absorbing bullets in the other medium. If you didn’t previously know anything about Rick or Michonne, they really would seem like bad guys to the Woodburians. That’s all thanks to the Governor’s mastery at manipulation, of course, which was interesting to see develop.

There was a lot of material that wasn’t shown in the comic books that made this novel a very interesting read. We got to further explore bit characters like Bob, Lilly, Gabe and Bruce. We get a better picture of how the Governor recovered from his injuries at the hands of Michonne. We’re there for a first hand account of every event that occurs during the battle, step by step, just from the other side of the fences. And we also finally find out what happened with Lilly and the other survivors when they wound up trapped inside the prison.

As a hardcore TWD fan that can’t seem to get enough, I ate all of this up. I’m especially a fan of the Governor and prison/Woodbury storyline arc, so that had me even more intrigued. Despite other flaws the novels in this series might have had, the development of the Governor throughout all four books has been incredible, so I was enjoying the ride while I could as I knew this was where his story ends.

However, being the huge fan of the comics that I am, there was something about the book that really, really bothered me. The dialogue spoken by the characters often didn’t match what was printed in the comics. Certain lines had only slight differences, such as a word or two being changed, while others were completely different. Other times, characters would say a line that was spoken by a different character in the other medium.

I thought the novels and comics were supposed to be canon, so shouldn’t the dialogue all have been exact? If it’s different, then wouldn’t this just be a fan fiction, or a reimagining? I forgave the timeline discrepancies, such as the war taking place two years into the apocalypse when it happened much sooner in the comics, but I don’t think there’s any excuse to have different dialogue. Bonansinga would have had the graphic novels right there in front of him, so I don’t get why he couldn’t match it up. Maybe as a writer, he wanted to take some creative liberties and put his own little spin on the story? That’s fine, but in that case, call it a fan fiction, and don’t say that it’s canon to the comics.

I guess I was particularly peeved that Jay Bonansinga even managed to flub the Governor’s iconic line. Yes, the infamous line from one of the most iconic panels in the entire series, with the Governor pointing out from atop the approaching tank and screaming, “KILL THEM ALL!” In the novel, he instead shouts,

“Destroy them all, now!”

It’s such a small change, but for a big TWD nerd like me who had been waiting for that line in particular to be spoken, it was highly disappointing. There was also a discrepancy with the Governor’s demise, which I thought was extremely cheesy;

SPOILERS BELOW

After Lilly blows the Governor’s head apart and kicks him into the zombies, he screams, “Philip Blake lives!!” as they are munching down on him. The line obviously wasn’t spoken in the books, probably because we could see in vivid detail that his head was blown completely apart; there was no way he was going to be able to say ANYTHING, much less scream it loudly enough for everybody left around the prison to hear. I get that Jay Bonansinga probably added the line for dramatic effect, but I thought the suddenness of his death, followed by being completely devoured by walkers, was probably dramatic enough.

END SPOILERS

I understand that things like changed or added dialogue probably won’t be as big a deal to more casual fans of the comics, or to those who’ve never read them. The story itself basically remains unchanged, after all. But, it did bother me, and was probably what took this a peg down from being on par with the first book, Rise of the Governor.

I would still highly recommend this to big comic book fans who have always been curious about Woodbury and their point of view in the iconic war with the prison. It’s fast-paced with a lot of good character development and teaches us a lot of new things we didn’t know about the Governor, Woodbury and the other inhabitants there. For those who wouldn’t want to invest the time to read through all four novels, I’d say you could get by skipping the second and third ones. I still say Rise of the Governor is the best of the bunch, but Fall of the Governor: Part Two isn’t too far behind.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 410 ‘Inmates’ Review

Inmates was an interesting episode of The Walking Dead which answered some more of our lingering questions we’ve had since the prison battle, while still leaving things open enough to leave me dying to see the next show.  It was an interesting format seeing the different stories of each group play out on their own, although it was a little confusing at first being out of order.  However I love the dynamic of seeing all of the random little groups out on their own, and it’s gripping to see each of them struggle.

Daryl Dixon and Beth Greene were an interesting pair.  It was weird to see Daryl as the one to want to pretty much give up, while a heartbroken Beth tried to retain her optimism.  I liked seeing the two of them tracking together to find other survivors, only to discover a macabre scene.  What I didn’t like about this part was how it was unclear whether the boot Beth discovers really belonged to Luke (a little boy that was hardly shown in previous episodes, and who Beth believed the tracks belonged to).  I think she assumed it to belong to one of the kids from the prison, or perhaps the reality of the situation was hitting hard as she was starting to believe everyone else from the prison was dead and she’d never see any of them again.

I was so elated to see that Judith survived the prison massacre!  Because of the unbuckled car seat, as well as the lack of gore there should have been had Judith been devoured at that scene, I assumed her to be alive. However, I wasn’t sure, and I knew it was just as likely that she was dead.  So, when Tyreese revealed himself to be carrying the baby, it was one of the happiest moments of the show for me.

Obviously, they took that away moments later when that little psychopath Lizzie attempting to smother the poor baby to death.  My smile from Judith’s reveal had faded and I became speechless.  Without a doubt, the scene was one of the most disturbing of the entire series, and thinking about it now still haunts me.  I couldn’t believe that they’d reveal Judy to be alive, only to show her get murdered in such a heinous way.

Needless to say, I’ve never been happier to see Carol.  I was able to celebrate for Judith once again when Mrs. Peletier appeared with that poor baby in her arms.  I’ve seen others refer to Carol’s return as anti-climactic, but the opposite effect happened with me.  I really believed Judith was dying in that moment, so I thought it was awesome to see Carol return just in time to save her, even if that is a little theatrical.

Maggie’s bus scene was pretty suspenseful, I thought.  I saw Glenn in the previews, so I figured he wasn’t on the bus.   However, the scene was so well done, that I still found it incredibly suspenseful.  Maggie didn’t know Glenn was alive, and I could definitely feel for her as she examined every walker in and out of the bus.  Sure, Glenn wasn’t on the bus, but that just means he’s out there somewhere, dead or alive, without her knowing for sure.  It’s a sad thing to see all of these characters handling these emotions in their own painful ways.

I’m happy Tara survived, because I find her to be a really interesting character.  When the Governor talked about his plan to take the prison, Tara was quick to support him, and acted like she was a badass until the shit hit the fan.  When she saw the carnage first hand, she realized she wasn’t as tough as she thought and did what a lot of us would do in that situation; she ran and hid.  I thought her actions were very realistic.  The prison battle also meant the deaths of her niece and sister, the last of her remaining family, so I can only imagine the weight of the guilt she must be carrying.  Ultimately, I can’t help but feel badly for her, so I’m kind of rooting for her.

Glenn also had a great showing in this episode, and the show did a great job of making me care about Glenn again.  Still fighting his sickness, I thought Glenn looked badass exploring what was left of the prison by himself, even if it seemed a little unlikely when he escaped getting completely swarmed (although to be honest, I really thought he might die in that moment).

Seeing the prison itself was also cool, yet still sad, in a way.  While the pacing of the show has already greatly improved since leaving the prison, and it’s definitely time for us to move past it, I’ve got to admit that I’m still going to miss it.  The prison  storyline as a whole may not have been executed as flawlessly as in the comics, but it’s still the iconic prison, and after Glenn through those wrecked fences, we’re never going to see it again.  Farewell, prison, and take care of the bodies (and head) left behind.

Oh!  I can’t forget to mention the introduction of Abraham, Eugene and Rosita.  I’m a huge comic book fan, so I’m happy about their inclusion, but unfortunately I thought this group’s introduction was the weakest part of the episode.  I thought their reveal was very cheesy, and I thought the show actually made them look a little too much like their comic book counterparts.  They almost looked like cartoon characters, and maybe they should’ve been tweaked to look more like people in real life.  I’m happy they’re on the show now and I look forward to seeing this story play out on the small screen, but like I said, I just thought the reveal was a bit cheesy.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 409 ‘After’

The Walking Dead returned February 9th after a painful wait.  The deaths of Hershel and the Governor, along with questions about Judith’s fate and the destruction of the prison, left us all wondering what happens next with our remaining characters.  After picks up right where we left off, dividing its time between Rick, Carl and Michonne, in what ended up becoming the best episode of the season thus far.

First of all, I loved Hershel, but I enjoyed the cameo made by his head.  I couldn’t help but be impressed by the realism of his noggin, and Greg Nicotero certainly deserves respect for his work on it.  Michonne putting him down was a nice nod to the comics in which she does the same, but to a different character that was beheaded by the Governor.

I’ve already heard a lot of complaints about how Michonne reverted back to her “walker pet” technique to camouflage herself amongst the zombies.  I can understand how it seems nonsensical, but this doesn’t break any rules that the show hasn’t established.  I think of Milton back in season three, talking about her previous pets, where he said something like, “Take away their ability to eat, and they become docile.”  Somehow, they know when they can’t attack and somehow just become even more mindless.  It’s weird, but we still don’t know a damn thing about the virus or how it exactly works, so I couldn’t begin to explain to you the science behind it.  I still wouldn’t recommend trying it, though.

I especially loved Michonne’s dream sequence, even if it took more than one viewing to fully understand it.  Everything about it was so surreal, while at the same time giving us slices of the zombie slayer’s mysterious past.  I felt so horribly for Michonne, who in her dream was holding her son in her arms in one moment, and then in the next he was gone… that’s probably a lot like how it felt like in real life for her when she evidently lost him.

The scenes with Rick and Carl were incredibly accurate to what happened in the comics, which I guess proves that Scott Gimple is preferring to stay closer to the original story than the last showrunner was willing to.  I’m all for deviation, but it scares me a little after the show fumbled quite a bit with the Woodbury and prison storyline, which was probably the peak of the books.  This episode, meanwhile, stayed very close to its source material, and ended up becoming my favorite episode of season four so far.    So I suppose I don’t have any problems with adhering to the original story.

I also thought this was a great developmental episode for Carl.  I felt that the episode told a great self-contained story with him, showing needed character progression.  It was sad seeing him admire the big-screen television and stack of video games before realizing he would never be able to play them again.  After narrowly avoiding death multiple times when he was on his own, and coming to terms with the fact that he’s still a kid unfit to survive on his own, I felt so happy for him when he got to enjoy that 112 ounce can of pudding on the roof.  In that moment, he was a kid again, and nothing else mattered.

I especially loved the end of the episode.  I found it to be very touching, and a fitting finale of a great show.

“It’s for you.”

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 406 ‘Live Bait’

 

After a lengthy ordeal with a deadly, new illness at the prison, The Walking Dead took us on a little detour with the latest episode to catch up on the Governor and his goings-on.  Live Bait focused solely on the elusive madman’s whereabouts since slaughtering his own army at the end of last season, giving us a breath of fresh air as we reel back from the flu that plagued the prison.  While I missed the folks back at the slammer, I loved the idea of a Governor-exclusive episode.

Walking Dead fans familiar with the novel Rise of the Governor will recognize the many similarities between that book and this episode.  The Chalmers family, for example, was in the book, only there wasn’t that little girl with them.  The overall theme of the episode though was pretty similar, and as I loved Rise, it helped me to really enjoy this episode.

Another comic book character, Lilly, who serves a small role in the actual comics but ends up killing multiple main characters in a row, has been adapted as one of the Chalmers sisters for the show.  One can’t help but wonder if Lilly from the TV show will end up doing the thing she does at the climax of the prison/Woodbury war, but I’m hoping not, just to keep things less predictable.

I enjoyed seeing the Governor take on the name of Brian, his new alias.  It was interesting to see him create a new identity for himself and shed that Governor skin.  However, I’m not sure whether he’s trying to distance himself from those atrocities he committed, or if he’s just keeping that a secret to manipulate these new survivors he’s found into following him.  I’m predicting the latter because of the obvious symbolism during Philip/Brian and Megan’s chess scene, where the former Governor said, “You can lose soldiers but still win the war.”  To me, that screams that the Governor does not consider his war with the prison group over and that he’s still plotting his revenge.

This new little girl, Megan, is obviously the Governor’s new Penny.  She has a very similar role to that of Penny in the Rise novel, and it’s interesting to see even a sociopath like the Governor actually care for someone other than himself.  As dastardly as I know the Governor still is on the inside, I believe him to be genuine with his intent to care for Megan.  Penny was so important to him so it makes sense that seeing her in need of his help unlocked his paternal instincts to care for her.  The unfortunate part about that is, if anything happens to Megan, and something probably will, the Governor is going to go BERZERK.

Finding Martinez at the end of the episode didn’t seem too likely for me, but it’s got me interested about the next episode. Martinez obviously found another group, and he will probably bring the Governor into the fold as he didn’t look too upset to see him.  I’m thinking that the Governor will rise to power once again within this new group and use his cunning manipulation to head straight back to Rick Grimes and company for a little payback.  I’m thinking the midseason finale is going to be the absolute massacre that comic book fans have been fearing since the start of season 3.

But what was up with Philip/Brian ditching the Spaghetti-O’s?  Chef Boyardee might not be gourmet, but it’s got to be better than that kitten food he preferred to eat.  What a waste of processed spaghetti rings.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 405 ‘Internment’

I must say that I was very impressed with the fifth episode of the fourth season, ‘Internment.’  The show found that perfect balance between action and character development, and it was executed flawlessly.  The suspense was killer and I was on the edge of my seat for the duration of episode.

I found the storytelling here to be excellent.  I loved seeing new interactions from characters that don’t normally mingle with one another, like Rick and Maggie or Hershel and Sasha.  After character development was put on the backburner by Glen Mazzara during season 3, I’m happy to see it revisited and done well.  I feel like I’m getting to know all of our survivors a bit better.

I thought the breach in the fences was going to turn out much worse than it did.  It is a fortunate thing the group keeps a stockpile of weapons near the gates, obviously for situations such as this.  Fans of the show’s action were probably satisfied with the ensuing walker massacre by the Grimes family, as was I.  I especially loved seeing that moment when Rick just stopped to look at Carl mowing down zombies with a machine gun.  His face spoke volumes as to how Rick realized how messed up the situation was, but that’s what they have come to.  I thought Andrew Lincoln delivered some great acting here, portraying those conflicting emotions without saying a word.

I was a little disappointed not to see Daryl’s reaction to Carol’s banishment, but it did make sense as he was not yet back to the prison.  It was apparent that what happened with Carol caused uneasiness with Hershel and Maggie when they found out, although they seemed to be understanding, given the circumstances.  Really, I think everybody will understand, except for maybe Daryl, who we are going to just have to wait and see with.  I’m also very curious to see what Tyreese thinks about it as well, if knowing that it was Carol would change his mind at all about wanting to kill whoever the culprit was.

I totally was scared for Glenn and even thought he had actually died when he stopped convulsing.  It was a little icky when Maggie kissed his face, considering he had just thrown up pink goo all over himself, but I suppose love conquers all.  When he first got the illness, I was sure he would be fine, but some incredible acting from Steven Yeun really had me convinced that Glenn was about to bite it.

Hershel Greene was by far the MVP of the episode, and this was pretty much his time to shine.  If we had ever doubted the badassery of the former farmer before, all of that would be diminished after watching ‘Internment.’  The  man willingly trapped himself in a plague-filled cellblock, somehow keeping up with taking care of all of the residents who were only getting sicker.  His character was developed incredibly well, such as continuing to show his reluctance to killing the walkers.  I honestly feared for his safety throughout the episode, expecting him to get bitten on more than one occasion.  I’m happy he pulled through, but now I’m scared again that he and Michonne are heading outside of the gates where a certain somebody has been watching them.

That’s right, our old pal the Governor is back!  His brief appearance was a great ending for this already kick-ass episode, leaving me dying to see what happens next.  The virus storyline at the prison was interesting, but I was honestly starting to get over it.  I’m glad the group now has medicine to fight off the infection and wrap the story up, now that Philip Blake is back in the picture.  I was ready for the Governor to come back, and I’m excited that the next episode seems to be entirely focused on him.  I’m eager to find out what he’s been up to since the failed takeover of the prison, but I’m sure he has been plotting something and it’s not good.

Blogging Dead: The Walking Dead, Episode 304 ‘Indifference’

This blog contains spoilers.

So the fourth episode of the fourth season of  The Walking Dead kind of felt a little slow for me.  The episode had some very interesting moments, but I did feel like a lot of the episode was filler, only barely pushing the story along.  The past few episodes, in fact, have sort of felt like they are building towards something, so I’m hoping for an excellent payoff when all is said and done.

I loved all of the Carol and Rick stuff and their scenes were clearly the best of the episode.  Throughout the episode, I really had no idea what Rick was to do about the Carol situation, and it was hard to think of the right answer.  Carol has been around since the beginning, so exiling her must have been extra hard for Rick.  However, the bottom line was that she killed two people who may have lived, and that doesn’t fit into Rick’s plan for his group to represent the “greater good.”

Carol had her chance to convince Rick to let her say, but she only buried herself deeper as the episode went on.  She was totally unapologetic about the murders she committed, even though the sickness still got to everybody else in the prison making those deaths pointless.  For Carol, it didn’t matter that Karen and David could have lived once the others returned with medicine; she was still convinced she made the right choice, even comparing the situation to Rick and Shane (which was totally different).

The detachment from humanity that Carol showed herself to have only made her seemingly more dangerous.  The title of the episode, ‘Indifference,’ was clearly about how Carol felt about anyone other than herself.  She couldn’t even speak Sophia’s name anymore, as if she was merely an acquaintance that died.  She also suggested the new survivors they found (Sam and Ana) go on a dangerous exploration through the other houses, only to be like, “Well, whatever,” when they turned up dead and missing.  With such little regard she showed for the lives of others, what’s to stop her from harming Carl or Judith if it means saving herself?  I can’t blame Rick for not trusting Carol.

However, I am positive she will be back, sooner or later.  If Daryl doesn’t find her, the Governor will.

I don’t like how Tyreese has become an emotional idiot as of late.  He is risking his and the others’ lives with his carelessness.  Here’s hoping he can snap out of it and become the badass he is in the books.

And I feel like Bob’s alcoholism is going to lead to some sort of cataclysmic event.  It’s a story that has been touched on since the premiere so I feel like it’s got to be leading us somewhere.  I have also noticed that nobody has been feeding the rats since Bob has been out of the prison.  Coincidence?