3 Days until that moment, the moment we in TWD fandom have been dreading, and anticipating…and dreading.
3 Days until we must bear witness to Negan savagely beating one (or more) members of our sweet gang to death with Lucille, a bat wrapped in barbed wire, a weapon created for the very specific purpose of shattering the skulls of certain, chosen members of a group, a community, while the others must kneel, and watch, and sob, and grieve, and accept the horror that is their lives now…a life of constant work, of constant worry, and of constant fear, a life of indentured servitude to a tyrant who seems devoid of compassion, of kindness, of reason.
As Robert Kirkman, said, so eloquently during AMC’sTWD retrospective special, “TWD: The Journey So Far,” the moment when Negan brings the bat down upon his victim is a moment that “changes absolutely everything, moving forward.”
3 Days, people, until that fateful moment.
We’ve been waiting.
But are we ready?
I don’t know, gang. I thought I was ready.
And then, this happened:
And then, it was like…whoa, whoa, whoa….wait. What? What?
What. The. Fuck. Is. That. Shit?
Like, in one moment in my life, I was completely and blissfully unaware of that shit. And then, my TWD buddies sent it to me, via group text (a.k.a. our lifeline. Daryl Partners forevs! ❤ ❤ ).
I watched it, and I watched it again, and as I watched, my world started to come down hard, and fast, all around me, with a deafening roar, until my ears were ringing and my mind was racing and I didn’t know what was happening, or where I was, any more.
The streak of blood across Rick’s cheek. Negan’s talk about the right hand, the right handman. And Simon handing Negan Rick’s hatchet, and Negan looking at Rick, that long look, before he drags Rick to the RV, holding Rick’s hatchet…what the fuck is he going to do with that hatchet? Is he going to cut our man Rick Grimes’ hand off with Rick’s own hatchet?
And then the slam of the RV door, behind Negan, dragging Rick, throwing him into the RV, and the horrible moment of silence, the horrible moment of not knowing what just happened, not knowing what is about to happen, inside that RV, that silence broken only by the soft sobbing in the background, male, and female.
And, as the camera pans down, we see, first, Daryl’s bloodied blanket on the ground, and as the camera continues down, the shot rests, just for a moment, on the bloody remains of what once was a living, breathing, beautiful, brilliant, beloved member of our sweet, sweet gang.
I cannot. I cannot. But, I must. We must.
As Glenn Rhee told Daryl Dixon, in TWD Episode 510, “We can make it together. But we can only make it together.”
(Long, ragged breath, here. Glenn.Glenn…I cannot. I cannot. But, I must. We must.)
Because we must, darlings, in the spirit of a much-needed rallying cry, and in the spirit of the Law of the7 P’s, I am going to take us through The 7 P’s of Surviving TWD Season 7, barnfullawalkers-style.
For those of you who haven’t learned the Law of the 7 P’s, it goes like this:
Now, this saying may sound old-timey and lame AF to some, while others of you may be rolling your eyes to the back of your head and beyond at this point, because you’ve heard your parents, and your grandparents, say it forlikeyour whole freaking life, but I am telling you, kids, it wasn’t until I was in my mid-thirties until I first heard the Law of the 7 P’s, and frankly, I wish someone had told it to me sooner.
It may have saved me a lot of trouble over the years.
So, in the spirit of paying it forward to young humanity, I offer you my personal patented system of The 7 P’s Of Surviving TWD Season 7 (additional “P” words may, and will, be added as addendums, i.e. add-ons, because we all know I can be loquacious AF when I get on a roll…)
Partner(s) … (as in, Daryl Partner(s) ❤ Now, darlings, back in the day, just before the TWD Season 4 mid-season premiere, I penned my first prepost, thus starting a time-honored tradition at barnfullawalkers(along with some of the best playlists I have made, yet…I don’t know why, but the prepost playlists are always extra awesome. Maybe because we’re all so stoked for the upcoming TWD season.) :
In this post, I came up with the idea of securing a “Daryl Partner,” a ride-or-die-fellow-TWD-fan-friend (s) who will be there to support you in these dire times, when a favorite TWD character meets his or her untimely, and tragic, demise.
We predicted this time long ago, my friends, this time when we are looking at the imminent death of one or more major, beloved character(s). And here we are, only days away, crying at stoplights when sentimental songs come on the radio, or when we see a certain post, or rewatch a certain TWD episode.
I know you all know what I am talking about, because we are all in it, people. We signed up for this crazy ride, and shit’s about to get real (even though, you know, it is only a show, but we TWD fans know it’s so much more than that. It kind of reminds me of that Harley-Davidson saying from back in the day, “If you have to ask, then you wouldn’t understand.”)
Whether in the IRL or online, your Daryl Partners are a vital lifeline for you right now. Keep the lines of communication open. Reach out, check in with each other. Give, and receive, the love. These are trying times.
Remember, we can make it together. But, we can only make it together.
(Blinking back tears, trying to compose myself, again.)
As Andy Lincoln said so eloquently during the TWD retrospective special, “I think the audience needs to not watch the returning episode alone. Be with your loved ones, and hold hands, and make a nice meal. Really say nice things to each other, and tell them you love them, before embarking on this returning episode.”
Listen to the beautiful, wise man, loves. He knows.
2. Personal Coping Methodology/Pharmaecopia: We all have our own ways of dealing with stress, loves, some more advisable than others. Nobody is here to judge, and if you are, well, then, you need to know that around these parts, we are all about love and acceptance.
Some years ago, I came up with a saying, “For every vice, adopt a virtue, and vice-versa.” And, in my life, I have held true to that, and it in the process, I have had lots of fun and have managed to keep it relatively tight and tidy over the years.
I highly recommend it.
Personally, I like dabbling in a rock-n-roll lifestyle, and I also like taking care of body, mind, and spirit. It’s like having your cake and your kombucha, too.
So, my personal coping methodology may include a pot of green tea earlier, with a shot of whiskey later. I may do my yoga to death metal. I may stay up way too late blogging, and need two or three strong cups of coffee with that CoffeeMate Sweet Italian cream creamer stuff to get the kids to school on time (barely) and me to work by 8 am (again, barely). Or, on my off-day-weekdays, I may drop the kids off at school, come back home, and go back to bed, and ignore the piles of dirty dishes to be washed or piles of clean laundry to be folded. (I really, really love those days.)
So, darlings, it’s time to stock your larder with lovely things to eat, maybe some chocolate for when those seratonin levels start dipping. Green tea, Sleepy Time tea, Bach’s Rescue Remedy, perhaps something a little stronger. Drink plenty of water. Take your supplements. Make your bed extra cozy, take a mental health day from work, and hide under the covers. Bingewatch Gilmore Girls. Hug your loved ones, cuddle your pets.
Keep in touch with your Daryl Partner(s).
Do what you gotta do, gang, whatever works for you to get through the day, as long as it doesn’t do undue harm to self or others.
3. Physical Exercise: Even if you are an avowed geek who reviles exercise, it would do your body good to step away from the screen and go for a walk, outside, with or without earbuds, for thirty minutes a day whenever possible. Physical exercise staves off depression, it keeps your heart and bones strong, and it keeps your lymphatic system moving, which bolsters your body’s immune system. If you break a sweat, that’s even better, as sweating helps the body to rid itself of toxins. Just remember to drink plenty of water. And wear your sunscreen.
Whatever exercise you like to do, it’s a great time, and great weather, to do it.
Biking. Treadmill. Gardening. Yoga. Dancing. Swimming. Stationary bike. Running. Laser tag. Pilates. A spirited bout of air hockey, pinball, or foosball, even. Go bowling with your Daryl Partners. Take your dog for a walk.
But, whatever you do, darlings, if you are out and about, please do not, I repeat, DO NOT, take any money, candy, or puppies from any shady clown, or clowns, you may see loitering about.
And please, do NOT ever follow said shady clowns into the woods, even if they say there’s a really awesome clown kegger going down there.
Nothing good can come from that, darlings. Not a damn thing.
Unless, of course, you happen to be Norman Reedus. ❤ 😀
4. Pampering/Panacea/Parasympathetic Nervous System: You might not even know what some these words even mean, but the basic message here is that you’ve got to let your body, mind, and spirit rest, relax, and recover whenever possible, especially now that TWD Season 7 is upon us.
See, kids, the parasympathetic nervous system is the involuntary part of the central nervous system that recharges, repairs, and rebuilds our body’s structures, organs, and systems when we are resting, sleeping, or deeply relaxed. It works in conjunction with the sympathetic nervous system, the voluntary aspect of the central nervous system which is on high alert when we are in “fight or flight mode,” or in modern society-speak, the “multitasking” or “getting it done” parts of our daily lives.
To be able to tackle the challenges that we face throughout our days, and soon, throughout our Sunday nights, we need to pamper ourselves with relaxing activities like soothing baths, yoga, meditation, massage. Even putting your feet up with a cuppa something lovely and watching a favorite feel-good movie, or show, can help your body’s parasympathetic nervous system take over for a spell, and recharge your batteries.
5. Posts, Pictures, Playlists, Procrastination, Prayer/Ritual, Predictions, Prognoses, Promises, and (Shameless Self) Promotions & Plugs: As always, dear readers, I will continue to show my endless love and devotion to our favorite show with blog posts, which may include some, or all, of the following:
Pictures, playlists, prose, poetry, links to other pop-culture sites and media, and other forms of parody (as long as it’s hilarious).
I cannot promise week after week of 10,000+ word epic recaps and deconstructions, a la my Season 5-style blog posts, because my life is too full, and too busy, these days. If an endeavor doesn’t contribute to raising my kids, making a paycheck, or keeping a home furnished, fed, and functioning, then any additional activity or hobby pretty much takes a back seat to what needs to be done in the moment. (And, as nobody has offered me a job yet doing this, then this blog is, out of necessity, filed under “hobby.”)
I do, however, promise you this: Any and all offerings from barnfullawalkers will be 100% all about the love for TWD, our sweet gang, and my TWD family worldwide.
And, now, comes the Shameless Self-Promoting & Plugs part of the P’s: If you like reading my blog, follow my @barnfullawalkers Instagram account, and you will be treated to my many postings about TWD, and my obsession with pop-culture in general.
Sometimes, I even post cool pictures of my garden, or the world around me, or even an occasional selfie. It’s like getting little morsels of the blog around the clock.
Show the love, people, not only to my IG account, but to any of the IG accounts featured in this post, if you’re not already. You’ll be glad you did!
In my own personal coping methodology, prayer and ritual are a big part of me getting in the zone. Building small shrines to Rick and the sweet gang, burning fires in the fire pit, working in my garden, burning candles, incense, and making cut flower arrangements, whimsical art, etch. are all rituals that I do to get myself focused to write, to post, to create. It is also my way of showing my undying love and devotion to TWD.
I am almost always listening to the barnfullawalkers musical playlists that are in varying stages of creation, or completion, as I am doing these rituals of mine, that help me stay connected to TWD and my personal creative offerings and edits.
Whatever your spiritual beliefs, or non-beliefs, may be, I highly recommend all TWD fans to engage in their own personal ritual when times get tough, to send out the love.
So, go ahead, light a candle, create a shrine, or find some creative way to show Rick and the sweet gang, and TWD, the love. I know, from many of the amazing offshoot projects that have blossomed from The Walking Dead comic and television series, that many TWD fans are already doing just that.
Prognoses and Predictions: Ok, here goes, gang. I know I originally predicted that Glenn Rhee, and/or maybe Aaron to be my top guesses as to who Negan picked to get the bat.
I am amending this guess, after many compelling hours discussing, reviewing, and theorizing with my TWD b’s and online TWD family. I am now, along with many, many TWD fans, predicting that both Glenn Rhee and Abraham Ford are the unlucky victims who get beaten by Negan’s prized weapon, Lucille.
It is hard to say it, let alone imagine it, but I can only pray that if that is indeed the case, then hopefully both Steven Yeun and Michael Cudlitz are kept on in a directing/writing/production capacity, especially since any actors who were around for Season 6 had to, to some degree, continue to show up for work at TWD productions until the airing of the TWD S7 premiere episode, so as to not give anything away.
Whoever gets the bat, may TWD, Inc. make it worth their while in the end. I am sure that the airing of this premiere episode will be difficult and emotional for the cast and crew on many levels (as it certainly will be for the fans), but I do imagine it will also bring a great deal of relief, especially to the actors that have had to keep this secret for many months, even from their closest family and friends.
I was going to go into other predictions, and theories, with this prepost, but I am thinking that maybe I will get into those thoughts later, and address them in future posts. I have many thoughts about Rick, about Daryl, and about Dwight, whom I predict will play a major role in continuing to teach us about the inner workings of Negan, and the Saviors, and who will, I feel, play a key, probably tragic role in the uprising against Negan.
¡Viva La Ricksistance!
6. Pacing, Prioritizing, Perserverance, Processing, and Purity of the Art Form: As difficult as it may be to process the intensity, the plot twists, and the losses of beloved characters as the TWD story continues to unfold, we as fans must respect the purity of the art form and roll with what Kirkman, Gimple, Nicotero and Co. are dishing out. They have a plan, they are super inspired, and we must have faith in that.
The fact that millions of people are feeling real grief over the anticipated death of one or more beloved fictional characters, and the potential maiming, trauma, heartbreak for other beloved fictional characters, proves that Kirkman, Gimple, Nicotero and Co. are doing, well, a smash-up, bash-up job.
Pace yourselves, darlings. Power off if you need to, go outside and be in nature. Make taking care of yourself, and the ones you love, the priority. We are in this for the long haul.
I dedicate this post to my sister, Peg, who has been a diehard fan of the TWD television series since the beginning, and whose birthday is on Sunday, 10/23. I love you sweetie. Stay strong. I am with you, always. ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
And to all the TWD fans out there, I love you guys. Stay strong, and remember:
“We can make it together. But, we can only make it together.”
Until Sunday, gang. Be well, and enjoy the playlist. ❤
(All images used in this post are screencaps from AMC’s“The Walking Dead” and “Talking Dead” unless otherwise specified.)
Hello, loves…it has been far too long.
I have missed you all, and TWD, very much.
This spring threw a lot of life my way, at great rate, and I have been “adulting” like a mother, both literally and figuratively, since the TWD Season 6 finale aired and rocked TWD fandom like a hurricane.
Some of the adulting was super fun, some of it sucked ass….but, hey, that’s how adulting goes.
Now, thank the gods, summer’s here, about half way through by now, and while some aspects of my world haven’t slowed down much, others have.
Finally, I find myself more able to create spaces of time to steal away for some focused hours at the laptop, so we can hash it all out about TWD’s harrowing, iconic Season 6 finale episode, Ep 616,“Last Day on Earth.”
And just in time, too, as the #SDCC2016 is less than a week away, as is the #TWDSDCC2016 panel, which, of course, will include the premiere showing of the official TWD Season 7 trailer. 😀
And, here is the supremely awesome first official TWD S7 poster, which we will be deconstructing a bit later in this post, as we discuss my personal guesses as to who may have gotten the bat…but, more on that, later! ❤
Ah, memories.
It’s been 3 months + since that scene, since those harrowing final 15 minutes of Episode 616 bludgeoned our collective skulls, and left us gaping, speechless as we watched Jeffrey Dean Negan gleefully bash an as-yet-unknown member of our sweet gang (from the first-person perspective, the poor victim’s point of view) to their violent, brutal, bloody death at the hands of a merciless foe, and his barbaric weapon-of-choice: Lucille, a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.
It was as if we, the viewers, were on our knees, right in there amongst Rick and the others, bracing ourselves for the blows as Jeffrey Dean Negan brought Lucille down, hard, again, and again, and again, until the camera lens ran red with fake blood, and the camera veered crazily, falling sideways as it were we who struggled to right ourselves after the first blow… to stay alive, even for one moment longer.
And, when Jeffery Dean Negan bent forward, delighted, and peered into the camera lens, to study his victim’s face, it was as if he were studying our faces as he doubled over, laughing, pointing, mocking:
“Oh, ho, ho, look at that!Taking itlike achamp!”
And, we watched, in doomed horror and finality, as Jeffrey Dean Negan brought Lucille up one more time, with a flourish, over his victim’s head, over all of our heads, and with all his might and fury, brought the spiked bat down, and that is the last thing we saw, before the screen went black, and only the wet, dead, horrible sounds of the final blows remained, each one ringing out in the blackness, each one causing us to flinch, to wince.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Finally, merciful silence.
On the black screen, final credits began to roll.
Mic drop.
We looked at the screen. We looked at each other. We looked back at the screen, at the credits silently rolling.
Whaa…t?
Kirkman?Gimple? Nicotero??
All at once, the entirety of TWD fandom exploded into a fury of social media posts, pics, bitching, fuming, theories, debates, expletives as to who lost that fatal round of Negan’s “Eeny, meeny, miney, mo.”
The uproar was so great that Scott M. Gimple, in the first few moments of Talking Dead, turned directly to the camera and jokingly addressed the roughly 14.2 million viewers worldwide who were still recovering from the shocking cliffhanger ending:
“That was NOT you, the viewer…that was a character!“
Robert Kirkman, who was also a guest on that night’s Talking Dead(squeezed adorably into the TD couch with fellow guests Scott M. Gimple, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Norman Reedus), was also apologetic…to a point.
Kirkman’s sorry was more like,“Sorry, not sorry.”
While echoing Scott M. Gimple’s apologies to any TWD fans who were still disgruntled about the S6 cliffhanger ending, RobertKirkman def seemed to be in especially high spirits, trading grim “fake-talk-show-coffee=mug-prop” barbs with ChrisHardwick over the subject of the future Baby Judith…
…and one-uppingChris Hardwick’s joking speculation that Judith would grow up “to be a lot like Shane,” with the quick rejoinder that perhaps Baby Judith wouldn’t get a chance to grow up, at all(to the mock horror and merriment of all assembled, shown here). Robert Kirkman=1, Chris Hardwick=0 😀
While Robert Kirkman definitely acknowledged that they at TWD, Inc.knew that the jolting, cliffhanger ending of TWD’s Season 6 could upset some of their fan base, he hoped that the fans would realize that the events that the catalytic ending scene, and the long-anticipated arrival of Negan, would set off TWD Season 7 with a new energy and excitement that would drive the TWD television series storyline “for many seasons to come.”
(And, hey, that’s great news, right?)
On TD, Kirkman reminded Chris Hardwick, along with fellow guests and viewers, that he created originally created, and introduced, the character of Negan for the 100th issue of The Walking Dead comic book series.
As Kirkman explained, by the 100th issue of a comic series, even the most devout readers may be tempted to give the ghost on the series, and perhaps move onto something else, especially if the long-running series has been coasting on its laurels, and losing its creative impact over time.
So, Kirkman gave his TWD comic series fans a lovely party gift for the century issue of the TWD comic book series: Negan, a charismatic, complex, catalytic villian who completely changed the game for the entire comic series, infusing the storyline with a new life and keeping it going for many issues to come.
And, in the same vein, Robert Kirkman, along with Scott M. Gimple, Greg Nicotero, and TWD, Inc. gave the world of TWD television series fandom a lovely party gift on the cusp of the show’s venerated Seventh Season: Negan, played to darkly delicious diabolical perfection by Jeffery Dean Morgan.
(As soon as Jeffrey Dean Negan stepped out of that RV, darlings, none of our lives would ever be the same, and we all knew it…and so did Kirkman.)
Here’s a link to an EW interview with Robert Kirkman regarding the TWD Season 6 cliffhanger ending:
Remember, darlings, take those deep breaths. The Season 7 trailer is almost here, and then it’s just a matter of weeks, days, hours until October, and the TWD Season 7 premiere, and eventually, all our burning questions will be answered, whether we like the answers or not.
Life will be vexing at times, and such times are sent to test us all. Weathering these tests with strength and grace are what makes us stronger.
Think of Rick and the sweet gang, all the hard times they have had to soldier through.
You can do this.
Remember the coping methodolgy we have discussed in previous posts, and keep your personal coping mechanisms within easy reach. If you are feeling stressed, reach out to your Daryl Partner(s).
We can do this.
And Kirkman, Gimple, & Nicotero know this, darlings. They seem like nice guys. They will kick our asses, and they will have a great time and make mad bank doing it, but they’re not dicks.
They’re not going to give us more than we can handle…I think.
Now, some of you may remember, back in the spring of 2014,in those carefree days of blogyore, when I penned my first “prepost” for the TWD Season 4 mid-season premiere episode, and www.barnfullawalkers.com first coined the Law of Kirkman.
The Law of Kirkman states:
“Kirkman does as Kirkman wants, and Kirkman can, and will, play with our emotions. It’s nothing personal, it’s how he do.”
Robert Kirkman may look like an affable and mild-mannered fellow, but underneath that placid exterior beats the heart of a true gangsta.
With those last 15 minutes of TWD’s Episode 616, Robert Kirkman reminded all of us in TWD fandom just who is wielding the barbed-wire wrapped bat, here.
Negan may be the messenger, but it’s Kirkmanwho is wielding the bat, darlings.
Thisis Kirkman’s world, and we who choose to be in this world all work for himnow.
Never to forget, Robert Kirkman, sir. Never to forget.
Kirkman, Gimple, Nicotero and the rest of the TWD cast and crew will make it all worth it for the fans in TWD Season 7, of this I am certain.
Scott M. Gimple readily admitted on the S6 finale ep of Talking Deadthat they at TWD, Inc. set the bar really high for themselves in Season 7 by leaving the Season 6 “Who gotLucilled?” cliffhanger ending dangling like so much bloody brains, gore, and viscera from Lucille’s deadly spikes.
Such a bold move is a creative call to arms, people.
These guys are inspired, energized. I have never seen Robert Kirkman so positively giddy as he was on that TD Season 6 finale episode.
The way I see it, there’s one big ass-kicking trickle down effect happening here, which has morphed into a personal theory about it, The AK Postulate.
The AK Postulate goes something like this:
Kirkman, Gimple, and Nicotero have, once again, raised the gauntlet on themselves harder than they have on anyone else.
They keep doing that, so it must be like their crack or something.
Since K,G&N love nothing more than to kick our asses, hard, season after season, they have to keep it real, keep it edgy.
So, in order to do that, I postulate that Kirkman, Gimple, and Nicotero have to first kick their own asses, and hard, by staying to true to their individual creative vision and the collective vision, in order to create a consistently superior product, and keep the fire going for the viewers.
So, K,G&N kick their own asses, first, and then, K,G&N kick each other’s asses (in inimitable kung-fu style, of course) to check and balance each other, and align their superpowers accordingly.
Then, once Kirkman, Gimple, and Nicotero have finished kicking each other’s asses, good andhard, then it is time for the Trifecta of Turmoil to assemble the entire TWD cast and crew, and start kicking all of their asses, for the duration of their burly TWD filming schedule.
And, so, take after take, day after day, week after week, month after month of getting their asses kicked, in the blazing Georgia heat, the entire TWD, Inc. franchise, come October, starts kicking allof our asses, week after week, episode after episode, month after month, year after year, season after season, in an unprecedented pop culture phenomenon, where we in TWD fandom worship our show, all year round.
The way I see it, everyone is the TWD family is kicking ass, and getting their asses kicked, and somehow, theworld is a better place for it.
And, since we seem to be batting around postulates, and theories, allow me to present my other theory: The L7 Theory.
See, gang, after this harrowing, cliffhanger finale ending, and seeing Kirkman on TD after, emanating like the Grand Master of the Flows, I really do feel that Kirkman and his army are ready to throw down in TWD Season 7 like never before.
I have pondered the sheer enormity of The Walking Dead television series entering its seventh season at great length, and as I meditated upon this event, the potential significance of the Seventh Level came to me.
I realized that perhaps Kirkman, Gimple, and Nicotero would employ Seventh Level/Level 7 imagery, symbolism, and references in the creation of The Walking Dead’s S7 storyline and episodes.
You see, darlings, the concept of the Seventh Level, or Level 7, is a recurring, powerful theme that has manifested itself throughout history, in vastly different cultures, in various spiritual belief systems, religions, art, and literature around the world.
I figured Robert Kirkman,Scott M. Gimple, and Greg Nicotero would know all about the meaning, and the symbolism, of the Seventh Level/Level 7, and as their hit show enters into its venerated Seventh Season, I felt certain that K,G&N would most certainly use Seventh Level/Level 7 symbolism and imagery to flex accordingly, to drive that shit right home into the core centers of our collective subconscious.
The more I thought about it, the more I thought, really, how could they not?
K,G&N know things, darlings. They are aware. Theyare erudite men, well-read, well-versed, well-traveled. They are true artists.
Personally, I have been struck many times how often K,G&N pay homage to the classics of film, art, literature, and music, within the realm of the TWD television series.
So, I did some research, and as I dug deeper into the concept of Seventh Level/Level 7, it seemed my hunch was correct; in fact, it seemed evident that perhaps Robert Kirkman, Scott M. Gimple, and Greg Nicotero & Co. had already been employing Seventh Level imagery and symbolism throughout TWD Season 6.
And so, my latest theory, The L7 Theory, was born, and it goes something like this:
As I said before, throughout history, the concept of the Seventh Level or Level 7, has been a recurring theme that has manifested itself time and time again, with powerful meaning and profound significance, in the realms of classic art, literature, and various religious/spiritual belief systems throughout the world.
For example, in Buddhism, the Seventh Level of Consciousness representsthe first level of consciousness that is inner-looking, rather than being focused outwards.
This 7th level, or ‘mano,’ (Sanskrit) is concerned with the sense of self, and one’s ability to distinguish between good and evil.
There is also the concept, in many religions throughout the world, of there being multiple levels of Heaven.
The Seventh Level of Heaven is where the holy beings and souls share their rest with the love of God, who sits above the Seventh Heaven in the Throne of God.
Now, haven’t we seen the concept of key characters looking inward, and taking a moral inventory, as a recurring theme in TWD Season 6?
We have watched, throughout S6, as many of our main characters must grapple with the decisions they have made, and must continue to make, on a daily basis, to survive a hellish world that keeps getting more and more predatory, despite the brief and welcome respite that the walls of Alexandria provided for Rick and the gang, at least for a small spell.
Each of our main characters has had to look inside themselves, at some point in Season 6, and take an internal assessment, a moral inventory, on many levels, to reconcile what it takes to survive versus what it takes to retain their humanity, to love, to trust, and allow others in.
Many times, this moral inventory has led to key exchanges between characters, as they ponder, discuss, debate this ever-present, ever-evolving issue.
And, with the advent of Alexandria opening its doors to them, we have watched our gang’s struggle as they find themselves being challenged, once again, to open their hearts to others, and be part of a larger community, even if taking such risks means a real chance future loss and heartbreak…and, as we see in Season 6, there is much loss, and heartbreak, throughout, as Alexandria’s walls are breached, and innocent lives are taken, in brutal, horrific ways, and suddenly, Rick and the others are once more resorting to desperate measures to survive, and to protect the ones they love the most.
This exploration into each character’s individual psyches, and the ensuing conversations, and debates, between Rick, Daryl, Morgan, Carol, Maggie, Glenn, and so many other characters in Season 6, about: past and present choices (and how those choices inform who they are, and their code of values, in the present); good v. necessary v. evil;love v. survival, resonates (to me) with the Buddhist Seventh Level of Consciousness.
In addition to Rick’s people, and the citizens of Alexandria, we have begun to learn about other characters, other groups, in Season 6, who continue to choose to embrace their humanity, despite the risks inherent in doing so: namely, Jesus, and others, of the Hilltop community, and the two young horsemen in makeshift armor that Morgan and Carol encounter in Ep 616 (presumably from the Kingdom community of the TWD comic book series), and who offer their assistance to Morgan and Carol (who is wounded).
Come Season 7, we will get to know much more about these communities, how they have coped with the unwelcome role of “working” for Negan, and how these communities interact with Rick, his people, and the Alexandrians…and, if the television series mirrors the comic series, we will see these other communities’ roles in the Ricksistance!
¡Viva la Ricksistance!<3<3
Now, theSaviors…well, aside from a glimmer of humanity from Paula, Molls, and the other dark-haired beautiful sad girl, and the tense exchange between Daryl, Dwight, and the two young girls in the burned forest, there does not seem to be much“inward-looking”happening within the ranks of Negan’s cult army.
The eyes of the Saviors have gone cold, and dead, and the only joy, or spark, they seem to feel is the dark thrill of dominating, and harming, others.
And, on that note, kids, I’d like to welcome you all to the Dark Side of the L7 Theory, because, as we know, as there is progression inward, and upwards, there is also progression outward, and downwards:
In Dante’s classic epic, Inferno, there are 9 levels of Hell outlined, with each level going deeper in degree of wickedness of sin, the punishment for those sins, and the degree of eternal torment and suffering the damned souls are condemned to endure.
Of course, as one goes deeper and deeper, the levels of misery, and suffering, increase.
The levels begin with Level 1, limbo, and end with Level 9, which is located within the center of the earth, and where Satan, punished for his ultimate sin of rebellion and treachery against God, is trapped, encased waist-deep in ice, endlessly punished while endlessly punishing the most vile of sinners, and traitors, such as Judas.
The Seventh Level of Hell is described as follows:
Level 7
Guarded by the Minotaur, who snarls in fury, and encircled within the river Phlegethon, filled with boiling blood, is the Seventh Level of Hell.
The violent, the assassins, the tyrants, and the war-mongers lament their pitiless mischiefs in the river, while centaurs armed with bows and arrows shoot those who try to escape their punishment.
The stench here is overpowering.
This level is also home to the Wood of the Suicides– stunted and gnarled trees with twisting branches and poisoned fruit. At the time of final judgement, their bodies will hang from their branches. In those branches, the Harpies, foul birdlike creatures with human faces, make their nests.
Beyond the wood is scorching sand, where those who committed violence against God and nature are showered with flakes of fire that rain down against their naked bodies. Blasphemers and sodomites writhe in pain, their tongues more loosed to lamentation, and out of their eyes gushes forth their woe.
Usurers, who followed neither nature nor art, also share company in the Seventh Level.
As we read in this description of the Seventh Level of Hell, and throughout Dante’s Inferno, each level of Hell is outlined in great detail, each level becoming more fearsome, more dark, more punishing than the one before it.
Each of these levels of Hell is guarded by a menacing force, or forces.
Does that sound familiar?
To me, it sounds like we have described the entirety of TWD Season 6, especially the second half of the season.
The way I see it, we have been descending deeper and deeper into Negan’s world throughout the second half of TWD Season 6, starting with Daryl’s fateful encounter with Dwight and the young girls, on the run from Negan’s as-yet nameless, faceless army, and ending with Rick and the gang’s terrifying journey, as they circle deeper and deeper into the dark forest, away from the Saviors and their increasingly menacing roadblocks.
As I rewatched Episode 616, after reading up on Seventh Level/Level 7 imagery and meaning, I recognized many details of the episode that seemed to be taken directly from Dante’s description of the Seventh Level of Hell.
In Dante’s Inferno, the descending levels of Hell are described as being circular in fashion, nine circles of suffering.
Think back to Episode 616 (rewatch, when you are able), as Rick, Abraham, and the others in the RV keep getting blocked again and again by Negan’s army, each blockade being more threatening, more terrifying than the one before it.
At Rick’s command, Abraham must keep turning the RV around, away from the larger and larger groups of heavily armed men, and their trucks, and their increasingly menacing, elaborate blockades.
As the RV circles around again, and again, and again, each potential escape is cut off by the Saviors, who are there at each turn, sitting, waiting for them.
The gang must keep turning around, the RV circling back, again and again, being forced deeper, and deeper, into the trap that has been set for them by Negan and his Saviors.
As darkness falls over the woods, their situation becomes more desperate as gas is low, and Maggie’s condition worsens. Eugene heroically comes up with a plan, to drive the RV solo, sacrificing himself as a decoy so Rick and the others can make a break for it on foot, carrying poor sick Maggie on a stretcher in a desperate attempt to get her to the Hilltop.
As they hurry through the dark forest, carrying Maggie on the stretcher, Rick seems deeply troubled, as Carl attempts to reassure his father that they will make it through this challenge, too, as they have so many times before.
Carl vows that he will make sure that nobody will die the way Denise did, ever again, and Rick stops, looks at his son, and he is about to say something, something important, to Carl in that moment, in the darkness of the woods.
“Son,” Rick begins, but he is able to say nothing more, because his words, along with any hopes of making it out of the black forest, are pierced through by the telltale, singsong, two-note whistles of the Saviors.
The whistles build upon themselves, and two notes becomes a terrifying cacophony that surrounds Rick and the others, drowning out any thoughts, building only terror, and confusion…they are trapped, surrounded, and they will now be taken to the blackest epicenter, where Negan awaits them, eager to mete out his special brand of punishment.
Throughout this progression, throughout Ep 616, in your next watching, take note of the imagery, the scenery, the details of the woods with the description of Dante’s Seventh Level of Hell in mind.
Note how the woods look, the spooky, gnarled, twisting trees. The chained blockade of walkers, with the demonic faces, barring the way forward. Remember the image of the poor, doomed runaway man’s body hanging from the bridge. Remember the explosion of fire as the blockade of felled trees rained fire and burning ashes onto Rick and the sweet gang, as Rick frantically orders them back into the RV.
It struck me, as I read, and reread, the description of Dante’s Seventh Level of Hell, that so many details, images, and symbols from that description directly mirrored images and details contained throughout TWD’s Season 6 (especially in the EpS616 ), even down to the very “bows and arrows” that the centaurs use to shoot down those tormented souls to try to escape the river of boiling blood in Hell’s Level 7.
And what kind of sinners are condemned to eternal torment in the Seventh Level of Hell?
“The violent, the assassins, the tyrants, the war-mongers,” and “usurers.”
And who is Negan’s army comprised of?
The “violent, the assassins, the war-mongers” who swear absolute fealty to tyrant and a usurer (ausureris one who taxes others excessively and unjustly, just as Negan does).
I will bring my L7 Theory home, dear readers, by leaving this last detail for you to ponder:
Upon further research into the Harpies, which are mentioned in the above description of Dante’s Level 7 of Hell, I wondered if the chained blockade of walkers that Rick and the others drive up on (especially the female walker, the one who is adorned with Michonne’s dreds and clothing) may have been representative of the Harpies, who were once beautiful, winged spirits who devolved into hideous winged bird-monsters with women’s faces, and who became tasked with carrying the souls of the damned into the underworld.
When I read further into a hunch about the Harpies, and whether or not they made any kind of signature noise, or whistle, like the Saviors’ terrifyingly telltale singsong whistle, I stumbled upon the Mexican legend of the Lechuza, a demonic bird-monster with a woman’s face (just like theHarpies) who whistles at her prey from a hidden place, where the prey cannot see her, but become confused, rattled before the Lechuza swoops down and carrys her hapless victim to the underworld.
BOOM!La Lechuza sounds exactly like the Harpies, and the description of la Lechuza whistling to her prey reads exactly like the moment that the Saviors’ whistles surround Rick and the others in the dark forest!
In my research into my L7 hunch, I was repeatedly, completely blown away by the imagery and symbolism in both the Seventh Level of Hell, and Episode 616, especially my research into the Harpies, and La Lechuza.
In fact, many of the sites I found regarding the Harpies and the Lechuza made direct, frequent comparisons between the two.
My L7 Theory concludes with the mad certainty that Kirkman, Gimple, Nicotero & Co. have already started to get jiggy with Seventh Level/ Level 7 symbolism and meaning in the latter part of TWD Season 6, and they will continue to draw inspiration from Level 7, in all its forms and manifestations, throughout TWD Season 7.
For me, the hardest thing about the initial (and subsequent) viewings of Episode 616 was watching Rick Grimes’ transition from being the hot, (over) confident leader we know and love so well…
…to this:
Dude, two words: Harpy Walker.
..to this.
Dear readers, I cannot lie…watching Rick Grimes in Ep 616 go from hot & cocky to helpless & broken was a hurtful,hurtfulthing, indeed.
But, I believe with all my heart that Rick Smash! will be back, sooner than later.
(And, man, am I gonna be fucking glad to see that guy, my ultimate pretend bf mancrush…j’adore forevs, Rick Smash!❤ ❤ ❤ )
Morgan replies, “What I believe…I’m not right. There is no right. It’s just the wrong, it doesn’t pull you down.”
Rick passes by Deanna, makes eye contact with her, but neither one greets the other as Rick passes.
Bloody Rick looks up at these words…
“Me? Me?”
Bloody Rick laughs at this. “You mean me?”
The others, Michonne, Aaron, Heath, and Spencer, join Rick, and the gang forms a kill circle, back to back, facing the oncoming walkers…
Bloody Rick gets serious, tells Deanna, “Your way…your way is gonna destroy this place. Your way is gonna get people killed…”
Rick Smash! is like, ‘Step aside, homes, and let me take this one.’
…before turning around, slowly and facing McBeaty with this fearsome, smoking-hot look. This man is not Officer Friendly to you, McBeaty!
…all the while clocking Jessie with hungry eyes.
Rick sits back, trying to figure this out. Whoever took it must have watched as he stashed it, unless some person just happened to look inside an old, useless blender in a trash heap and find it…so not likely, though. Rick’s pissed, you can tell. He stands, unsheaths his knife, thinking…and then, he sees that he’s not alone.
“So, bringing people in, to a place like this, now…”
…look like they were taken from right from the old western classics. Love it.
A click of a gun, and Officer Baldy looks up to see Rick Smash! holding a gun to his head…cue the Rick Smash! Bear McCreary theme music, dark and pulsing…Rick Smash! wants to SMASH!
Rick Blast! stands right in the car’s path, firing at it…unfortunately, the windows seem to be bulletproof, and the gang must scramble out of the way, hide behind a dumpster.
…but Deputy Rick Grimes is a beautiful hero. No comparison, son.
When Deputy Smash tells you to stop two times, you should do as he says, Lamson…
After watching the wave of shooters cross his threshold, Rick jumps out and nabs the last shooter around the neck…
…and grabs the shooter’s gun…mmm hmmm, that’s right, Rick Grimes.
Rick! Blast!
From behind Rick, there is a signal to proceed…
Rick pulls his shiv out of his boot, grips it, and waits.
And that just makes it so much hotter…
Sigh…the goosebumps on my goosebumps have goosebumps ❤
WD’s first still shot for Season 5, Rick Grimes super tasty (in more ways than one, apparently) as he peers out of his train car storage unit.
Once again, Rick In Charge doing what needs to be done, and looking fine doing it!
See that look, Joe? That’s the look of a man who is about to go off…
Rick, Smash! don’t think so, Joe…
Rick goes primal, busts Joe’s nose with the back of his head…then goes slo-mo…he’s hulking out…Rick, Smash!
Joe, meet Rick Smash!
See that, Joe? That’s your neck and shit…
Here comes the beat down…
As Rick grabs the man’s gun and prepares to go out the bathroom window, he goes back to crack the door of the bathroom open, to set a “walker time bomb” onto the Downstairs Thug Boys once the dead guy reanimates…tactical genius, Rick Grimes-style!
So pimp, Deputy Grimes!
I love this look on his face as he watches the dude fade out
In the comic series, Rick vows revenge for Glenn after gets Glenn gets savagely beaten to death by Negan.
In response, Negan beats Rick down with his bare hands, then turns to the rest of the group, still on their knees, with Glenn’s mangled, bloody corpse lying before them, that he and the Saviors will be in Alexandria in a week’s time to collect half of all of “their shit.”
Rick and the others are left to collect Glenn’s remains and return home.
While it remains to be seen if the television series mirrors the comic series, I feel sure that Rick Smash! is not one to sit silently by after watching one of his own get horribly beaten to death in front of him, his son, and his chosen family.
Whether Rick Smash!takes a stand then and there, and vows his revenge aloud to Negan in the moment,or stays silent, I feel sure that Rick Grimes will ultimately do whatever needs to be done for the survival of himself, his son, and his people.
I think that the television series will mirror the comic series, and Rick Grimes will bide his time, grit his teeth, and play, so convincingly, the part of one who has been beaten, cowed into “obsequious bondage,” making a show of humbly eating Negan’s shit as it is fed to him, time after time, while secretly observing, calculating, planning, plotting, mobilizingLa Ricksistance.
Rick will suffer, no doubt.He already has.
Watching one of his own be brutally, savagely beaten to death in front of his, and his family’s, eyes (in retailiation for, partly, an attack he orchestrated and led) is a crushing blow to Rick Grimes. And this is just the beginning.
Negan will make sure of that.
Rick is sure to take some major moral inventory in TWD Season 7, replaying past mistakes, raking himself over the coals within his inner landscape, and I feel sure that his personal guilt and shame, coupled with his public humiliations at the hands of Negan will be a horrible, demoralizing thing to watch, especially for his people, and for those of us on Team Rick, and most especially for his son, Carl.
In the comic series, Negan vows to Rick that he will break him, Rick, in front of his people, and I predict that Negan, as he does in the comic series, will use Carl to get at Rick.
I feel most certain that Carl has survived being Lucilled in this first round. Negan developed an immediate fascination with the boy, especially when he quickly made the connection that “the future serial killer” was, in fact, Rick’s son. This realization immediately placed Carl in Negan’s “keep, for now” category, as he would be an invaluable tool in Negan’s quest to break Rick by dominating Rick, belittling him, and humiliating him in front of his son, and his people.
It’s going to be a rough one for those of us on Team Rick to watch our man fall from grace. I cannot lie. But, let us remember, and be comforted by the knowledge that while Rick Grimes must swallow “that nasty, bitter pill, oh yes, he most certainly will” on the outside, Rick Smash! will be crouched in that inner landscape, waiting, watching, simmering and smoldering as he secretly strategizes, mobilizes LaRicksistance.
Rick Smash! needs an army for his rebellion, and the communities like the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and now, Alexandria (who aren’t exactly gentling down into the sycophantic ranks of Savior Stockholm Syndrome) need a leader, one who has the brains, the brawn and the cojones to get the job done.
Who you gonna call?
❤ ❤ Rick Smash!Rick Smash!Rick Smash! ❤ ❤
These communities are sick of giving up half their shit (and then some), only to be informed (once again) that they’ve come up short of their quota.
IT’S NOT FUCKING FAIR..
Like, it’s ALREADY the zombie apocalypse.
Shit sucks, shit smells, and everyone remembers, and misses, the good ol’ days, when there was shit like like hot showers, and wine, and coffee, and tv, and everyone’s had to do some crazy shit to survive this long. There’s no guarantee that anybody will survive to see another day, and everyone’s hungry all the time, and all the good shit is always in short supply.
Anyone still living is working their asses off to stay alive, let alone thrive, and nowadays, any time anyone gets anything good going, something is guaranteed to come along and fuck it all up…it could be an epidemic, or a horde of walkers, OR it could be THAT TIME OF THE MONTH when NEGAN and his sycophantic asshole squad, THE SAVIORS, come along and take all of everyone’s BEST SHIT (in exchange for the Saviors’ supposed “protection” of the community, but the only thing Negan and the Saviors seem to be protecting anyone from, ever, is their prosperity and happiness.)
THEN, after taking way more than half of all a community’s SAID BEST SHIT, those Savior ASSHOLES are sure to turn around and inform SAID BELEAGURED COMMUNITY that “your quota’s come up short,” YET AGAIN, and so NOW everyone’s gotta get on their FUCKING KNEES, YET AGAIN, and WATCH as yet another poor random from their community gets bludgeoned to DEATH by NEGAN, wielding LUCILLE, and then NEGAN and his asshole SAVIORS leave with even MORE OF THEIR SHIT, and leave the traumatized, grieving community to DEAL WITH THE BODY.
And, now, dear readers, somewhere between my own private shame-spiral, and a rebellious, “I may care for the devil” attitude, I must confess that, for me, the easiest part of watching TWD’s Episode 616 was watching this guy:
I have a crush on the Big Bad Wolf.
I know, I know. I’m a bad, bad lady.
At least I’m owning that shit. And, I know, dear readers, that I’m not the only one who has the hots for the man wielding the barbed-wire bat, am I right?
Yeah, that’s what I thought.
I mean, how can we help it? It’s Jeffrey Dean Morgan, for chrissakes. We’ve all had a major crush on that guy for, like, forever, since back in the day when he played Denny on Grey’s Anatomy. We all watched that devastating scene and cried, hard, when Denny lay dead on the hospital bed with Izzie sobbing on his chest.
And who can forget Jeffrey Dean as the Comedian on Watchmen?
Never to forget, Jeffrey Dean. Never to forget.
Look, gang, I don’t know why it feels so, sooo good to be so, sooo bad, but it’s the way it’s always been, since the dawn of time.
All I know is seeing Jeffrey Dean Negan making one the most badass entrances in the history of television, and completely owning those last 15 minutes of Episode 616 had me thinking crazy chick thoughts, like, “But, I bet I could save him.”
Of course, I was devastated for Rick, and the sweet gang, but, I cannot lie…watching that scene, I wasn’t sure what was more lethal: Lucille, or Jeffrey Dean Negan’s dark eyes twinkling with evil mirth, or that blinding smile, or those damn dimples.
Watching Jeffrey Dean Negan dominate that scene, I thought to myself, “Jesus, it’s no wonder that guy has like 10,ooo people blindly worshipping him.”
So, Jeffrey Dean Negan, on behalf of barnfullawalkers, I would like to award you the coveted Deadie for Best Badguyand welcome you to the ranks of my own personal “Bad Boy BF’s,” a crushworthy collection of some of my fave felons from movies and television.
Their transgressions range from being morally ambiguous/socially outcast,to being sociopathic murderers and/or monsters, but if loving them is wrong, well, then, I don’t wanna be right:
Now, some of you may be wondering about my inclusion of Predator in this gallery of hot bad boys, and yes, I must cop to developing an immediate, id-deep fetishy crush on Pred, as I affectionately refer to him, right from my first watching of Predator, back in the day.
Now, do I want to kiss that mouth? Fuck, no.
But, this is not about kissing…it’s wayyy more primal than that.
First off, Pred’s alpha AF. He’s got that total confidence of one who can completely dominate in the battle jungle. Confidence like that is rare, and it’s sexy.
Pred’s also got mad style. That body armor, and those broad shoulders. Mmmm, mmm. And, he’s super tall, so a gal could wear her stillettos.
I think we can all easily imagine Pred living the VIP life of the intergalactic mogul that he most obviously is: Private jets, sleek, high-powered spaceships, limos, yachts, posse. Red carpet,couture body armor, 10 chicks deep, each arm.
Predtakes sexy-ugly to a whole new level. And,who knows what tentacle porn talentsPred’sdreds may possess?
I can’t fully explain it, but when it comes to Pred, I’m in.
Just keep the mask on, buddy.
Anyway, welcome to the fold, Jeffrey Dean Negan. ❤ ❤
_______________________________________________
Ok, loves, it’s that time.
Let us hold hands, and jump in together, as we revisit the Last 15+ Minutes of TWD Episode 616,“Last Day On Earth.”
“Good, you made it. Welcome to where you’re goin’.” (Ominous opening words from Negan’s current head flunkie, who most likely got promoted after Snidely got blowed the fuck up by Daryl. This guy looks like his name should be “MitchHandlestache” or some shit like that. His tall, rangy style reminded me of some 70’s or 80’s- era bad buy, like a bad guy from some Clint Eastwood movie. Anyhow, mad props ontheretro bad guy style, Mitch Handlestache!)
As the gang’s weapons are collected, Mitch Handlestache looks down at the pistol that he has taken off Carl, the one with the image of Lucille carved into the wooden handle. He looks up at Carl.
“That’s yours, right?” Carl says nothing, glares in reply. The two hold each other’s stare for a brief moment.
“Yeah,” Mitch H. says, softly, peering more closely at Carl.
“It’s yours.”
Still holding Carl’s stare, Mitch Handlestache flicks Rick’s deputy hat.
Carl does not move, or flinch, at this.
Mitch H. then stands, turns to address Rick and the others. “Ok, let’s get her down, and get ya all on your knees.”
“Lotsto cover.“
As some Saviors approach Maggie, Abraham bristles, speaks out.
“Hold up.”
“We got it.“
Mitch holds up his hand, staying the men. He’ll allow it.“Sure.”
Abraham and the others lower Maggie gently down, and help her come off the stretcher.
Maggie is clearly ill, pale and sweating, as Abraham and Rick gently help her to her knees.
After helping Maggie, Rick stands, looks over, and sees Eugene, who has been roughly shoved over towards the others, and forced down onto his knees, Eugene has been beaten, is bleeding, crying, watching them.
The full import of what is happening seems to be hitting Rick…
…as he looks down at Eugene, kneeling there.
Rick looks up to see that Mitch Handlestache has stepped up to him…
“I’m gonna need ya on your knees,” Mitch Handlestache informs Rick Grimes.
Stricken, Rick looks towards his son…
…who gapes, unbelieving, at his father.
(Uggghhhhh.…this. is. really. the. worst. EVER.)
Rick looks back at Negan’s head flunky, as the Bear McCreary score rattles like a rattlesnake. His hands are tied. There is nothing he can do but submit in this moment.
As his son, his people watch, Rick slowly comes to kneeling.
😦 😦 😦 😦
<Watching this, I was all like: :0 > “Noooooooooooooo!>
We then see this recurring image of Ep 616, of light pouring through slats, bullet holes, of what looks like the inside of a box, or a cage. We hear breathing, and heartbeats pounding, and we see what looks like the silhouette of someone’s head. Outside, we hear Mitch H.’s voice barking some orders, about getting “The other ones…right now!”
Mitch H.barks out, “Dwight!”“Yeah,” a voice replies. “Chop, chop,” Mitch orders, brusquely, and we see Dwight step forward from the back ranks of the Saviors.
The light becomes blinding as the two doors open.
Dwight walks over and opens two back doors of a van, and inside, we see Daryl, Michonne behind him, as rough hands grab for Daryl and begin to pull him out of the van. Dwight prompts, “C’mon…”
“We got people to meet.”
Michonne and Rosita are then pulled roughly out of the van, after Daryl.
Rick looks on, horrified, as he watches Daryl, Michonne, and Rosita are pulled from the back of the van..
Glenn is the last one to be pulled out of the van by Dwight…
…who throws him roughly to the ground, to his spot in the circle.
Glenn then looks up and sees…
“Maggie?”
Glenn is kicked from behind by Dwight as he tries to go to Maggie..
Maggie cries helplessly as a Savior orders Glenn,“On your knees!”
D: D:
“Al-right!” crows Mitch Handlestache.
“We’ve got a full boat!“
“Let’s meet the man.“ (Knocks on RV door)
(The RV door creaks open)
Our first look at Negan.
“Pissin’ our pants yet?”
“Boy, do I have a feeling…
“…we’re gettin’ close.”
“Yep…”
“…it’s gonna be pee-pee pants city here…”
“…real soon.”
“Which one…
…of you pricks…
…is the leader?”
“It’s this one,”Mitch Handlestache tattletales, pointing at Rick.
“He’s the guy.“ (Handlestache, you goddamn suck-up.)
Negan looks down at the man kneeling before him, sighs, takes a couple of steps closer.
“Hi, you’re Rick, right?“
“I’m Negan.”
“And, I do not appreciate you killin’ my men.”
“Also, when I sent my people to killyour people for killin’ my people….”
“…you killed more of my people!”
“Not cool…”
“…not cool. You have no idea…”
“…how not cool that shit is.”
“But, I think…”
“…you’re gonna be up to speed, shortly.”
“Yeah, you’re so gonna regret crossin’ me in a few minutes.”
“Yes, you are!”
“You see, Rick, whatever you do…”
“…no matter what, you don’t mess with the new world order.”
“New world order is this, and it’s reallyvery simple…”
“So, even if you’re stupid, which you very may well be…”
“…you can understand it.”
“Ready?”
“Here it goes…pay attention.”
“Give me your shit, or I will kill you.”
“Today was career day.”
“We invested a lot, so you would know who I am and what I can do.”
“You work for me, now.”
“You have shit, you give it to me.“
“That’s your job.”
“Now, I know that is a mighty big, nasty pill…”
“…to swallow.”
“But, swallow it…”
“…you most certainly will!“
“You ruled the roost.”
“You built something.”
“You thought you were safe.”
“I get it.”
“But, the wordisout.”
“You are not safe.”
“Not even close.”
“In fact, you arepegged…“
“… more pegged if you don’t do what I want, and what I want…”
“…is halfyour shit.”
“And, if that’s too much…”
“…you can make, find, or steal more, and it will even out, sooner or later.”
“This is your way of life now.”
“The more you fight back, the harder it will be.”
“So, someone knocks on your door…”
“…you let us in. We OWN that door.”
“You try to stop us…”
“…and we will knock it down.”
“You understand?”
“What?”
“No answer?“
“You…didn’t think you were gonna get through this without being punished, now, did you?“
“I don’t wanna kill you people. I just wanna make that clear from the get-go.”
“I want you to work for me. You can’t do that if you’re dead, now, can ya?”
“I’m not growin’ a garden.”
“But, you killed my people. A whole damn lot of them. More than I feel comfortable with.”
“And for that, for that, you’re gonna pay.”
“So, now…”
“I’m gonna beat the holy hell outta one of you.”
“This…this is Lucille, and she is awesome.”
“All this…all this is just…”
“…so we can pick out…”
“…which one of you gets the honor.”
As Negan stops in front of Abraham, Abe straightens up, looks up defiantly at Negan, like, <“Pick me,motherfucker.”> (And this, this made my heart swell so big for Abraham. He really would volunteer, without hesitation, to take this one for his team, love for Sasha and all. Biggest props to Abraham Ford for being the bravest soldier, with the biggest heart. ❤ Much love, Abraham Ford. ❤ )
Negan’s eyebrows raise at this, and he marvels,“Huh.”
He makes a show of stroking his chin, as if considering, then muses, “I gotta shave this shit,” and walks on, leaving Abe untouched. Brrrrr…that’s cold, Jeffrey Dean Negan. That’s real cold.
Negan saunters up to where Carl is kneeling. “You got one of our guns,” he says, conversationally, before kicking the pistol to the side and crouching down to Carl’s eye level, to have a closer look at Carl.
Negan regards Carl with interest, remarks, “You got a lot of our guns.”
Carl says nothing, just continues to glare at Negan.
“Shit, kid,” Negan jokes.
“Lighten up.”
“At least cry a little.”
With a laugh, and a last look at Carl, Negan stands back up…
…tucking the pistol in his belt…
…and continues his perusal of the kneeling gang.
His face is hard to read, just a little smile as he walks past..
…considering each one.
Negan stops in front of Maggie. “Jee-zus,” he exclaims.
“You look shitty.” (Watching this scene, I thought to myself, “If this is looking shitty, then I must look really shitty, like, all of the time.”)
Glenn watches this exchange, agonizing.
Flourishing the modified bat, Negan jokes,
“I should just put you outta your misery right now!”
“Noooo!” Glenn cries out, and tries to rush Negan, who hirls around, watches, as Dwight tackles Glenn down,
Maggie cries out, “Stop!” as Glenn is beaten down, subdued by Dwight.
Dwight draws Daryl’s crossbow on Glenn, waits for the word from Negan.
Negan takes this in stride, but you can tell he’s super pissed, like one who is never interrupted, or made to wait, or crossed in any way, shape, or fashion.
“Nope,” he says, testily.
“Nope.”
“Get him back in line.”
As Glenn is dragged back, protesting, resisting, you can tell Negan is fuming inside.
(Rewatching this scene, seeing how pissed Negan is, I really thought that Glenn had just put himself at the top of Negan’s pick list.)
Glenn is shoved back to his spot, where he cries out in his helplessness. “Don’t,”he begs, miserably.
Negan looks at him, and laughs, silently.
“Alright…listen.”
“Don’t any of ya do that again.”
“I will shut that shit down…”
“No exceptions.”
(Man, so many incredible shots of JDM in this scene, like this one, this profile shot. Totalpredator.)
“First one’s free…”
“It’s an emotional moment. I get it.” (Once again, that smile…made me wonder if Glenn was marked from that point on, plus the comic series precendent…)
Glenn, shaking, tries to compose himself.
Maggie gulps, manages to do the same.
Rick is reeling, shaking, really bugging, hard.
This moment is Rick Grimes’ worst nightmare come to life.
Negan sees this, Rick’s inner struggle, and his eyes, as he looks down at Rick, almost soften into something akin to sympathy, or, at least, recognition.
“Sucks, don’t it?” he says, softly, down to Rick.
“The moment you realize you don’t know shit?“
Rick, sweating, looks up at Negan…
…before staring ahead, and giving the barest of nods.
Negan glances over, and sees Carl watching this exchange intently.
As he and Carl lock eyes, Negan begins to realize…
Negan looks back at Rick, putting it together.
His smile widens as he points the bat first at Rick, then at Carl. “This is your kid…“
“…right?”
Negan looks back at Rick as he laughs, delighted…
And, leading with the pointed end of the bat, he walks towards Carl…
…for a closer look at the boy.
“Ho ho ho!”
“This is definitely your kid!”
“You stop this!” Rick grinds out, in helpless fury.
“HEY!” Negan shuts down Rick’s outburst.
“Do. Not. Make. Me…”
“…kill the little future serial killer!”
“Don’t make it…”
“…easy on me!”
“I gotta pick somebody!“
“Ev-v-verybody’s at the table…”
“…waiting for me to order!“
And, with that, Negan continues down the line…
<whistles>
Negan’s whistle stops, and starts, tunelessly as he walks on.
The whistle climbs two notes, drops two notes, dies out.
“I simply…”
“…cannot decide!”
Negan turns away, as if grappling with such a weighty decision…
…laughs at his predicament…
…making a great show of being so undecided.
Then, he turns, as if he has been struck by a sudden inspiration.
He beams down at them, arms open.
“I got an idea!”
Negan licks his lips.
“Eeny.”
“Meeny.”
“Miney.”
“Moe.”
“Catch…a tiger…by,”
“His toe.”
“If”
“He hollers,”
“Let…him go.”
“My mother”
“Told me”
“To pick”
“The very”
“Best”
“One”
“And you”
“Are”
“It.”
“Anybody moves…”
“…anybody says anything…”
“…cut the boy’s other eye out…”
“…and feed it to his father. And then we’ll start.”
“You can breathe. You can blink.”
“You can cry.”
“Hell…”
“…you’re all gonna be doin’ that.”
BAM!
The poor victim falls to side, a ringing sound whirling round the haze…
Before valiantly struggling to get back up, to Negan’s amusement.“Oh, ho, ho!”
“Look at that!”
“Taking it…”
“…like a champ!”
And then, the thuds. And then, the silence. And then, the credits.
And now, here we are, two days away from the official airing of the TWD Season 7 trailer, during the #TWDSDCC2016 panel, and of course, we will all be watching.
I have said pretty much what I came to say, so I will end with my predictions, my top two guesses, as to who the unlucky recipient of Negan/Lucille’s wrath is, based soley on my own personal observations.
The first of two top picks is, I hate to say, Glenn Rhee.
I have vacillated many times, back and forth, as to whether or not I thought the TWD televsion series would mirror the comic series, and Glenn would be the one to get Lucilled by Jeffrey Dean Negan. At first I took it as a given, and then I was like, “Well, maybe Glenn is so beloved in the TWD tv series, that maybe they’ll change the storyline and another character will get the bat.”
And, yes, I do think that it is a definite possibility that another character will take Glenn’s place in the tv series, and die a horrible death, on their knees, in that circle.
In the realm of possibility, it could be any one of them, including Rick.
But, this is the way I see it, based on how I think, and the little I have heard/read/think I know:
It’s not Rick.
I think, in the tv series, as in the comic series, Negan will want to keep Rick around, to utilize Rick’s leadership skills, like a manager who works for Negan and oversees his former community, i.e. the Alexandrians.
I mean, Negan doesn’t want to watch over all these communities he keeps amassing into his employ. He seems to make the former leaders of those communities act as his manager/figureheads, like Gregory and the Hilltop. So, I feel like he will keep Rick around to manage the Alexandrian community, but he will constantly look for opportunities belittle Rick, knock him off the pedestal his former community once put him on.
Negan will make sure that Rick, and Rick’s people, will know who really is boss.
I think Negan will spare Carl as well, as he seems fascinated with “the little future serialkiller” and will want to use Carl as a way to get to his dad, even perhaps taking the boy under his wing while continuing to humiliate Rick in front of his son, and driving a wedge in between Carl and Rick.
I mean, there’s no TV or computers in the PZA… what the hell else is there for a bad guy to do but fuck with people?
I have heard/read that Negan doesn’t kill wounded people, and he doesn’t kill women. If that is true, that would rule out Daryl, and the women of the gang.
My fear for the women is that Negan has a whole army of men who are armed, bored, and agro AF, and a way to reward, and amuse, those men is to give them women…any women Negan doesn’t want for himself, that is.
I have heard/read that in the comic series, Negan has a number of wives, and any man caught messing with one of his wives gets a hot iron to the face, like what seems to have happened to Dwight.
(And, speaking of Dwight, I also heard, or read, that Dwight knows that Negan doesn’t kill an injured man, so he shot Daryl in the shoulder as a kind of fucked-up repayment for Daryl’s sparing him, and the young girls, back in the burned forest. So, we’ll see how that all plays out.)
So, yes, I am worried that the desirable women of Rick’s community may be seen as a commodity, and I also have that fear for Baby Judith. Babies are rare in these times…what if one of Negan’s wives desperately wants a baby and wants Judith for herself?
But, again, we shall see how all that plays out.
Abraham made himself available to be the one picked, made it clear to Negan that he would take the beating…and for Negan, that probably takes the fun out of it all. So, I don’t think he would choose Abraham.
So, excluding Rick, Carl, Abe, Daryl, the women…that leaves Glenn, Eugene, and Aaron.
Now, back to Glenn, my first pick.
Glenn’s outburst really seemed, to me, to piss Negan off, big time, in that final scene of Ep616. I mean, the guy is surrounded by sycophants who worship him. Nobody is making him wait, or interrupting him, or challenging him in any way.
And Glenn did all of those things, and Negan was pissed.
Also, I read the scene in the comic series when Glenn gets Lucilled, examining it frame by frame. It’s an iconic scene in the series, powerful, pivotal in the storyline. It changes everything. And many of the moments, many of the lines, in the tv series rendition directly mirrors the comic series.
I was also made privy to an article that makes an interesting argument for Glenn being the one tagged “It” by Negan, basing their argument on the “first person perspective”camera angle used repeatedly throughout TWD Ep 616.
I think there’s a lot of merit to it. Check it out:
Now, for my second guess. My second guess, out of everyone, is Aaron. Again, I hate to say it. I love Aaron, and he was so beautiful, tragic, heroic looking in that final scene.
Why Aaron?
Again, I hate to say this, because I love Aaron, and Ross Marquand, but based on the level of fan love and devotion for all the other characters in that kneeling circle, including Eugene, I feel that, relatively speaking, Aaron would be voted “Character Most Likely To Be Wearing The Red Shirt.”
(Please, don’t hate me. I already hate myself for even writing these words. I love you, Aaron, and Ross Marquand!)
Another reason I think it may be Aaron? Because Negan, while he’s doing his “Eenymeenyminey mo” thing, he points the bat at Aaron as he says “If he hollers,” and then, he seems to stay there, not stepping to anyone else, as he continues, “Let him go,” and then, JeffreyDean Negan makes a face, like, eyes lift, and he smiles, like “Hey, how about that?” like he would move on, let Aaron, or whomever he was in front of in that moment, “go.”
Unfortunately, Negan seems to really get off on fucking with people, and Aaron is strategically placed close to Rick, (with Sasha in between the two, but kneeling a little behind the others) which makes makes Aaron pretty much right between Rick and Carl.
What better way to send a strong message to Rick, and make an indelible impression on Rick’s son, than to beat the man right next to both of them to death, so his blood and brains spray out all over them?
Another compelling reason I think it may be Aaron is this image:
You see the shadow on Rick’s face? This is the moment just before Negan says “It,” and tags his victim. The shadow on Rick’s face is on his left side, which suggests to me that Negan, the only one who is moving in that moment, is moving to Rick’s left side, where Aaron is. When I saw that shadow, it solidified my Aaron Theory.
Whether it’s Glenn, or Aaron, or another member of our sweet gang who gets the bat, I can only hope that the actor who plays that character gets to stick around, and work under Nicotero, and learn to be a badass director!
Wow, gang. I think I might actually winding this baby down. We have gone all over the place, and back again, with this one!
(I am on Snapchat asbarnfullawalkers but honestly have no fucking idea how to use it.)
The world lately has been beautiful in many ways, and the world lately has been hard on the hearts.
Let us remember that love comes in all colors, and let us remember that we are one human family. To Rick and the gang, to my TWD family, to my human family, I offer two playlists, my original, and a remix ❤ #onelove
I will be with you all, my TWDfamily, on Friday, and beyond, especially come October.
Keep an eye out for some posts featuring iconic albums from my life, maybe with a little story thrown in there. Remember albums? If you don’t, kids, you gotta get you some of that.
Peace out, gang, enjoy the playlists, & have a happy and safe summer:
Last Day On Earth:
The Kills,“Doin It To Death”
Elvis Costello,“Goon Squad”
Echo & The Bunnymen, “Nocturnal Me”
Aristillus,“Circles”
J. Mascis,“Several Shades Of Why”
Slayer,“Angel Of Death”
Dystopia,“Slaved Chains”
Neurosis,“Eye”
Battleme,“Hey, Hey, My My”(Neil Young)
David Bowie,“Blackstar”
Fleetwood Mac, “Dreams”
Motorhead,“Sympathy For The Devil”
The Grateful Dead, “Ripple” ❤
Last Day On Earth ( barnfullawalkers #oneloveRemix) ❤
Zeds Dead,“Lost You” (Kove Remix)
Zhu, “Faded” (ODESZA Remix)
Hermitude, “The Buzz,” (Feat.Big K.R.I.T., Mataya & Young Tapz)
The Chainsmokers, “Don’t Let Me Down”
Skrillex, Diplo, Justin Bieber, “Where Are Ü Now?”
ODESZA, “Sun Models” (Feat. Madelyn Grant)
ODESZA, “My Friends Never Die (Little People Remix)
<No lie, peeps, hitting “Publish” this post be like:>
Before we begin, tribute must be paid to a legend.
Rock In Paradise, Scott Weiland. Thanks for changing our lives forever. ❤
RIP (Rock In Paradise), Scott Weiland Playlist ❤
Much sadness with this passing of a true artist, and much love to Weiland’s family and friends. The world lost a great one, and we are lucky to have the lasting gift of his music to remember him by, and to dream to.
STP Forever ❤
Now, darlings, this initial post on “Start To Finish” is going to be regrettably brief, due to necessity and the onslaught of the holiday season. I had wanted to rewatch Episode 608, capture (& post) the many iconic photo moments, and celebrate the beauty, bravery, and delicious mayhem of it with you all, but such things will have to wait until after the new year.
I do promise that when the “Start To Finish 2.0” post comes, it will be super fabulous. We will get in there, loves, and we will rake the muck, muddy the waters, and hash all that shit out.
And, above all else, we will give the love to all the sweet peeps: Rick, and the gang (which now includes all of Alexandria), Glenn and Enid, and especially to Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham, who have driven up onto a motley biker gang, and a world of shit. Sending love, Daryl, Sasha, Abraham. Stay strong, stay together, if you can! ❤
Most of all, much love and mad props to Deanna Monroe (and to TovahFeldshuh, the incredible actress who played this character to perfection.<3)
While I am feeling of touch of the ol’ Post Dick Guilt Syndrome(PDGS)from my lack of belief in the method to Deanna’s temporary madness in Episode 607, we all know that I have been heaping praise upon Deanna’s (and Tovah’s) badassness ever since we met her in Season 5’s “Remember,” after Abraham bellowed Chris Hardwick’s fave line, “Who’s Deanna?” and we TWD fans witnessed the first of many epic exchanges between Rick Grimes and Deanna Monroe.
Who’s Deanna? Deanna Monroe is a badass, full of strength, heart, and wisdom, who left Rick, Michonne, and the sweet gang, including her community of Alexandria, a legacy of love, of family, and of hope for a future…a life worth living, beyond mere survival…a chance, perhaps, to flourish, to finish the dream that Deanna and Reg Monroe started.
In Memory of an incredible mid-season finale episode, and an amazing woman, Deanna Monroe, I present to you, dear readers, the “Who’s Deanna?” Playlist,which features a bevy of badass female musical artists, as well as Louis Armstrong, who could always abide and hang with the ladies.
To follow the continuous worship of pop culture through the holiday break, find and follow barnfullawalkers on social media:
Hello again, and much love, dear readers.We atbarnfullawalkers hope that you all are having a lovely summer, full of fun, frolic, naps, and shenanigans. May there be lots and lots of shenanigans.
Speaking of shenanigans, if you are among the lucky folk who are en route to San Diego, as I write this, for this week’s #SDCC2015, congratulations! A few years back, I was able to go to the SDCC, and it was the funnest, ever. As soon as I walked into the San Diego Convention Center, I felt like I had finally found my natural habitat, and immediately got to the business of having one of the best long weekends of my life (thus far).
Memories include: riding in an elevator with Gene Simmons (my friend said he checked me out); seeing Mix Master Mike spin at a club on the beach (and skinny-dipping in the Pacific ocean, afterwards); going to the “Marvel Party”with a friend who had done artwork for a few issues of different Marvel comics;walking behind David Cross and a girl that I think was Amber Tamblyn (not sure if they were together yet) and eavesdropping on their adorable fake-argument-debate; setting off on foot across the city in search of the Buffalo Exchange with my adventurous friend, Amy…we had only a vague idea of where we were going, and we shared stories along the way, browsed in stores, stopped at coffee shops and cafes, climbed trees and meandered for many hours (and about 80+ blocks) until we found the store we were looking for. After an epic shopping spree, we treated ourselves to a bus ride back to the convention center (which took all of about 25 minutes) as the fellow passengers, upon learning of our day’s journey, exclaimed over us for being crazy enough to actually walk that far, anywhere.
I also tried my first, and last, Bikramyoga class on that trip, after a night of hard partying…an ill-advised move, dear readers. I do not recommend anyone doing that, ever, unless one is both a seasoned partier and a seasoned Bikram yogi.
While, sadly, I will not be in attendance at the SDCC this year, I will bask in the memories, and I will be there in spirit. For those who are going, have a blast, be safe, and blow a kiss to the TWD and the FTWDpanels for me. ❤ ❤
One day, SDCC, I’ll be back, and the adventures will be many, and epic, indeed.
While I do entertain fantasies of being on a plane bound for San Diego, I am, in reality, exactly where I belong…at home, with the kids finally asleep, sitting in front of the laptop, drinking wine, simultaneously texting my WD buddy some mad gossip and getting ready to hash it with you all about just what the hell is going on with Rick, Morgan, our gang and the Alexandrians in this first image of TWD Season 6, the #TheWalkingDeadSDCCSeason 6 promotional poster.
Like, seriously, people…we need to talk about what is going on in this picture.
Let us begin our discussion with our two favorite frenemies in the forefront, locked in a terse moment of exquisite manly tension…Rickand Morgan.
When we last left Rick and Morgan, in the final moments of the TWD Season 5 finale episode, “Conquer,” Morgan’s journey to find Rick Grimes ended in a most unexpected fashion, when, in yet another classic TWD moment, the brains-and-blood-spray hit the proverbial fan…
Rick Smash! was all, like, BANG! and McBeaty’s face, head, and brains were all like, SPLAT! all over Deanna Monroe’s fancy courtyard.
And then,Bloody Rick looked up, and saw his old friend, Morgan,standing there, and Morgan was all, like, …
“Rick?!”
And, stone-cold busted, Rick was all, like, ….
<D’oh!>
The way I imagine it, later that night, Daryl set out in search of a missing Rick, and found him drunk, in Alexandria’s soundproofed recreation center, taking long pulls from a handle of bourbon, stumbling around, and singing karaoke to:
I mean, right? Honestly, people, watching that ending scene just reinforced for me the inescapable, irrefutable truth that timing is everything. It really is. Sometimes, timing works out, and it’s all like, “Oh, what perfect timing!” and shit’s all beautiful, and everything just seems to fall into place. Those are good, good times.
Savor those moments, people, because other times, timing is not your friend. Other times, timing will kick your ass, hard.
The “Bloody Rick looks up from blowing McBeaty’s brains into the bricks, and sees Morgan standing there, looking horrified” moment would, in my humble estimation, fall into the latter category.
Now, the way I see it, Morgan has been out there, in the feral open, for quite some time, and has most certainly seen some shit go down these past two years since the inception of the walker apocalypse. (I am, of course, hoping that Season 6 will give us TWD fans some Morgan backstory, a la Season 4’s “Live Bait,” which caught us up with the Governor’s whereabouts, and gave us one of our most beloved TWD characters, Tara.)
So, I have a couple of questions, here:We haveMorgan, flanked by Daryl and Aaron, coming up on a scenario where he sees, on one end, a man bleeding out from a gash in his throat, dying, as his sobbing wife holds him…over on the other end, Morgan sees Rick, who is dressed in a cop’s uniform (and yes, is covered in blood, I know, but it’s walker blood, and these are some crazy times, so you never really know what you are going to see when you turn a corner) standing over another man who has been wrestled to the ground…then, Morgan sees Rick shoot said man, wrestled to the ground,in the head…and, while it’s all a bit startling, I ask you, dear readers, is it really that shocking, in these times, to come up on a scene like that?
And, upon taking in the whole scene, is it really that hard for Morgan to put the pieces together and realize what events may have transpired to lead up to McBeaty’sbrains being splattered all over Deanna’s nice courtyard?
Seems pretty simple to me: Domestic abuser goes all crazy, slashes an innocent man’s throat, has to get put down like a rabid dog…seems to me that that shit goes into the “crazy fucker had it coming”category.
All I’m saying is, while this strange reunion may lead to some awkward moments when Rick and Morgan run into each other at the commissary, is this fateful first encounter, with its clash of idealogies, really going to be a friendship dealbreaker for Rick and Morgan?
I certainly hope not, especially since we know what’s coming for Alexandria…the Wolfboys, flanked by their Walker Army!
They found Aaron’s man-purse, they’ve seen the pictures, and they are coming, people.
As we study this first #TWDSDCC promotional poster image, we see Rick, standing close to Morgan, looking intensely at him, as if imparting crucial information to Morgan, or awaiting Morgan’s response to said information. We see Morgan’s gaze is fixed outward, towards the horizon, as if he is studying the walls surrounding Alexandria, and considering the threat that is coming from the outside.
(Um, yeah, Morgan, about that…remember those wacky, weirdo wolfboys sporting W’s on their foreheads? The ones that tried to kill you? The ones that basically told you, straight up, that they find and kill innocent people they come across, or they trap them, or they run through their camps and communities, massacring the innocents, turning them into walkers, and bringing them back, somewhere, in their new, “not exactly alive” state? Remember those guys, the ones you didn’t kill? That mean, nasty shit they do, and bragged to you about, is like their fucked-up hobby, their life’s purpose.
And after those wolfboys woke up from their kung-fu coma nap in the back seat of that abandoned car you so kindly tucked them away in, they found their way back to the trap you rescued Daryl and Aaron from, “walkerized” some poor dude in a red poncho, fashioning themselves another member for their undead army, and then, they found Aaron’s man purse, pulled out pictures of your new community, and now, they are coming to your new home, Morgan. They are coming, with their walker army, to kill people and fuck shit up, and I ask you, my friend…do you think that maybe, in retrospect, that some lives are a little more precious than others?
Sorry for the diatribe, but that shit needed to be said, and btw, I am also saying. right here, right now, that I just know that Kirkman, Gimple, and Nicotero are going to have a scene where we (and most likely, Daryl and Aaron) see that red poncho guy, who will now be Red Poncho Walker, sporting a W on his decomposing forehead, snapping and slavering amongst his fellow troops in the undead infantry…mark my words, dear readers. That shit is coming, to a walled community near you.)
Anyway, back to the poster…Morgan really does seem to be listening, thinking, processing what Rick is trying to tell him, which, judging from the grim expressions on both men’s faces, seems to be a matter of great importance.
Life, death, walker army…that kind of shit.
We see the others behind Rick and Morgan, divided, which is interesting, but not really so surprising, you know? A lot of shit has gone down in a short time in Alexandria, and everyone’s still trying to get their bearings. Everyone’s expressions are so serious, grim. (Which really did bum me out, when I first saw this poster. I was like, “Wait, what about the fun playdates at the Grimes’ house? What about Friday Night Dance Troupe?” Tragic, all this unrealized potential for fun, flirting, and frolic. Such a waste of hot, sexy talent. As we have said before in this blog, Damn you back to the hell that spawned you, cruel, cockblocking walker apocalypse!)
In the poster image, we see Rick’s gang, with Daryl and Michonne in the forefront, lined up behind Rick, standing at the ready, as if anticipating battle. Behind Morgan, the key members of the Alexandrian community stand together, including Deanna Monroe, and her surviving son,Spencer (who I think got cut off at the edge there in my reproduction for this post..sorry about that…was impossible to get a full-sized screenshot of the entire poster image). We seeAaron looking worried, behind Deanna, and, lurking in the background, looking tragic as usual, we see Father Gabriel.
Jessie, while on the side of the Alexandrians, has gaze turned towards Rick, while her body is turned halfway between Rick and his people, and her fellow Alexandrian citizens. I feel that Jessie’s placement, and posturing, in this image suggests that she is caught somewhere in the middle, between the two camps, Team Rick, and Team Alexandria.
I feel that we TWD viewers will see the a fuller scope of Jessie’s strength and character as Season 6 unfolds,as she negotiates the complex and vital role as translator/mediator between Rick’s group, Morgan, and Deanna’s group. She would be able to be more objective, and see the strengths of each side’s approach on how to navigate both survival in this new world, while trying to retain some of the humanitarian and moral codes of the world left behind.
The way I see it, Rick, Morgan, Deanna, and the others have enough challenges to face in the season ahead, as they try to come to some sort of accord, and find a way to coexist, flourish, and explore the rare opportunity to actually live a life worth living, however brief it may be, within the relative safety behind Alexandria’s walls. It is a tall order, especially with the ever-present threat that looms just beyond (and, sometimes, inside)the steel walls of Alexandria…the predatory world of both undead, and living, foes alike want nothing better than to breach those walls and prey upon those living within them.
War is coming to Alexandria, people, and as we study this poster, it is easy to surmise that each and every individual in this picture knows it. Daryl, Michonne, and the rest of the righteous gang look poised and ready, their battle faces on. Deanna’s face looks grim, and stormy, and her people, who are not so battle-savvy (yet) look worried.
Nobody’s fucking around, least of all Kirkman, Gimple, and Nicotero. And our man, Rick Grimes, ain’t playing. But, never fear, darlings. The TWD panel will convene at #SDCC this Friday at noon Pacific, and they will debut the Season 6 trailer, and it will all be good, I promise. And, of course, with that trailer, another tweaker blog post from barnfullawalkers will be forthcoming, and once again, all will be right in the world.
Until then, enjoy the playlist, darlings. With all this strife and discord in the air of Alexandria, I figured we needed a “rudey, ‘tudey, crass and crudey” punk rock playlist, with a triple scoop of Transplants, to help sort it all out. To Rick and the gang, and to TWD, and to the San Diego Comic Con…cheers to all!
Playlist:
Elvis Costello, “(What’s So Funny Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?”
Transplants, “Something’s Different”
Dead Kennedys, “Holiday In Cambodia”
Fugazi,“Sieve Fisted Find”
Balkans, “I Can’t Compete”
Billy Bragg, “To Have And To Have Not”
Bad Brains, “I And I Survive”
Transplants,“Diamonds And Guns”
FIDLAR, “No Ass” (Seriously, everyone in Alexandria needs to just settle down with all this internal fighting, seize the day, and get them some serious loving before the Wolfboys and their walker army come knocking…just sayin’!)
Liam Lynch, “United States of Whatever”
Transplants,“Tall Cans In The Air” (Tall cans in the air for Rick Grimes and our gang of hot, sexy, battle-savvy transplants. Alexandria hasn’t been this exciting since, well…ever!)
(All images used in this post are screen caps from AMC’s “The Walking Dead” unless otherwise specified.)
Hello, loves…it has been far too long. While I have been immersed in the rich layers of life in the IRL, my thoughts have been, quite often, with my fave show, and my #TWDFamily, all over the world.
This is the moment I have been waiting for, when I finally get to sit, focus, and endeavor to conquer “Conquer.”
We have much to discuss with The Walking Dead’s Season 5 finale, Episode 516, but before we do, dear readers, let us take a moment to look back on TWD’s Season 5, and honor those we have lost...family, friends, foes, both living and undead (and even an inanimate object or two), while we raise our glasses, our bottles, our mugs, and serenade our dearly departed with a classic by Neutral Milk Hotel, “In The Aeroplane Over the Sea”:
(At this point, before, I would have inserted this classic song, via the beloved Grooveshark widget embed, into this post; but alas, loves, Grooveshark is no more… I grieve, as we had some good jams, and Grooveshark made the music available to many, for free. I did know that Grooveshark was embroiled in some legal trouble, as free music sharing does raise the issue of compensation for the artists… I knew that one day, Grooveshark may be gone. And, like so many of our beloved TWD characters, gone it is.
R.I.P. Grooveshark…we had some good jams.
And now, (drum solo, please), dearest readers, may I present: Neutral Milk Hotel’s, “In The Aeroplane Over The Sea,” via the new tunes tech: Spotify ❤
So pimp, right? At this point, I am not sure if playlists will be available for immediate listen if the reader doesn’t have an account with Spotify. If not, hopefully you can create a free account, and access the playlists, perhaps with some advertisements thrown in. If you are on the Spotify premium plan, you can listen to my shit uninterrupted. I do apologize for any inconvenience this change of events may cause. Change happens, and once I recovered from my shock at having my existing playlists be wiped from existence…
… I realized the opportunity was there for a serious upgrade. And so, upgrade I did.
One of the many perks of “said upgrade” is that my playlists will now be available on mobile devices for those who have the Spotify app, so now, those readers may enjoy the playlists on their phones, tablets, etc., which they could not do before, with the previous tunes tech. ❤
And so, dear readers, if you will, cue the music, and raise a beverage for:
The WD Season 5 Hall of Fame Neutral Milk Memorial ❤R.I.P. and cheers, and much love to:
Grooveshark ❤
Beth Greene ❤
Tyreese ❤
Bob Stookey ❤
Noah ❤
Noah’s mom ❤
Noah’s Lil Bros ❤
Lil Bro Walker ❤
Aiden 😦
Rick’s Beard ❤
Bob’s Leg 😦
Gareth
Mary
Alex (Technically a Season 4 casualty, but Alex did enjoy a brief posthumous cameo in Season 5, so we include him here.)
Shitty Martin
Terminus
Sam ❤
Friends With Benefits Walker ❤
Joan Walker ❤
Dawn Lerner
Gorman
Mr./Dr. Trevitt
Sgt. Lamson
Officer O’Donnell
The Van
The Bus ❤
The Mission to D.C. 😦
Ragin’ Face
Walkers Interruptus ❤
Hey, Where’s The Party At? Walker ❤
I Died In A Barn Walker
Rick’s Little Bit Of Flare Walker ❤
Buttons ❤
Wild Dog Pack 😦
The Owl Sculpture
Grabby Walker
I Wanna Eat Francine Walkers
White Walker ❤
Poor Girl Tied To A Tree Walker ❤
Hostage Walker ❤
Reg ❤
McBeaty
Leonard Nimoy ❤
The Walking Dead’s Episode 516 opens with a shot of a car, hood smashed in, abandoned in the woods. The sun is low on the trees, suggesting either the dawning, or the darkening, of another day.
Inside the car, we see Morgan sleeping.
Morganawakes…
.. sits up, smiles…
…as he looks up, sees his rabbit’s foot, hanging from the rearview mirror…it seems to have kept him safe for another night. I am assuming that this rabbit’s foot belonged to Morgan’s son, Duane,who was bitten by his mother-turned-walker, Jenny Walker. While watching this scene, I imagined that Morgan started every day by taking a moment to remember his son, his wife, his family. The rabbit’s foot was an item that Morgan lay on the altar back at Gabriel’s church (right before finding the map to D.C. with Abraham’s note to Rick written on it) as he knelt in prayer at the altar. It seems here, from Morgan’s serene countenance, that he has found some peace within himself since Rick, Carl, and Michonne last encountered him in Season 3’s “Clear.”
In the next shot, we see a small campfire, surrounded by rocks, with a small metal grate placed over the flame, and a metal cup placed on top, presumably to heat water.
Morgan takes the cup from the fire, rips open a packet of instant soup or something, and pours the contents in the cup. As he stirs his breakfast, the shot pans out…
…and we see another figure approach, a young man with dark hair, who steps forward upon a rock, across from where Morgan sits. The young man balances playfully on the rock a moment before stepping down. He appears to be pointing a handgun at Morgan. Morgan says nothing, does not acknowledge the young man’s presence.
The young man leans forward slightly towards Morgan. “Looks good,” he says, sitting on the rock across from Morgan, still pointing the pistol at him.
“Hi,” says the young man. He peers closely at Morgan, waiting for a reaction.
Morgan does not respond right away, looks over his shoulder, casually, in both directions, checking to see if anyone else is there. He looks back at the young man.
“Hello,” Morgan says. He motions to the gun the young man points at him. “You may want to lower that,” he suggests, mildly. The young man does not respond, nor does he lower the gun. The two men regard each other in silence over the campfire.
“What’s the “W” for?” Morgan asks the young man, who bears a “W” mark on his forehead.
In response, the young man narrows his eyes at Morgan. His mouth sets to the side, somewhere between a smile and a grimace. He cocks the pistol he is pointing at Morgan, who does not seem afraid of the young man or his gun.
“You know the first settlers here? They put bounties on wolves’ heads,” the young man begins.
(Editor’s note: Putting a bounty on wolves’ heads is a practice that has actually resurfaced, in the United States, in recent years. In the U.S., federal protections for wolves are being systematically stripped away, state by state, across the country, leaving hunters and poachers free to kill wolves and wolf pups on sight alone, without provocation, with the intention to decimate the species. Congress is considering passing a bill, at the time of this writing, to delist the gray wolf as an endangered species. Google this issue, visit the Defenders of Wildlife online site http://www.defenders.org/the-war-on-wolves/delisting-disaster, and write to your elected officials if you want to protect the future of this iconic species, and tell them in reinstate federal protections for wolves.) #SaveTheWolf
The young man continues, telling Morgan, “(The settlers) brought the natives into it, made them hunt (the wolves)…didn’t take them too long to kill them all.”
The young man then taps the “W” on his forehead. “They’re back, now,” he informs Morgan.
Morgan regards the young man, and all his posturing, with amusement.
He looks down, biting back his laughter…
…and as Morgan looks away, composing himself (and rechecking his periphery), the young man prompts, “Thoughts?”
In reply, Morgan turns his attention back to the young man, looks at him a moment before answering.
“Every thing gets a return,” Morgan replies.
The young man sits back and processes this a moment, then smiles, uncertainly.“Are you shittin’ me?” he asks Morgan.
Morgan shakes his head earnestly. “No, I shit younot,” he assures the young man. The two men share a laugh at this.
Still laughing, the young man sits back, regards Morgan. “I like this…just talkin’,” he says. Then his face becomes somber again. “I don’t get to meet new people very often,” he tells Morgan, figuring, “Maybe, once every two weeks.”
“That’s a lot,” Morgan exclaims softly. The young man nods. “I work at it,” he says, amends, “We do…sometimes we find camps, run through them. We have traps,too.” The young man pauses, muses, “It’s different…it’s not like meeting like this…as equals.”
As he tells Morgan this, the young man’s manner is very matter-of-fact, conversational, reporting the information simply and truthfully, like a child would. The young man seems like he is no older than a post-teen, early twenties tops.
In response, Morgan looks casually over his other shoulder, checking again to see if anyone else is coming up on him. He looks back at the young man, regards him.
The young man continues, musing, “Little chats in front of the fire, with a stranger…that’s the closest thing to movies, now.” Morgan keeps his eyes on the young man, nods warily.
“I miss movies,” the young man muses. “I used to–put that down,” he orders Morgan, who has lifted his mug to take a drink of his soup.
Morgan’s hand pauses, the mug stops mid-sip. He lowers the mug. “Why?” he asks the young man, puzzled, free hand turned up in question.
“Because I want it,” the young man replies, frowning. He blinks slowly, then says to Morgan:
“I want everything you have…every last drop.”
“Can I keep a little of it?” Morgan asks, testing the young man. “Just to get me through a day or two, you know, just to keep me alive?” I feel like Morgan is testing the young man, to see how much of a danger he really is, testing if the young man has any empathy or compassion left inside him at this point.
The young man looks at Morgan. His eyes are devoid of any feeling or compassion. “I’m taking you, too…” the young man says, slowly.
“…and you won’t exactly be alive,”
Morgan looks at the young man, says nothing, and slowly, deliberately puts his mug down. When he returns his attention to the young man across from him, Morgan’s look has changed…his smile, and friendly manner of before, are gone.
The young man resumes talking, “Some of the tribes, around here, they thought that the first people were wolves, transformed into men…and, now, well, you know…‘Everything gets a return,’right?”
(The implication here, I think, is that the men, the people, once they die and reanimate (as walkers), are then transformed back into an incarnation of wolves…savage, wild, predatory creatures who hunt the living in packs.)
Morgan smiles, slightly, and nods, slightly, at the young man, looks at him a moment.
“You can have my supplies. You can have everything,” Morgan offers the young man.
“There doesn’t need to be any ugliness,” Morgan continues, “but I can’t allow you to take me away.”
“I will not allow that,” Morgan says, gently, firmly.
Morgan reaches down for his wooden staff, only to be stopped by the sound of the safety being released on the young man’s gun.
“Don’t move,” the young man commands, and Morgan’s hand freezes mid-air, above the staff.
Morgan turns back towards the young man, his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.
The young man motions Morgan back, still pointing the gun at Morgan.
“Just…be still,” the young man says to Morgan. Then the young man’s eyes harden a bit, and a small smile returns to his face. He says it again…
“Just…be…still.”
Morgan knows the attack from behind is coming, and he is quick to evade the young blond man who leaps at Morgan from the bushes behind him, swinging a curved scythe down at the spot where Morgan was sitting. The pointy end of the scythe strikes only rock as Morgan whirls aside, grabbing his staff in one deft motion…and with that, the #MorganStyle kung fu beatdown begins…
After Morgan leaps away from the young assailant’s first strike, he grabs his staff and whirls around, delivering a swift blow to the dark haired young man, knocking him to the ground.
Morgan ducks low to evade another wild swing from the blond wolfboy’s scythe, and the young man’s balance is thrown off again…
A swift strike from Morgan’s staff into the young man’s lower spine sends him toppling forward into the dirt.
Morgan then brings his staff end down, so it rests in one hand, standing tall beside him, like a shepherd’s staff. It is a posture of peace, and power, an unspoken message of, “Run along now, wolfboys, and don’t make me kick your ass again.”
As the young men come to a shaky stand, the dark-haired one regards Morgan with a new respect, and fear.
The blond one menaces forward, glaring at Morgan. “You should just go,” Morgan warns them. “Now.” The blond young man growls, “No,” and lunges for Morgan again.
Morgan sidesteps the young man’s attack, and brings his staff down, blocking the scythe’s blade, then delivers a series of quick strikes upside the blond wolfboy’s, well, everything, and then sends blond one’s dark-haired little bastard compadre back into the dirt with two fierce blows, one with the staff, followed by one downward blow with his gloved fist.
It is truly satisfying to watch Morgan kick some wolf-poser ass, with style, grace, and restraint, in the way of the master. #kungfupimp
#MorganIsMySifu
Morgan then whirls with pimp flourish, twirling his staff expertly as he changes direction, readies his stance. His young opponents struggle to come to another shaky stand… they flank Morgan, pause, wait for their opportunity to strike again. This next time, they will both rush him at once, and Morgan knows this, waits for the attack.
“Just go,” Morgan says again. The young men, of course, do not listen.
The young dark haired one draws his knife. It seems the two wolfboys aren’t used to having to work this hard to subdue other victims…
…as they crouch, reading Morgan, readying for the next attack. The blond one seethes as he looks at Morgan. This time, it’s personal.
Morgan softens his gaze downward, as if at a focal point in front of him. Watching this scene, I was reminded of young Luke Skywalker, wearing eyeshields, learning to tap into The Force and block an attack with his lightsaber, without relying soley on his sense of vision to guide him. Morgan seems to use the point in front of him to access his peripheral vision equally on both sides, to be able to feel and read sudden movement from either end, and respond accordingly. “Please,” he asks, once more.His unspoken message is clear: Go now, young wolf posers…don’t make me do this.
Suddenly, the dark haired one screams,“Now!”and both young adversaries rush Morgan at once, from opposite sides.
It’s time to shut it down. Morgan sends the dark haired boy into the dirt, unconscious, with one or two swift high strikes to the head…
…Morgan whirls to the other young man and sends him out with a high, then low, strike, from each end of his staff, bam bam!There is no more movement from either of the young men. #knockedthefuckout
Morgan bends and picks up the handgun, hears a walker approaching. He points the gun at the walker and pulls the trigger repeatedly, gets only clicks.
The damn gun was empty the whole time?
Nothing to be done but sully the staff with some walker brains…Morgan pulls a cloth from his coat pocket and wipes his staff clean of the undead mess on his chosen weapon.
In the next shot, we see Morgan carefully lay the unconscious blond man on top of his dark haired counterpart in the back seat of the abandoned car he himself had spent the previous night in. (Enjoy your nap, wolf-posers, and btw, those “W’s” you drew on your foreheads look really fucking stupid. Wearing a “W” on your forehead doesn’t make you a wolf, or a primal tribesman, or anything remotely cool like that. It just makes you look really dumb, like you’re fronting wolf while acting like sadistic, demented assholes.) “W”clearly stands for “wack” and “Whatever, weirdos.”
Morgan shuts the young feral felons into the back seat, and then leans across the front seat of the car, honking the horn 2 or 3 times, ostensibly to alert their “tribe” to come look for them. We see that Morgan’s way of dealing with the men is very different from the way Rick Grimes would have handled them. Morgan could easily have killed his young assailants, or left them to be killed by walkers, but didn’t…he seems to value their lives to the degree that he took the time and effort to move them to an enclosed, protected place, where they wouldn’t be prey to walkers as they lay unconscious. Morgan then looks up at Duane’s rabbit’s foot, hanging from the rearview, and smiles at it once again before tearing the lucky charm from the mirror, taking a quick look around, and slipping off into the forest, in search of Rick Grimes.
Before we move on, kudos and Deadies to the following mavericks (I am giving out mad Deadies this post because it’s the WD Season 5 finale, people, and attention must be paid, props must be given, and the love must be shown!)
First Deadie goes to Greg Nicotero, directorial and special effects prodigy, who directed the TWD Episode 516, “Conquer,” as well as other groundbreaking episodes in Season 5: “No Sanctuary,” “What Happened and What’s Going On,”(just to name a couple of my personal favorites).
Standing ovation, Greg Nicotero. You really brought TWD Season 5 to a whole new level, and set an unprecendented standard of excellence to television as a whole.
Suck on that, Emmy snubbers.
There are many who say that Season 5is, hands down, the best season yet of The Walking Dead television series. In many respects, I fully agree. I personally feel Greg Nicotero is a huge reason for this season’s artistic excellence on all levels, and I imagine anyone working directly with the project knows this to be fact.
Much love, many thanks to Crazy Uncle Greg from us at barnfullawalkers. Thank you, Crazy Uncle Greg, for bringing the love, and the pain, and for being so beautifully twisted, genius, and spectacular. You are bringing it like Bukowski.
Next Deadie goes to our man, Lennie James, who plays Morgan Jones, kung fu badass who walks the way of the peaceful warrior. I do not know if Lennie James has been studying martial arts for a long time, or if he had to immerse himself in a quick study for this role, but damn, that man is pure poetry in motion. Style. Speed. Grace. Power. Poise.
And, impeccable acting, time and time again, in every project I have ever seen him in, and especially as Morgan Jones in The Walking Dead.
(I was a huge Morgan-and-Duane fan from the first moment I met them in the TWD pilot episode, Season 1’s “Days Gone Bye,” when Duane clocked Rick in the back of the head with a shovel, and he woke up, bound, in Morgan and Duane’s house.
As I watched WD Season 1, I kept asking Rick, on the screen, “Rick, have you tried to radio Morgan yet today? Call Morgan and Duane! They need to know where you are so they can meet up with you!”
Look, people, I knew Rick was super busy in Season 1, reuniting with his wife and kid, getting cuckolded, road tripping back and forth to Atlanta, trying to get to the CDC, but I was always super worried about Morgan and Duane.
I never stopped thinking about them, and I was kind of mad at Rick for dropping the ball on keeping in touch with Morgan like he said he would. I got over it, of course. I can’t stay mad at Rick Grimes for long, and who would want to? That’s just crazy talk, people!
I must tell you, however, when I watched Season 3’s “Clear,” when Rick, Carl, and Michonne found Morgan, and we found out what happened to Duane, it messed me up, hard…I won’t go into the sordid deets, but suffice it to say that the entire rest of that night was awash in bourbon and tears. I was haunted. I wore a black armband for days after under my work attire. It wasn’t pretty.
But, as hard as “Clear” was for me, I was mesmerized by Lennie James’ performance in that pivotal episode.
I remember hearing an interview with Andrew Lincoln on Talking Dead, and Andrew Lincoln said that he and Lennie James filmed the Morgan-to-Rick soliloquyscene in “Clear” on Andrew Lincoln’s birthday. In the TD interview, Andrew Lincoln said that the way that Lennie James delivered that monologue was the best birthday present he could have asked for.
For me, personally, Duane being alive and well would have been the best present I could have asked for, but alas, that was not to be…Kirkman said no, so I abide.)
R.I.P.Duane. ❤
So, much love, Lennie James, and mad props. You are an amazing actor, a talented martial artist, a total master, anda total pimp.
And, the last of the First Round of Deadies goes to genius composer, Bear McCreary, who delivered another incredible score, bringing the Morgan kung fu asskicking scene in the woods to new heights. Pure perfection, really. Once again, kudos,Bear McCreary.
Speaking of kudos, and sheer awesomeness, let us now return to Episode 516, where we see another beloved character, doing one of the things he loves best, being a beautiful badass on a bike…
Daryl Dixon. ❤
Behind Daryl, Aaron follows in a car that has seen better days. Daryl, then Aaron, pull over on an abandoned dirt road, shut off their vehicles, and gather their belongings. After a quick look-around, the two men slip into the woods.
Meanwhile, back in the Alexandria Juvenile Detention Center…
Rick Grimes wakes up in lockdown.
Rick blinks awake, peers around at the darkened room. There are rays of sunlight pouring through some small opening, or window, and Rick tries to sit up, painfully. He laughs a little, softly, to himself, shaking his head before giving it up. Shielding his eyes, he starts to lie back on the cot, when he is surprised by a voice in the room.
“What’s so funny?” we hear Michonne’s voice ask.
Shielding his eyes, caught unawares, Rick looks up at her.
Girlfriend is not looking pleased.
“You were here the whole time?” Rick asks her, hoarsely.
“All night,” Michonne answers, succinctly. She asks again, “What’s so funny?”
“This,” Rick replies, sitting up with some effort, motioning to the room around him, “is like the train car. After the whole thing…I’m still there.“
“Deanna wanted you in here,” Michonne replies. “Calm things down.” Her manner is terse, annoyed. “Rosita patched you up, Carl came by for a while, sent him home.”
Michonne’s tone and manner with Rick right now seems to be like: “Hey, remember your kids? Your people? Or did you forget about all that while you went off chasing after your own little drama story of, ‘Let me get all up in Jessie’s biz and fuck it all up for everyone else?'”
Then, Michonne stands, brings her chair a few steps closer to Rick’s bed, sits down again, looks at Rick. Classic interrogation room style.
“Rick,” Michonne asks, “what are you doing?” Rick shakes his head slightly, does not reply, rubs the back of his head.
Oh, Rick, does your head suddenly hurt sooo bad that you can’t answer the question? I love the man, but Rick Grimes is kind of being a total dramaking right now.
Michonne knows this, looks away, rolls her eyes, takes a deep breath. “They put Pete in another house,” she informs Rick. (And yes, they should have done that way sooner…but who exactly was going to enforce that, before Rick Grimes came along?)
“You could have told me what was happening,”Michonne tells Rick.
Rick turns the baby blues up to max volume, looks at Michonne. “It moved fast…and then, Noah,” he says, by way of explanation. (Whatever, dude. That’s code for, “I was seeing everything through my one-eyed monster, and now, here I am…here we are.”)
Michonne ain’t buying it, and, really, neither am I.
“I couldn’t tell you about the gun,” Rick continues.
Michonne fixes him a look, replies, “Nooo,you couldn’t…” Her tone quietly calls bullshit on Rick. I tend to agree. The gang is a tribe, a family, and after all they’ve been through, true family shouldn’t keep big secrets like that from each other. Go down in folly, whatever, but go down together, get checked before you wreck it for everyone.
“You wanted this place,” Rick says.
Michonne narrows her eyes at him. “We needed to stop being out there.”
Rick looks around the room. “Well, we’re here,” he says, stretching his leg out on his prison cot.
(Like I said, people, I love the man, and we all know that Alexandria is rife with bullshit on many levels, and I do love when Rick Smash! comes out to play and fuck shit up, but I find myself siding with Michonne on this one.
The gang needed to get to a safe place, and change is something that happens slowly, not all at once. Rick and Carol have been enabling each other’s drama and crazy, big time, which is, of course, completely delicious on many levels…but once it was clear that Deanna Monroe and her people were not malevolent, merely clueless, perhaps Rick and Carol could have dialed it down a little, and given it some time, let things play out.
I know the storyline here is all about Rick Smash! having a hard time readjusting to society, but is plotting a hostile takeover within the first week of being at the choice new digs really necessary? Dude, you’re a dad…when was the last time you cuddled your baby girl, or have you been too busy being all up in Jessie’s grill to even think about your own family?
In my opinion, Rick is being pretty self-obsessed, all about his own drama, and he is being a bit of a brat right now. While I love Rick, this isn’t all about him, and his actions are having a direct, negative effect on the rest of the righteous gang.
Talk to me, people…I would love to get readers’ thoughts on this one.)
In response to Rick’s drama king “Well, we’re here“comment, Michonne regards him coolly, replies, “Well, you just said you weren’t.” Rick looks at her like, “D’oh!” Oooo, burn, Rick Grimes!
The door opens then, and Glenn, Carol,and Abraham file into the room.
As Glenn, Carol, and Abraham stand, watching, we hear Michonne’s voice ask Rick, “Where’d you get the gun?”
Before Rick can answer, we hear Carol’s voice chime in, quickly, ” You took it, right?” (And thus begins the Carol’s Gonna Save Her Own Ass part of this program…)
“From the armory?” Carol prompts, looking hard at Rick, like, <“Um, I ain’t getting exiled along with you, dude…just sayin’.”>
Carol continues her award-winning performance. “That was stupid,” she admonishes Rick. “Why’d you do it?”
TheFirst Carol Commandment states: First and foremost, thou shalt save thy own ass.
Rick looks away, turns up his hand like a shrug, then looks back at Carol, locks eyes with her. Then, Rick says, “Just in case,” cocks his head to the side. Michonne watches all this, studies Rick closely through narrowed eyes.
Glenn says that Deanna is planning on having a meeting tonight, for anyone who wants to. “To kick Rick out?” Abraham asks. “Totry,” replies Carol.
“We don’t know that,”Glenn points out. He turns back to Rick, tells him that Maggie is with Deanna right now, and is going to try to find out what exactly the meeting is about.
As Rick takes all this in, Carol begins coaching him. Her voice is shaky, betraying her worry for Rick. “At the meeting, you say that somebody was being abused, and no one was doing anything about it. You say you took a gun, to make sure that Jessie was safe from a man who wound up attacking you. You say you’ll do whatever they want you to, just tell them a story that they want to hear.”
Carol looks over towards Glenn, says, “That’s what I’ve been doing since I got here.”Glenn looks down, puzzled, like, “Wait, have I missed something, here? What the fuck is happening with everyone?”
Michonne turns to Carol now, her arms crossed. “Why?” she asks.
“Because these people are children, and children like stories,” Carol replies.
From behind, Abraham chimes in, looking at Carol, but addressing everyone in the room, “What happens after all the nice words, and they still try to kick him out?”
Glenn informs them, “They’re guarding the armory now.”
“We still have knives,” Carol muses, aloud. “That’s all we’ll need against them.”
Rick takes this all in, his fingers working. How are you enjoying this nice little war you’ve started so far, Rick Grimes?Any20/20 hindsight kicking in yet?
Apparently not, because Rick begins to plan aloud, “Well, tonight, at the meeting, if it looks like it’s going bad, I whistle. Carol grabs Deanna, I take Spencer,” and then, Rick points his finger towards Michonne, “and you grab Reg…”
Listening to this, Michonne’s like, “What the shit?”
Rick continues, working out his super cray “Hostile Takeover of Alexandria” plan aloud, “…Glenn and Abraham cover us, watch the crowd…”
Wow, great plan, dude. It only has about 1,000 major, gaping holes in it. I’m sorry, but what the hell are he and Carol talking about? Knives v. guns? Have either of them checked in with the the rest of the gang, to see what they think about this? What about CarlandJudith?
Michonne tries to interject some sense into all this. “We can talk to them,” she asserts.
“Wewill,” Rick assures her. “But, if we can’t get through, we’ll take the three of them and say we’ll slit their throats.”(Hmmm. Well, Rick, I’m sure that will be a real turn-on for your new gf, Jessie, and I’m sure her sons will be so impressed with their NewDad’s take-charge attitude.)
Rick looks over at Michonne after delivering this announcement. (I guess no good deed really does go unpunished, does it, Deanna Monroe?)
“Like at Terminus,” Glenn says.
“No,” Rick asserts. “We just tell ’em: They give us the armory, and it’s over.”
Glenn’s look says it all. Yeah, ok, dude. One question… do you hear yourself right now? WTF?
Glenn looks at Rick. “Did you want this?” he asks him.
“No,” Rick replies. “I hit my limit, I sna-…” Rick gestures to his head, does not finish the thought in words.
Instead, Rick opens his arms in mock surrender, announces to the room, “I screwed up!”
(Well, that’s something, anyway…first step to overcoming a problem is admitting that you have one…and that you did, indeed, screw the pooch on this one, Rick Smash! P.S. You are still looking majorly cute though, all beat up and bandaged and bratty in your prison bunk 🙂 )
Rick looks around at the others in the room. “And, here we are,” he says. (Um, yeah, Rick, you said that already. He really does seem to know that he’s kind of fucking up the second chance they’ve been given, and the choice new digs for everyone else.)
And with that, Rick Grimes turns away, towards his pillow, and dismisses them.“And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sleep some more.”
Two words: Hot Brat.
And, speaking of brats…
Looking out a window, Maggie watches Gabriel, the holy brat, take his priest’s frock down off the clothesline.
Reg comes in to collect Maggie, tells her Deanna’s out on the porch. Maggie follows him out to where Deanna is waiting. As Maggie walks out, onto the porch, Deanna looks up from some papers in her hands. Her manner is more businesslike than warm towards Maggie, and she asks, “What do you need to talk about, Maggie?”
Maggie faces Deanna, answers, “The meeting tonight.”
Reg, who seems to greatly dislike conflict, tries to interject, reassure, but Deanna talks over him.
“I want to talk to everyone about what happened, and what we need to do about it,” Deanna says, firmly.
“If it includes sending Rick away,” Maggie says, looking Deanna in the eye, “It’s not going to work.”
Deanna looks at Maggie. “Tell me what that means,” she says.
“You let Rick in. You let all of us in.” Maggie looks at Deanna a moment before continuing. “You talked to us; you decided.”
Deanna looks down. Maggie continues, “And, now you want to put the decision on a group of very frightened people who may not have the whole story. That’s not leadership.”
Reg explains to Maggie that the meeting is just a forum, to give people a chance to say their piece…
…and Deanna says that she will make the final decision, as she has done since the beginning.
Maggie explains, “(Rick) was frustrated…the things he’s seen? The things he’s lost…the things we have all lost.”
Deanna raises her eyebrows at this last part. “The things he’s lost?” she asks, softly.
Reg looks over at Deanna, like, “Uh oh...danger zone.“
Maggie looks at Deanna. “We’ve lost so much more,”she dares to say.
Deanna looks back at Maggie, angrily. “Rick took a gun, and he pointed it at people.”
“He didn’t pull the trigger,” Maggie replies. “That’s a metric, that he didn’t pull the trigger?” Deanna asks incredulously.
“Yes,” Maggie asserts. Deanna is clearly getting agitated, and Reg steps in, faces Deanna.
Deanna looks at Maggie. “I’m going to do what I have to do, Maggie,” she tells the young woman. Maggie looks at Deanna a moment, then stalks off. Reg calls after, then goes after, Maggie, as Deanna turns back to the papers in her hands.
“Maggie!” Reg hurries down the stairs after her. Maggie whirls around to face him. Reg stands on the steps, looks at the young woman before him, collects his thoughts a moment before speaking.
“The cave men… were all nomads, and, um, they all… died. Then, we evolved into this,” and Reg gestures around, to the buildings, the homes around them, “and we lived.” Maggie looks at Reg, listening, and he comes down a couple more steps until he stands at Maggie’s level, facing her.
“Civilization starts when we stop running,” Reg says, his hands in his pockets. He shrugs. “When we live together…when we stop sending people away, from the world, from each other.”
Reg looks at Maggie. “That’s what I’m going to tell her…that’s what I’m going to tell everyone.”
Maggie looks at Reg, silently expressing her thanks and gratitude, before walking off. Reg, man, you’re awesome. Solid gold. ❤
Meanwhile, just outside the steel gates of Alexandria…
Sasha is doing the lonely work of cleaning up the walker bodies she rekilled up in the tower. She loads another corpse on her cart and pulls it towards a deep pit that has been dug for walker burial.
Sasha looks down at the bodies in the pit, then turns and tugs at the body on her cart…the body is stuck, and is hard to dislodge, and Sasha herself slides into the pit with the dead walkers.
After a moment, Sasha lowers herself down until she lay on top of the pile of walkers in the pit…
…and the shot pans out as Sasha closes her eyes, opens her arms, and surrenders to the strange peace of lying on top of the fallen walkers. A really dark concept, creating a really beautiful shot, Nicotero-style.
The next shot we see is of Daryl and Aaron, making their way through the woods. Daryl notes that somebody came through that way a while back, and Aaron is quick to say that if they see the people, they hang back, set up the mike, “Watch, and listen.”
“For how long?” asks Daryl. “Until we know,” replies Aaron. “We have to know.”
Daryl continues to stealth through the woods, tracking as he goes. “You sent people away?” he asks Aaron.
Aaron confirms yes, they did. “What happened?” asks Daryl. Aaron tells him that it was early on…it was three people. Two men, and a woman.
“Davidson was their leader,” continues Aaron, as he follows Daryl through the woods. “Smart ashell, strong…I thought they’d work out. They didn’t.“
“I brought them in,” Aaron tells Daryl, “and I had to see them out.” The two men continue through the woods, the cool air misting their breath. Aaron tells Daryl how he, Aiden, and Nicholas drove the exiles out, far away, gave them a day’s worth of food and water, and left them.
“They just went?” Daryl asks. “We had their guns…all their guns,” replies Aaron.
“I can’t make that kind of mistake again,” Aaron tells Daryl.
Back in Alexandria, Carol is sitting on the edge of Rick’s bed, shaking his sleeping form. “Wake up,”she says, softly.
Rick starts awake, sees Carol sitting there, and sits himself up.
Carol gets right down to business. “It’s good what happened last night,” she says. “We have more cover now…all of them think you’ve been‘found out.’ They think it’s over.”
Carol holds out another handgun to Rick, and after a moment, he takes it.
After taking the gun, Rick looks at Carol. “Why didn’t you want to tell them we had more guns?” he asks her.
“Michonne stopped you…she knocked you out,” Carol says.
Rick looks away a moment, then back at Carol. “I deserved it,” he admits.
Carol doesn’t agree. “It was stupid,” she says, disgustedly. Rick looks at her. “She’s with us, Glenn is,” he asserts.
Carol looks at Rick. “I didn’t tell them about the guns, just in case,” she replies.
Rick leans his head back against the wall, then looks back at Carol.
“I don’t want to lie anymore,” Rick says.
Carol looks at Rick. “You said you (don’t?) want to take this place, and you don’t want to lie? Oh, sunshine, you don’t get both.“
Rick shakes his head, taking in the full import of Carol’s words.
(A couple of thoughts, before moving on. I replayed Carol’s response to Rick quite a few times, and she clearly said, to my hearing, “You said you don’t want to take this place,“ which confused me. I can’t really understand, after repeated playbacks, what exactly Carol’s saying, but I think I am picking up what Carol’s putting down. To me, it sounds like Carol’s still riding the train of, “Let’s take this fucking place.” It’s kind of the only interpretation that makes sense to me, in the moment, and as I’m sleep deprived and on mad deadline right now, a lot doesn’t really make sense in my world, right now…so, really, I have no idea.
Another question…is Alexandria really that bad, that Carol thought that Michonne was stupid to interfere with Rick’s Fifty Shades of Cray moment out in the street, the day before? If Michonne hadn’t interfered, and knocked Rick out, where would Rick’s standoff have ultimately led to? Would Carol have pushed Sam off her, run to get her guns, and come out, barrels blazing? What exactly is their grand takeover plan, here?
Is their plan to kill Deanna, Reg, Spencer, and all the other Alexandrians in charge, and then offer the other citizens a choice, join us or die? Are Rick and Carol really up for slaughtering any resistant elders, innocents, children, to take over a peaceful, established community that took them in, that appears to truly mean them no harm, as clueless as the Alexandrians appear to be about the true state of life outside the walls? Especially when they are not sure if all of their people, their best people (like Michonne, Glenn, Daryl, Abraham, Maggie, Rosita, Sasha) would be on board with this plan to begin with?
And, what does Rick think Jessie would say about all of this? How was he planning on explaining this to her? “Oh, it’s simple, babe…I just kill your abusive husband, we take over your community, and then, you are riding high as First Lady of the Ricktatorship! What was that you said? What about your sons? Oh, they’ll be cool with it…their biodad’s a real dick!”
How would Rick’s own son, Carl, feel about this plan? What about the inherent danger a hostile takeover would be to the most vulnerable Alexandrian citizens, like Baby Judith? A loud gun battle within the walls of Alexandria would bring every walker within a twenty mile radius, hissing and pounding on those walls…and don’t even get me started about potential living threats who may come knocking!
And, how does Carol think that Daryl will feel about this plan? As Carol and Rick plot and plan, Daryl’s with Aaron, 50 miles out, looking for others to recruit into the Alexandria community. Does Carol think that Daryl will approve of this hostile takeover, or that Aaron’s just going to sit back and accept this order of things upon his return, especially if his boyfriend, Eric, is one of the dissenters, and gets killed for his refusal?
Sorry for the rant, gang. I, of course, love all the hot crazy in theory, but when it comes down to it, I say:Bad plan, sorry, can’t back you guys on this one.)
Anyway, back to our story…
50 miles away, out on the scout, Daryl and Aaron have spied a lone man, wearing a red rain poncho, carrying a backpack. They watch him through their binoculars.
“What’s he doing?” Aaron asks, as they watch the man bend down, pick something from the ground, and rub it vigorously on his hands, then his face.
Watching the man, Daryl remarks, “Wild leeks…looks like somebody knows how to keep mosquitoes off him.”
After a moment, Daryl bids Aaron, “Come on,” and they begin to follow the man, keeping a safe distance behind.
Back at Alexandria…
Rick steps out of juvie, blinking in the sunlight…
…and begins to walk down the sidewalk, where Tobin and two other men stand. Tobin is wearing a rifle on his shoulder, a new development in Alexandria…the armory is being guarded, and it seems that Rick’s quarters are under watch as well.
Rick and Tobin greet each other as Rick passes. It is safe to assume the men with Tobin are armed as well, and Rick is most certainly packing his heat. When I first watched this episode, I thought Rick was carrying his pistol openly on him, but rewatching it, I am not sure if it’s open, or hidden, but it most certainly is on him.
Deanna looks up from her papers and watches Rick pass, with some alarm showing on her face.
Rick passes by Deanna, makes eye contact with her, but neither one greets the other as Rick passes.
Seems like Rick could have taken the opportunity to greet Deanna, or apologize for the previous day’s events, but I guess that’s not happening…
Meanwhile…
Glenn sits on the porch, waiting for Maggie to return from her meeting with Deanna as a shady lurker watches him from the shadows….
Nicholas Lurker watches Glenn, hatred in his eyes…he surely has his handgun on him.
Maggie comes up, and Glenn asks her what the verdict is…Maggie tells Glenn it’s what they thought.
Maggie assures Glenn that she will go and talk to people today, before the meeting, plead Rick’s case.
Maggie assures Glenn. He manages a small smile, nods. Maggie sees something is bothering Glenn, asks him, “What?” He does not reply. Maggie sits down next to him, asks again, “What?”
Instead of voicing his real thoughts, Glenn puts his hand on Maggie’s knee, smiles, tells her, “I love you.”
Maggie looks at Glenn’s troubled face. “We’re gonna work it out,” she tells him. “I know it.” They look at each other, and Maggie smiles bravely at Glenn. “I’ll see you there,” Maggie says, and the young couple parts ways.
After Maggie leaves, Glenn sits a moment more on the porch, thinking…a sudden noise makes him look up, and he sees…
… Nicholas, climbing up, and over, the fence. Glenn stands, looks around, then sets off after Nicholas.
The weird just keeps on happening, it seems, because in the next scene, we see Spencer, at the main gate, opening the door for Gabriel. Spencer asks Gabriel, “Sure you don’t want a gun, Father?”
Looking intense and spooky as all get-go, Gabriel replies, “I just want a quick walk.” He looks around, adds, “The Word of God is the only protection I need,” before heading out.
As he closes the gate, Spencer’s look is like, “Ummm…ok.”
Rick, meanwhile, has made it to his house, opens the door, and is greeted immediately by Carl. “Dad!”Carl exclaims, relieved, and rushes forward to give his dad a hug.
Carl, please talk some sense into your father.
Carl asks Rick if he’s ok, and Rick assures him he is, apologizes to Carl as he continues walking through the living room. Carol tells his father he heard about the meeting, and Rick is quick to issue the order, “You’re staying home.”
“That’s what it is, now, right? Home?“ Carl asks. The question stops Rick in his tracks, and he turns around to face his son.
Damn. Even with bandaids and shit all over his face, Rick Grimes is just one fine-ass looking man.
Rick looks at his son for a moment, then answers, “Yeah.”
Carl looks at Rick. “They need us,” he tells his father. “They’ll die without us.“
Rick looks at his son a moment, walks over to him, faces him.
“I may have to threaten one of them,” says Rick. “I may have to kill one of them.” “You won’t,” Carl asserts. “I might,” counters Rick.
“You have to tell them,” Carl says. Rick protests, “I tried to tell them last night.”
Carl looks into his dad’s eyes. “You have to tellthem so they can hear you,” he tells his father, wisely. (I love Carl in this scene!)
Rick leans in towards his son. “I don’t know if they can,” he says softly. He asks Carl, “Does that make you afraid?” Carl shakes his head, then looks at his dad again.
“For them…you have to tell them,” he insists, looking earnestly into Rick’s face. Carl’s right, and deep down, Rick knows it. The Alexandrians may be clueless about some things, but they are basically good people, and both Carl and Rick have grown to care about certain members of the community very, very much.
Rick looks at his son, and nods.
Rick Grimes has some of his finest moments when he is getting schooled by his son. ❤
Meanwhile, about 50 miles away…
Peering through binoculars, Daryl and Aaron spot a couple of tractor trailers which look promising for a major food score.
As Daryl surveys the trucks through the fence, Aaron laments, “We checked the forest, we checked the roads…we can’t find him.” He is talking about the man in the red jacket, who they spotted earlier. They have been searching for him, in vain, and ended up here.
“Sometimes, they (people) slip away, it happens,” Aaron continues. He looks through the fences, at the tractor trailers, then at Daryl. “But, you don’t come across something like this every day.”
Daryl points out that if they do this now, it means they’ve given up on finding the man with the red jacket. Aaron replies that home is 50 miles back…it’s time to go.
“You saw it last night…there’s bad people out here,” Aaron says.
“That’s why we gotta keep looking for the good ones,” Daryl maintains.
“We need more people, we do, and when we find them, we’ll need to feed them,” Aaron points out.
Daryl thinks about this for a moment, then agrees,“All right.” He takes his knife and raps on the metal fence, calling over the walkers that are milling around outside the inner fencing, blocking the way to the trailers.
After making quick work of rekilling the walkers through the fencing, Daryl and Aaron pull open the gate, and make their way towards the trailers, sitting abandoned in the loading area of the canned foods distribution center.
It seems like an ideal score...too good to be true.
As they approach the tractor trailers, Daryl and Aaron don’t seem to notice that each trailer has a couple of empty cans, with holes punched through and strung up alongside, or under, the trailers. The cans catch the wind, and seem to be some kind of noisemaking or alert mechanism.
As they approach the backs of the trailers, each emblazoned with colorful images of cans, vegetables, laden fields, Daryl keeps watch while Aaron, beaming, crouches, opens his backpack. and begins unscrewing something low on the back of one of the trucks.
“Whoa!” Aaron exclaims, looking delighted. “Wasn’t sure I’d see one of these!”Yep, too good to be true…
As he works, Aaron tells Daryl that he doesn’t like giving up either, but, you know, the guy is in a red poncho…
“You can see him from a mile away!”
Aaron pulls up a license plate from Alaska…triple bonus score!
As they stand in front of the three trailers, Aaron happily remarks that even though they may have lost track of the man they were tailing, finding trailers full of canned goods is a pretty great find… Daryl agrees, squats down to pull open one of the trailer doors…the sliding door seems to set off some kind of chain-reaction mechanism, and all at once, all three doors slide open, and what they reveal inside is not quite the bounty the two men were looking for.
Sometimes, it seems, the universe has quite a twisted sense of humor…
…and triple bonus score is merely another name for…
…triple fucked.
Walkers begin to pour out of the trailers, snapping and snarling, while other walkers, without arms or legs, hang on hooks, helplessly gnashing their rotting teeth...just what is the deal with these torso walkers?
Daryl and Aaron make a run for it, only to find their way blocked by another large group of walkers…it seems the trailers open at both ends once the booby trap mechanism is set off.
Daryl and Aaron must fight through the first wave of walkers…Daryl uses his knife to spear through the walkers’ rotten skulls…
…while Aaron uses his newfound Alaska license plate to slice through the walkers’ brains, like a walker-killing MacGyver.
There are too many walkers to fight through, and Daryl and Aaron dive under one of the tractor trailers for momentary cover.
The walkers, however, are not far behind them, clawing their way, hissing, towards the men.
Daryl finds a good-sized length of rusty chain, and he bids Aaron to follow him out the open side of the trailer, away from the crawling walkers. Daryl encounters three walkers in his path, and he chainwhips them in badass bullwhip style…
I have no idea how the WD special effects mavericks achieved this particular effect, but kudos to them…so seamlessly realistic.
Daryl then spears his knife into a walker that has come up on Aaron. Aaron must be taking notes, because he machetes two walkers upside the head in pimp padawan style as the men run for cover from the walker horde that is closing in around them.
Daryl and Aaron run to the only refuge from the walkers they can find, and abandoned car that is sitting in the middle of the lot. As they dive in and try to shut the doors against the crush of walkers, Aaron slams his door on SquishNasty Walker’s head, squishing it nasty…
Yuck.
After a couple of tries, Aaron finally gets the car door shut, and then the two men are trapped in a closed car, as the walkers swarm the outside of it.
Oh noooo!
Back inside the truck, hanging from hooks, the Torso Walkers are all like,”Goddamn it…we miss all the fun shit!”
Well, this sucks.
Aaron says the glass should hold a while…right? Daryl says he thinks so, comes up with the idea to cover the windows, so the walkers can’t see them in there, and eventually lose interest…if they can find something in the car to cover the windows, maybe they can ride it out, or maybe somebody else will come along…
As Aaron and Daryl look around the car for something to cover the windows with, Aaron finds a crumpled note, saying, “Trap. Bad people coming. Don’t stay.”
Aaron, alarmed, looks at Daryl, who looks down at the note. Shit.
Fucked creek, without a paddle, this is.#yodaspeak
And, speaking of fucked creek…
We hear a knock on the door, as we see McBeaty sitting alone in his dark, solitary mansion…it sure is gloomy and lonesome when there’s no one around to terrorize, huh, McBeaty?
After the second knock, McBeaty gets up, goes to the door, and opens it. Carol strides in, carrying a casserole.
“What the hell are you doing?” demands McBeaty.(Wow,McBeaty, you have quite the way with all the ladies, don’t you? What these Alexandrians have yet to realize is that a Carol casserole on the doorstep seems to be the equivalent of a dead canary…)
Still holding the casserole, Carol informs McBeaty, “You need to check on Tara. You treated her, you’re a surgeon, you need to do that.”
McBeaty points to the door. “Get out,” he growls at Carol, beginning to walk back to the dark living room, presumably to sulk some more (as I am sure that Deanna Monroe, Inc. cleared out all the alcohol inMcBeaty’s detention mansion).
As I watched Carol casually reach for her knife, still holding the casserole, I could only think: McBeaty, McBeaty, McBeaty… remember when you tried that line, just yesterday, on Rick Grimes? Remember how that turned out?
As I remember it, as soon as you uttered the fatal words: 1) your wife basically jumpstarted the process of quitting your ass and leaving you for another man, 2) that said man threw you through a window, and, 3) you got your ass beat on some hotasphalt in front of the entire town of Alexandria.
I dunno, McBeaty, maybe next time, you should try another angle…that line doesn’t seem to work very well in your favor!
“I could kill you right now,”Carol informs McBeaty, holding the knife under his chin.
“I could,” Carol continues. “I will…”
“And who would believe I did it because I didn’t like you? No one,” Carol singsongs, holding the pointy end of her knife right up under McBeaty’s chin, twisting it for effect. McBeaty’s breath becomes shaky.
(It is truly comical to see this tiny woman holding a huge knife to this big man, who is breathing hard now, truly shaken.)
Carol keeps the knife point under McBeaty’s chin, not letting up. “They’d believe you tried to hurt me…they’d definitely believe that,“ she informs him.
With one quick swipe of her knife, Carol deftly draws the barest drop of blood from under McBeaty’s chin, and shows it to him on the tip of her blade.
Carol brings the knife down, invites McBeaty, “Come at me.”McBeaty takes the barest step forward, then thinks better of it. “No?” asks Carol. McBeaty wisely doesn’t move, doesn’t answer. “Yeah?” taunts Carol. McBeaty stays still and silent as a stone. “No,” concludes Carol, with some regret in her voice.
Carol regards the tall, shaken man in front of her. “The way this has played out, you have a chance,” she informs him. “You’re here, your wife’s…there,” and New Carolmotions her head towards the end of the street.
New Carol sizes up McBeaty. “You’re a small, weak nothing,” she says, disgustedly. “And with the world how it is, you’re even weaker.”
New Carol tells McBeaty, “Play your cards right, and maybe you don’t have to die.” She then shoves the casserole hard, into his gut, turns to leave, then turns back once more. “I want my dish back clean when you’re done.” And with that, New Carol walks out the door. McBeaty stands there a moment, in shock, before dropping the casserole to the floor, and in an impotent rage, storms into the other room and starts trashing it. “This isn’t my house,” he seethes. “This isn’t my house!”Loud crashing ensues.
Ah, so very good, New Carol…a low bow to you, most honorable master. ❤
Meanwhile, out in the woods, Glenn is following Nicholas, keeping some distance behind. Nicholas scurries deeper into the woods, and after looking around, Glenn follows behind.
Glenn peers at the rekilled remains of Houdini Walker(forgot about you in the memoriam,bud…sorry!) R.I.P.Houdini Walker
Glenn approaches the site cautiously, taking in the sight of the walker, and the bloody chain Aiden and Nicholas used, to try to keep the walker tethered, so they could torture it for their sport when they weren’t feeling so good about themselves, back in the day.
Glenn hears a noise in the bushes, and draws his knife, looking around. A loud shot rings out, and Glenn is hit, the bullet grazing the top of his shoulder.
No!
Glenn winds back, falls to the ground.
Nicholas rushes forward from his cowardly hiding spot in the bushes. (Nicholas! You bastard!)
But when Nicholas reaches the spot where Glenn fell, he only sees drops of blood on the grass and leaves…Glenn is gone.
You tell him, Nelson:
Ah, this next scene…so beautifully done. One of my all-time favorites.
As Jessie tries to clean up the broken mess of her living room window, we see a gentleman caller has come to pay a visit…
I love this look on her face when she looks up and sees Rick coming up her porch stairs. AlexandraBreckenridge does an amazing job in this scene, this episode, and of course, Andrew Lincoln…well, there are no words, even for me. Beautifully shot, beautifully acted. Michael Satrazemis, director of photography, director Greg Nicotero, of course…Deadies all around for this scene, another classic TWDmoment.
“You should go,” Jessie says to Rick (translation:You should goto my bedroom, with me, now!)
“I just wanted to check on you,” Rick says, gently. #constabledreamy
Jessie and Rick share a sweet moment, looking at each other, not saying anything…in words, anyway.
Rick leans forward, noticing. “Your eye,” he says, concerned. Jessie is indeed sporting a black eye from McBeaty’s savage backhand when she tried to pull him off Rick, and break up the fight.
Jessie assures Rick that it happened during the fight. McBeaty has been in Lockdown Mansion, down the street, and hasn’t had a chance to lay a hand on her since.
Jessie then says that they shouldn’t be seen talking right now…but it’s pretty hard to tear themselves away.
“I’m not sorry I did it, no matter what happens, or what I have to do,” Rick tells Jessie (which is pretty much the most perfect thing he could say in this moment). #swoon
After another moment, Rick turn to go. As he turns away, Jessie calls to him, “Don’t turn around, Rick.”
Rick stops, waits. He doesn’t turn around.
“You were right,” says Jessie. Rick turns his face slightly towards her, before walking away.
And down the street, from inside a house that isn’t his own, we see McBeaty watching this interaction.
Cue the sinister Bear McCreary music…
Meanwhile….
50 miles away…
Inside the car, Daryl looks at the walkers outside the window, then looks straight ahead, gives a little laugh as a funny thought occurs to him. “Huh!”
Aaron looks over at Daryl. “What?”Daryl explains, with a shake of his head, “I came out here to…I feel all closed up back there (in Alexandria).”
Daryl looks towards Aaron, then slightly away as he marvels, “Even now…it still feels more like me.”
Daryl sadly muses that back at “those houses,” he was really putting himself “on.”
Aaron winces as the pain of Daryl’s sad statement hits him. Daryl feel his importance as someone who can contribute to his group out in the wild, but is overcome with self doubt finding his place in a walled, polite society, housed in homes that would have never been an option for someone like him before the turn.
Aaron looks at Daryl, says, gently, “You were trying.” Daryl looks ahead, thinking a moment, then replies, “I had to.”
Aaron shakes his head. “No, you didn’t.” Daryl doesn’t respond. Aaron continues, “Listen, I saw you out there with your group, in the road…and you went off, on your own, by the barn. The storm hit…you led your people to safety.” Daryl is silent, listening to Aaron’s words.
“That was it,” Aaron says, remembering. “That’s when I knew that I had to bring you people back.”
Daryl does not reply, and then it is Aaron’s turn for self-reflection, and self doubt. As the walkers continue to hiss and paw at the windows, Aaron looks down, muses, “You were right. We should have kept looking for that guy in the poncho.” Aaron shakes his head. “I shouldn’t have given up. You didn’t.”
After a moment, Daryl pulls out a cigarette, puts it in his mouth, and reaches in his jacket, fishing for a light.
“I’ll go,” Daryl offers. Aaron turns, looks at him in disbelief. “I’ll lead ’em out, you make a break for the fence,” Daryl says, gesturing beyond the car’s windows.
Daryl then lights his smoke, inhales deeply.
“No, no, no,” Aaron counters. “This was my fault.”
Daryl looks at Aaron.
“It wasn’t a question,” rebukes Daryl, “and this ain’t your decision. Ain’t nobody’s fault.”
“Now, just lemme finish my smoke first.” (A very special Deadie right here, right now, for our man, Daryl Dixon:The Most Beautiful, Tender Hero, Always Award)DarylDixon, you are the most beautiful, tender hero, always. ❤
“No,” whispers Aaron. “You don’t draw them away…”
“…we fight.”
Aaron looks at Daryl. “We go for the fence. We do it together…whether we make it or not, we do it together. We have to.” ❤
( A Padawan Hero Deadie for Aaron, here, and a Most ExcellentNewcomer Deadie to Ross Marquand, the actor who plays Aaron. He even does impressions! ) 🙂
Daryl looks over at Aaron, regards him with the barest of smiles, and a new respect. “All right,” he agrees. He takes one more drag of his smoke, asks, “Ready?”
“Yeah,”Aaron replies, softly. Daryl says, “We’ll go on 3.”Aaron grips his machete, and Daryl draws his knife, begins to bounce himself in the seat, readying himself for battle as he begins to count, “1…”
As Daryl counts, Aaron, gripping his machete, turns and locks eyes with one of the walkers, outside. 1-2-3 Walker seems to be smiling at Aaron, as if it knows what is about to happen…
“…2…!” Daryl counts, and as if on cue, 1-2-3 Walker’sbrains are suddenly dashed against the car windows, to Aaron’s shock and surprise.
The car door is flung open, and we see who the rescuer is…Morgan!
Brandishing his trusty wooden staff, Morgan continues taking out walkers, buying Aaron and Daryl a moment to get out of the car and begin battling walkers themselves.
Aaron brings his machete down on a walker’s head…
…as Daryl stabs at the walkers, and Morgan takes them out with his staff. Between the three of them, they are able to clear a line to the gate and quickly get outside, pulling the gate closed behind them, barring the walkers’ way.
As the walkers rush the fence, Aaron, Daryl, and Morgan take a moment to process the fact that they just escaped, with their lives, against all odds. They did it!
Aaron turns to Morgan, ecstatic. “That was…” he begins, bowing his hands towards Morgan, unable to find the words. “Thank you,” he says, simply.
Morgan receives Aaron’s thanks, and praise, humbly.
Aaron introduces himself, and Daryl. Morgan introduces himself, “Morgan.” Daryl regards Morgan, puzzled.
“Why?” Daryl asks him. Morgan looks at Daryl.
“Why?” Morgan replies. “Because all life is precious, Daryl.”
As Morgan and Daryl regard each other, Aaron begins talking, quickly, reminding them that whoever set that trap will be coming back, at some point, and that they have good news…they have a community, with electricity, and walls. Aaron tells Morgan he is welcome to come with them, if he likes.
“I thank you,” Morgan tells them, politely and sincerely, “but I’m on my way somewhere. Fact is,I’m lost.” Morgan begins fishing in his coat pocket for something, says, “If you could tell me where we are,”and hands a map over to Daryl…
…who takes the map Morgan has handed him, and looks down to see Abraham’s note to Rick: “The new world’s gonna need Rick Grimes!” ❤
Daryl looks down at the map, then up at Morgan a couple of times, trying to wrap his head around this. Morgan returns his gaze in an open, friendly manner, his eyebrows raised in silent question.
🙂 Cue the sweet Bear McCreary piano music
Some ways away, another type of music is in the air…a singsong bird whistle carries hesitantly through the woods as Gabriel walks along, clad simply in a long-sleeved white shirt with dark pants.
Gabriel seems to be dressed in white for some sort of ritualistic Eat Meself-sacrifice, and is whistling, presumably, to attract walkers. Judging from Gabriel’s face, however, he may be whistling because he’s really, really terrified and doesn’t quite know what to do with all that.
Gabriel approaches a clearing, and what he sees beyond it warps his little singsong whistle into some shrill, discordant notes…he makes himself step closer…
…towards the walker feasting on some poor doomed somebody in the road.
Gabriel seems to find his resolve more and more with each step towards the walker, who is pretty busy in the moment, and who does not yet notice Gabriel behind it.
Gabriel opens his arms and calls out, “I’m ready!“
That gets Eat Me Walker’sattention, and it turns to face Gabriel.
Eat Me Walker stands and begins lurching towards Gabriel, whose eyes are wide with fear, but who continues to step towards the fast-coming walker…
Arms open, walking towards the walker, Gabriel repeats, more uncertainly this time, “I’m ready.”
Eat Me Walker lurches towards Gabriel, whose face begins to look more and more like, “I’m not ready” for this…
“No, fuck this, I am definitely not ready for this! Fuck. This!”
Gabriel pushes the walker back with its first rush at him, and it takes him one more second of considering his course before he does what any other person, sane or not, would do if he/she wanted to continue living…he defends himself.
Crying, hating himself, Gabriel pulls at Eat Me Walker’s hanging noose end until the walker’s head pops off its rotten neck.
So much for self sacrifice. Never been a big fan of it, myself.
Gabriel takes a large rock and smashes it into Eat Me Walker’s gnashing, reanimated head, spattering its brains all over the ground. The only thing I could think in the moment, watching this scene, was, “Well, where was all that brawn and bravado before, Gabriel, when Rick and the gang could have really used another killing machine in their many righteous battles against the undead, and your ass just hung back, and watched, and sniveled? You better be jumping up and getting up in there next time…just sayin’…time to be ahelper, Gabriel!”
Gabriel walks over to Eat Me Walker’s chomped victim, who lay convulsing on the ground…
Gabriel lifts the rock high, and brings it down on the poor man’s head, killing him for good.
Gabriel breaks down, sobbing. He collapses in the road, crying in real anguish. The Renegade Deadie goesto our man, Seth Gilliam, who is killing it once again as Gabriel, the tortured priest! (I do hope that Seth Gilliam can start living closer to the rest of the TWD cast during Season 6 shooting, and not be an outsider any more…closer digs would be way more fun.)
Meanwhile, back in Alexandria, Abraham comes to visit Tara, bearing hand cut flowers in a jar…
…and stops short when he sees Eugene’s dozing form, slumped in one of the visitor’s chairs beside Tara’s bed.
Abraham turns to go. “I’ll come by later,” he mutters, trying to duck out the door. “He’s asleep,” Rosita says. Abraham stops. Rosita smiles at him, as if trying not to laugh. “He’s asleep, sit,” she says. Rosita turns back to writing as Abraham quiety closes the door and begins to gingerly step over to Tara’s bed.
After taking a second to stare down at Eugene, determining if he really is asleep, Abraham begins to ease himself slowly into the chair beside Eugene when…
…Rosita deliberately pushes a metal pan off the counter, sending it clattering loudly to the floor. “Whoops, “ Rosita mock laments. Abraham freezes in mid-sit, his face saying it all. She got him good, and they both know it.
Eugene jolts awakes, sees Abraham beside him. He peers over at Abraham, who is turning back from shooting Rosita a look…Abraham and Eugene regard each other a moment.
“Good afternoon,” says Eugene. Abraham says nothing.
First Abraham, then Eugene, turn their gazes back to Tara, sleeping in her bed. An awkward moment passes, then Eugene speaks up. “She saved my life,” he says, of Tara.
Eugene continues, “She also cracked open my gourd to considering implications I hadn’t… I’ll remark on those at this time.”
Eugene turns to Abraham. “You got us here. All I did was craft a top shelf lie, to which a person of strength and heroism could apply their talents.”(Editor’s note: The Top Shelf Lie is an amazing name for a mullet.)
“My bet was that you needed that,” Eugene continues, still looking over at Abraham. Abraham is kind of staring ahead, at Tara’s sleeping form, taking it all in.
“I thank you,“ Eugene says, simply and humbly, and bravely. Abraham turns to face Eugene.
Tears in his eyes, and a shake in his voice, Eugene looks at Abraham and says, “I am sorry.” Awww!❤
“And I mean both, emphatically and in equal measure,” Eugene concludes.
After a moment, Abraham looks back at Eugene…
…then looks away again. As Rosita and Eugene watch, Abraham seems to really struggle with saying the words: “I’m…sorry, too.”
Eugene hurriedly tries to assure Abraham that his apology is “utterly and completely unnecessary,” when Abraham reminds him that:
“I almost killed you.” Abraham’s voice betrays his anger at himself for losing his shit on Eugene so hard after Eugene confessed his big lie.
“Yes,” Eugene concedes, “there’s that.” The men look at each other for one more awkward moment, then both turn back to look at Tara.
Meanwhile, Spencer, who is pulling gate duty, hears a rap at the gate, peers through an opening in the tarp covering the fence, and sees Gabriel has returned.
Spencer rolls open the gate. “You’re back,” he greets Gabriel. “Good. Just wanted to sneak off to the meeting.”
Gabriel does not reply, just looks like his usual spooked self, and Spencer turns to go, then turns back to Gabriel. “Do you think we could find some time to talk later?” he asks the priest. “About Aiden? There’s just some things I need to say, and I’m not sure who I can say them to.”
Spencer looks shyly at Gabriel, confesses, “I don’t really have anyone here, right now, if you know what I mean.”
Oh, I think Father Gabriel knows exactly what you mean, Spencer!
Gabriel whispers something like, “I see,” which really isn’t the most comforting or reassuring reply, but Spencer seems like he’s already onto number next. There’s a meeting to get to, and it’s a big one…they’re gonna be talking exile and shit.
“Cool,” Spencer says breezily, and turns to go, then turns back to Gabriel, motions towards the gate. “Can you get that?” Spencer asks Gabriel, and like someone half asleep, Gabriel whispers, “Yeah…”
“Thank you,” says Spencer, turns, and strides off towards the meeting. Gabriel turns and pulls the gate closed, half-heartedly, and is already walking away as the metal door bounces against the frame and begins to roll back open…unlatched, unlocked, unmanned…open.
Dude, really?
Meanwhile, out in the woods…
Nicholas is running through the woods, buggin’ hard, trying to find Glenn, who he shot, and lost…he sees a figure moving through the trees, raises his gun.
The moving figure, however, turns out not to be Glenn, but Je Ne Sais Quoi Walker, whose face alights as it spies Nicholas, and begins to stride towards him with a certain, undead, je ne sais quoi flair to its shuffling step.
Nicholas pulls out his knife as the walker approaches, but seems to lack confidence in his hand-to-hand walker takedown skills…
Nicholas goes for what he knows, reaching for his pistol and firing upon the walker , rekilling it instantly. Glenn knows this is the moment to strike, and he tackles Nicholas against a tree.
Glenn, being shot, has the definite disadvantage of being wounded, in pain, and losing blood, but he manages to land some good shots at Nicholas…
Nicholas gets some good shots in on Glenn, and does the dick maneuver of jabbing a finger or thumb into Glenn’s bullet wound, causing Glenn to cry out in pain. Glenn tackles Nicholas to the ground…
…and manages to stomp the inside of one of Nicholas’s legs, hard, most likely breaking the bone. Nicholas gets the advantage once again, ending up on top of Glenn, punching him again and again, jabbing poor Glenn’s wound. Glenn screams out in pain.
The noise attracts the attention of Aye, Aye, Aye Walker, who ambles up crookedly with a high-pitched, gurgling snarl, “Aye…aye…aye!”
As Aye, Aye, Aye Walkercomes up, Nicholas rolls off Glenn and flees, leaving Glenn at the mercy of the she-walker and two other undead fiends…Nicholas, you bastard!
Aye, aye, aye! Watching this finale episode, my WD buddy and I were super freaked at this scene, which ended with the shot fading out, to the next scene, or commercial. I turned to my WDbuddy and said, “They’re not going to take Glenn down with a fade-out!”
Meanwhile…
Rick is sitting alone, looking down, thinking. Michonne comes up behind him, watches him a moment. “Rick,” she says, softly, “you ready?”
Rick sits a moment, then turns to Michonne, and starts to confess the truth. He looks pretty adorable, abashed, not really able to meet her eyes at times as he comes clean with her.
“Daryl, Carol, and me…we worked it out together. Carol took three guns from the armory. I still have one, she still has one.” Rick turns to look at Michonne, who is digesting all this information.
Rick takes a deep breath before continuing. “We lied to you, because I wasn’t sure how you’d take it, what you’d do.”
Rick holds out the gun for Michonne to take. Michonne, however, makes no move to take the gun.
Michonne tosses the constable’s jacket on the bed, fixes Rick with a look. “You think I’d try to stop you?” she chides gently.
Rick, still holding out the gun, looks at Michonne, who still does not reach for it.
“Well,” he jokes, “you did hit me over the head.”
“That was for you,” Michonne replies, “not them.”
Rick takes this in, gets up from the bed, walks over to Michonne. He stands before her, faces her.
“I was afraid you’d talk me out of it,” Rick tells Michonne. “You could have.”
Michonne’s face softens as she looks at the big adorable dummy in front of her. “We don’t need them (guns) here,” she says gently, shaking her head. “I don’t need my sword.”
Michonne looks up at Rick, looking like The MostBeautiful Wise One (and you know that’s a Deadie, and you know it goes to Michonne/Danai Gurira!). ❤
Michonne tells Rick, “I think you can find a way.” Rick looks away, in a moment of resistance, or embarrassment, as he hears aloud what he probably already knew, deep down, to be true.
“We can find a way…” Michonne continues, “and if we don’t?” Michonne pauses a moment to let her next statement sink in, “I’m still with you.”
Dammit, Richonne, why? Why?? It could have been so amazing! I am trying to be supportive and unconditional with the whole Ressie thing, but you two, together, would have been the sexy superhero team-up of my dreams… <sob!>
Continuing to be a beautiful oracle,Michonne tells Rick, “Something’s gonna happen…just don’t make something happen.”
Rick takes the wisdom, and the lesson, in. He tries to hand Michonne his handgun one last time, and she presses it back towards him.
Michonne turns to leave. “Don’t be too long,”she tells Rick, who stands silently, mulling over her words.
Rick sits on the end of the bed, unsheathing a long, machete-style blade, weighing options, remembering words that Bob had told him, back on the goods run at the food bank:
“And you’re gonna find yourself in a place where it’s like where I used to be…and if you let too much go along the way, it’s not gonna work. “
As Rick stands and looks at the gun in his hand, Bob’s words continue to come back to him: “You’re gonna be back in the real world.”
Rick’s own words to Bob come back to him as he tucks the handgun into the back waistband of his pants, “This is the real world, Bob.”
We hear Bob’s laugh, then his reply: “Naw, this is a nightmare…and nightmares end.”
Rick is pacing around the room, thinking, deciding…as he looks out the window, something outside catches his eye…something very amiss.
Alarmed, Rick grabs his jacket, and rushes out of the room.
Outside, Rick walks quickly towards the gate, which is open…he checks all around the fence, peers outside, then sees…
…blood and gory bits left on the slide-latch part of the gate…Rick looks down at the ground, sees drops of blood in a line leading into Alexandria.
Rick quickly pulls the gate closed, latches it locked, and turns to scour the streets of Alexandria…
…for uninvited, undead intruders!
Meanwhile, we see Gabriel, gate-jacker, returning to his makeshift chapel, where a surprise visitor awaits him…
Sasha.
Gabriel and Sasha look at one another a moment, then Gabriel walks silently up to the front of the chapel’s altar. Sasha looks down miserably towards the floor in front of her as she talks. “I came here…because I don’t knowwhat to do…I’m losing my head.”
“Can you help me?” Sasha asks, still staring towards the floor, unable to look at Gabriel, tears in her eyes.
Gabriel turns to regard the woman seated in his chapel. “No,” he replies, cruelly.
Meanwhile, the town meeting is waiting to begin…Rick is not there, nor is Glenn, Gabriel, Nicholas, Carl.
Deanna Monroe’s face looks grim as she waits with Reg and Spencer.
Maggie is trying to keep cool, but glances over towards Deanna. You can tell she’s worried. It doesn’t look good for Rick, his not being there. And where is Glenn?
We see a shot of the assembled townspeople, seated in chairs around a fire. We see Michonne looking around, surely wondering where Rick is, where the others are.
We see Jessie, sporting a black eye, most certainly freaking out inside, but outwardly keeping it together pretty damn well, and looking pretty cute doing it.
After a moment more, Deanna announces to the assembled townspeople, “We’re going to start.”
“Can we wait?” Maggie’s voice is soft, but firm. “There’s still people coming. Glenn…Rick.” (Awarding a Maggie For President Deadie to Maggie Greene/Lauren Cohan here, for bringing it in Season 5, and looking gorgeous doing it!) ❤
In response, Deanna Monroe turns back to the assembled citizens, says again, “We’re going to start.”
Deanna turns to look at Maggie. “It’s alreadydark,” she says, petulantly. Man, these Alexandrians really have gone soft behind these walls!
Deanna turns and begins to make her case to the assembled. She orates grandly, and it is easy to imagine her before the turn, taking the stage, or the floor, and addressing the public, or her fellow members of Congress.
“We’re going to talk about what happened,” Deanna begins, “not the fight, not what precipitated it. We’re dealing with that. We’re going to talk about one of our constables, Rick Grimes. We’re going to talk about how he had a pistol…”
“… he stole from the armory…”
“…about how he pointed it at people…”
“And, we’re going to talk about what he said.“
Deanna lays it on thick as she shakes her head and mock laments, “I was hoping he’d be here.” (It made me think that Deanna considered it a personal affront on Rick’s part, and a show of disrespect for the Alexandrian way, his not being at the meeting. It seemed to me that while Deanna considered herself an impartial judge, she had, on some level, already made up her mind about how she wanted to handle Rick, with this perceived insult at the forefront of her consciousness.)
Junior League Carol chimes in, with a hopeful smile at Deanna, “I’m sure he’ll be here…and I’m sure we can work all this out.”
The scene shifts to the darkened woods outside the walls…
…and we see Nicholas looking around fearfully…
…making his way back towards the walled town, limping on his broken ankle, thinking he had gotten rid of Glenn for good.
The scene shifts again, to the darkened streets of Alexandria…
…where Rick Grimes runs through the streets, knife drawn, patrolling the town that is deciding his fate in this very moment .
Meanwhile, in Gabriel’s chapel…
“I think I wanna die,” Sasha says in a shaking voice. Gabriel looks down grimly a the candles he is lighting. “Why wouldn’t you want to die?” he asks, brutally.
Gabriel turns to face Sasha. “You don’t deserve to be here. What you did, can never be undone.”
Gabriel flings his words, and contempt, at Sasha like weapons. “The dead don’t choose, but the choices you made, how you sacrificed your own….”Gabriel trails off here for a moment, looks away. Is he talking about Sasha…or himself?
Sasha looks at Gabriel, says, “I know what you’re doing.”
Gabriel does not let up, however, and the hurtful words keep coming.
“Bob was mutilated…consumed…destroyedbecause of your sins.“ “Stop it, ” Sasha tells him, eyes wide. But Gabriel keeps walking towards Sasha, jabbing his finger at her, accusing. “Your brother thought that he was apart from it…he was a part of it. He didn’t deserve to be here! You don’t!” (Yep, Gabriel seems to definitely be projecting his guilt and anger at himself onto Sasha, Tyreese, and the others.)
“Stop it! Stop it!”screams Sasha, rushing Gabriel, shoving him up against the wall.
Rick, meanwhile, is racing through the yards, searching…a couple of dogs from inside the houses begin barking, obscuring the sounds ofsomethingcoming up behind Rick…
One of the Freejack Walkers sneaks up behind Rick…
…who whirls around, just in time, to face his undead attacker.
At the meeting, Michonne is trying to explain reality to the Alexandrians. It’s hard to know if the lot of them are picking up what she is putting down…
“And after being out there, and then not being how you were out there, it can drive you crazy. Rick just wants his family to live. He wants all of you to live.”
Michonne looks around at the assembled Alexandrians, then at Deanna Monroe. “Who he is, that’s who you’re gonna be…if you’re lucky.“
In that very moment, in another part of town…
Rick is busy fighting off, stabbing the Freejack Walkers…
Back at the chapel…
Sasha and Gabriel battle it out, wrestling the gun, which fires an errant shot through one of the chapel windows…Sasha manages to smack Gabriel in the head with the butt end of the gun, and he falls to the floor.
…and out in the dark woods…
We see Nicholas, limping through the trees, looking around, looking frightened…a noise behind him startles him…
…and we see Glenn come up behind Nicholas, and beat him down with one punch. Yes!
And, back around the fire, the Rick Grimes Testimonials continue…
“Rick Grimes saved my life, over and over,” Carol tells the group. “There’s terrifying people out there, and he rescued me from them. People like me…people like us, need people like him.” Amen to that, New Carol!
Junior League Carollooks at the others. “I know what happened last night was scary…and I’m sure he’s sorry for that…but maybe we should listen to what he was saying.”
Rick, meanwhile, has his hands full, as Blow Yer Top Walkerhas him pinned underneath as it snaps at Rick’s face…
Rick Smash! summons all his strength, pressing his handgun into Blow Yer Top Walker’s rotting neck with all his might. We hear the horrible liquid sounds of Blow Yer Top Walker’s head reaching max pressure as Rick presses the pistol deeper and deeper into the decaying flesh under the walker’s chin…
As Glenn takes another, then another shot at Nicholas, out in the woods…
Abraham testifies on Rick’s behalf. He informs those gathered at the meeting, “Simply put, there is a vast ocean of shit that you people don’t know shit about…Rick knows every finegrain of said shit, and then some.”
Case in point, elsewhere in town…
Rick, underneath Blow Yer Top Walker, continues to press into the underside of the walker’s chin, upward into its brain, pulling the trigger, and exploding Blow Yer TopWalker’s head in a gorish spray of fetid blood and brains, all over his face. Rick sputters, pushing the dead walker off him, and lying there with walker blood and goo all over his face and front.
RIPBlow Yer Top Walker
And, speaking of terrifying people…50 miles away, at the canned food distribution center…
We see the Wolfboys walking Red Poncho Guy, whose hands are tied behind his back, up to the gates of the distribution center, where the walkers snarl and grab at the fence.
The poor man pleads with them, but the Wolfboys pay him no heed. “They’ll hear you,” the dark-haired one tells him. “It will take longer to reset.”
Repeating his words to Morgan, earlier that day, the dark-haired one tells the Red Poncho Guy, “Just be still…just be still.” The blond one then turns the Red Poncho Guy around, and the dark haired one slashes the poor man’s neck with one swift stroke of his knife. RIPRed Poncho Guy 😦
The dark-haired wolfboy turns to the blond one, as their latest victim, a newly deceased addition to their walker army, slumps to the ground, his life’s blood streaming out of the gash in his throat. “Welcome home,” the dark-haired one says, as the wolfboys turn to regard the savage walkers, fenced in, snarling, beyond the gate.
After a much-needed commercial/beverage re-up break, we are taken back to Alexandria, where Maggie is talking to the group about Rick Grimes.
“My father respected Rick Grimes,” Maggie tells the others. “Rick is a father, too. He’s a man with a good heart, and he feels the things he does, the things he has to do.”
Maggie continues, “And all of us, who were together before this place, no matter when we found each other, we’re family now. Rick started that.”
Maggie looks at the group, then turns to look at Deanna Monroe. “And you won’t stop it. You can’t. And you don’t want to.”
Maggie looks around at those gathered, at Deanna. “This community…you people…that family…you want to be a part of it, too.”
Deanna, and the other citizens of Alexandria, seem to have many things to consider while deciding Rick Grimes’ fate.
After Maggie finishes speaking, Deanna steps forward. “Before we hear from…anyone else, I would like to share something in the spirit of transparency.”
Deanna rubs her hands, pauses, then with fingers laced, thumbs tapping together, continues: “Father Gabriel came to see me the day before yesterday, and he told me that our new arrivals can’t be trusted, that they are dangerous, that they would put themselves before this community.”
Maggie looks over at Deanna, but holds her tongue...once again, Maggie is exhibiting way more self control in this moment than I ever could!
Deanna continues, “And, not one day later, Rick seemed to demonstrate all the things that Father Gabriel said.” Deanna looks at the group assembled, concludes,“I had hoped Father Gabriel would be here tonight.”
As Deanna moves to sit back down, Jessie speaks up.
“I don’t see him here, Deanna,” Jessie says clearly, stopping Deanna mid-sit. “So, you’re just saying what someone said…did you tape him?” (Yes, Jessie, way to have your man’s back!)
“He’s not here,” Maggie confirms.
“Neither is Rick,” Deanna fires back.
And, neither is Noah…and for that, out in those dark woods, Glenn wants to make Nicholas pay…
“Noah died because of you,” Glenn grinds out, pinning Nicholas to the ground.
“And I tried to tell you how it is, how it has to be, and you tried to kill me?!” In the face of Glenn’s fury, Nicholas is crying, shaking his head… to no avail, of course. Too little, too late, Nicholas.
Glenn cocks the pistol, points it into the center of Nicholas’s forehead, as Nicholas starts to sob in terror.
And back in the chapel…
Gabriel lay on the floor, dazed and terrified, himself…
…because Sasha’s been pushed too far. Sister’s got her #killinface on, and she’s standing over Gabriel, pointing her rifle down at him, ready to defile another chapel with some blood and guts! (Gabriel, I guess if you were hellbent on dying today, you picked a quick, effective means of departure from this world!)
Meanwhile, 50 miles away, a surreal moment unfurls…and the plot thickens.
We see a hand press a button on a remote, and suddenly, lights flash inside the open truck trailers, and a happy, soothing, singsongy song plays loudly in the fenced distribution area. The walkers turn toward the lights and noise…
The wolfboys watch the walkers turn and begin to shuffle back towards their trailer/holding pens, as if trained. It is easy to imagine these young men were technically savvy before the turn, and have used their talents in these times…
…to rig up a system of manipulating, keeping, and even customizing walkers, for use in some mysterious, nefarious scheme (which I am sure will be revealed, courtesy of Kirkman, Gimple, Nicotero & Co.,in due time!). Shudder!
Back at the meeting…
Tobin has the floor. “I just want to keep my family safe,” he is saying. “I don’t know what that means anymore, but if that means we have to get rid of some-…”
Tobin stops mid-sentence when he sees…
Bloody Rickhas finally made it to the meeting, and he’s brought Deanna a present…
Rick throws Blow Yer Top Walker’s rekilled body onto the ground, right at Deanna’s feet, as his people, and the assembled citizens, gape wordlessly at him.
Bloody Rick looks around at the group, like, “You were saying, assholes?”
Out in the woods, pistol to his head, Nicholas is terrified, pleading, blubbering…
“I was scared…I was scared…I don’t belong…I don’t belong out here!”
“Shut up!” Glenn grinds out, but Nicholas is too scared to stop himself, keeps saying, “I was scared…I was scared…”
“I don’t…I don’t belong out here…I don’t belong out here…”“Shut up!” Glenn hollers at Nicholas, preparing to squeeze the trigger, but we see Glenn’s face, his anguish as he holds the gun to the sobbing man’s head...can he really pull the trigger, kill a man who is crying, pleading for his life?
“Shut up,” Glenn whispers to the crying man underneath him, before rolling off Nicholas. Nicholas sobs in relief. Glenn cannot do it. Despite all he has seen, and all he has lost, Glenn has not lost his humanity, his compassion. Beacon of Humanity Deadie for our man, Glenn Rhee/Steven Yeun❤
Back at the chapel, pointing her rifle at Gabriel, Sasha is struggling with her own moral dilemma…
Sasha points the rifle at Gabriel, but cannot bring herself to pull the trigger.
“Do it,” urges Gabriel.
Maggie comes in to the room, sees what’s happening. “Sasha!” Maggie admonishes, coming quickly to her friend’s side, gently placing her hands on the gun, and holding steady as Sasha breaks down in tears. Maggie gently takes the gun away from Sasha.
“You should let her,” Gabriel says, miserably. “They died…they all died because of me.”
Maggie looks down at Gabriel, her face showing her compassion for the priest’s anguish. She kneels down, and looks at Gabriel.
“They did,” Maggie agrees, simply, taking Gabriel’s hand, and pulling him up to standing. Truly her father’s daughter. ❤
Meanwhile, at the town meeting…
Rick tells the assembled, who are still staring in disbelief at the dead walker in front of them, “There wasn’t a guard on the gate…it was open.”
Deanna looks at Spencer, who tells her, “I asked Gabriel to close it.” Deanna takes this in. “Go!” she orders her son, who rushes off.
Rick turns to the townspeople. “I didn’t bring it in…it got inside on its own.”
Rick turns to Deanna, and Reg, who look like they are finally ready to listen to what he has to tell them. “They always will…” Rick tells them.
“…the dead, and the living, because we’re in here.The ones out there...”
“…they’ll hunt us…”
“…they’ll find us…”
“…they’ll try to use us…”
“…and they’ll try to kill us.”
We see one of the wolfboys collect Aaron’s dropped bag from the ground at the distribution center…
…and look through the pictures, images of people living a life like before the turn…
…in a peaceful, idyllic community, nestled behind tall steel walls. Choice digs for the taking.
“But,” Rick continues, “we’ll kill them. We’ll survive. I’ll show you how.”
Rick looks around at the assembled citizens of Alexandria. “You know, I was thinkin’…I was thinkin’ how many of you do I have to kill, to save your lives?”
“But I’m not gonna do that…”
“You’re gonna change.”
Rick turns to Deanna. “I’m not sorry for what I said last night…”
“…I’m sorry for not saying it sooner. You’re not ready, but you have to be. Right now. You have to be. Luck runs out.“
And right on cue, here comes Mr. Bad Luck himself, Dr. Petey McBeaty…
“You’re not one of us!” McBeaty grinds out, brandishing…Michonne’s katana?
Reg, being the kind, kind soul that he is, rushes forward, between McBeaty and Rick, trying to talk McBeaty down. “Pete…you don’t want to do this!”
McBeaty growls out, “Get the hell away from me, Reg.” Reg, being a good, reasonable man, continues to try to talk sense into a furious, probably drunk, madman. (Let’s face it…if McBeaty broke in and stole Michonne’s katana from their house, he probably took the booze, too!)
Deanna frantically tries to call Reg back, but before she can get him to back away from McBeaty, luck does indeed run out for Reg…and Deanna. 😦
McBeaty pushes Reg, who is trying to talk to him, stop him from certain folly, then McBeaty slashes Reg’s throat with the katana. Horrible. Just… horrible.
It is so awful watching Deanna hold her beloved husband as his life’s blood pours from his wound, sobbing, “My love…my love!”
Deanna looks up at Rick, anguished. “Rick…” she says.
“Do it.”
Rick turns and fires one fatal shot into McBeaty’s head…later, McBeaty.
And, hello, Morgan!
“Rick?”
Can somebody say, “awkward??”
Wow. Done. It has been a long, epic, and sometimes arduous journey to get this last post out. Life, and all that. Thank you for reading, and for being patient, and a special thank you to all those who kept checking in these last two months, to see if I had posted yet. It was like a blue jay pecking at my open wound (completely intentional reference to Seth McFarlane’s hilarious western spoof, A Million Ways To Die In The West…once again, I say, thank you, Seth McFarlane!) to see my sad stats page, knowing I was letting readers down.
All apologies, loves, and I do hope, with my finale post, and with my homage to WD Season5, that I brought it in a way that was worth the wait. Let me know. Give me a shout.Much fun to be had this summer, with social media, new music tech, and new spinoff series, Fear The Walking Dead.
Start of the turn? In L.A.?I am so there! Not writing about it (unless someone wants to hire me for recap/synopses…give a shout! I can be brief, and not use cuss words…really!) but maybe a pic or two, a playlist with each episode. I have lots of fun on social media, always throwing random stuff out in my continuous worship of pop culture, so keep posted with barnfullawalkersthis summer:
Happy summer, loves, and enjoy the playlist. Lots of fun to look forward to…stay tuned, and keep in touch…I may be showing up in some TWD chatrooms, waxing poetic about Richonne and shit…and if I pull it off, a new graphic header just in time for Season 6!
I dedicate this post to my sister, Peg. Thank you for supporting me, and believing in me. I love you.
Season 5 Finale Playlist:
Carl Douglas, “Kung Fu Fighting”
KRS One, “Sound of the Police
DMX, “What’s My Name?”
Prodigy, “Smack My Bitch Up”
Ty Segall, “Shoot You In The Head”
Royal Blood, “Little Monster”
The Soft Moon, “Insides”
Cold War Kids, “Relief”
Father John Misty, “True Affection” (for Rick and Jessie)
(All images used in this post are screen caps from AMC’s The Walking Dead, and The Talking Dead, unless otherwise specified.)
Well, loves, if you watched the The Walking Dead’s Season 5mid-season finale, “Coda,” last night, you probably know how I am feeling this morning. Devastated. Deflated. Melancholy. Haunted. And a little hungover, truth be told.
My WD buddy, after driving a hellishly long end-of-Thanksgiving-weekend commute in back-to-back traffic, came armed with champagne for us to watch the mid-season finale together. After many Coronas, and re-ups of champagne, and OMG’s, and Holy Fuck’s,and hand holding, and tears, we watched TWD, then TD, then bid each other farewell and went our separate ways, come midnight, to brave the night’s sleep (all six and a half hoursof it), and wake up to get the kids to school, ourselves to work, and to start the new week.
(This morning, my WD buddy texted me that she called in sick to work. Good call, friend! I wish I could, too, but there is a post to write, and work to do, and appointments to keep, and so, life must go on…but in honor of Beth, I am wearing black under my work attire. Nobody will see it on theoutside, but I will know it is there.)
My night’s sleep was filled with dreams of Beth, and Emily Kinney. I have been wondering how Emily Kinney is doing right now, checking on her via social media.
While I know, ultimately, that Emily Kinney will be just fine (being a young, supremely talentedand beautiful It Girl on the rise), it was really hard to watchher try not to cry, to keep it together, on Talking Dead last night,. She said she only found out about the Beth story line for the midseason finale when filming Episode 7, “Crossed.”
Even Kirkman, who was also a guest on TD, looked like he was feeling super guilty, and near tears himself, as Emily Kinney was talking.
Kirkman said that it’s the hardest part of being in the WD writers’ room, having to decide who, and when, a beloved character gets killed on the show. He said that with writing the WD comic series, it was just a matter of telling Charlie Adlard, the incredible artist who took the helm after The Walking Dead,Issue #7, “not to draw the lines” of the deceased character anymore. But, with the show, the actors become incredibly bonded with one another, with the writing and production team, and the crew…and with the fans.
I find it challenging enough to write a blog about a show. I cannot imagine the challenges writers like Robert Kirkman and Scott M. Gimple must face to keep such a powerful, intricate, complex story going, staying focused and true to their creative vision while navigating the storm of fan response, social media ebb and flow, and the vast scope of production such an endeavor requires.
Much love, kudos, and Deadies all around to Kirkman (Dad), Gimple (NewDad), and Nicotero (Crazy Uncle Greg…the fun uncle!). Thanks, guys. Thanks for bringing the pain, and levelling the playing field. We Prime Time Pollyannas needed to toughen up and get us some street cred with the Comic Book Set.
And.speaking up mad props, and much love…it’s time to start talking about this beautiful lady: ❤B❤E❤T❤H❤
Emily Kinney posted this amazing drawing a young fan sent her on her Instagram account @emmykinney
Beth Greene, beautiful badass, speaker of truth, bringer of light, and song, with the voice of an angel. It has been amazing to watch the transformation of Beth, especially from the second part of Season 4, on, as she came into her own as a strong, sensitive young woman whose pure, artistic spirit, and clear, beautiful voice carried the message of truth, love, and justice in a world grown dark, grim, and seemingly devoid of such light, purity and hope.
Despite the dire circumstances she found herself in, Beth’s fire never dimmed, and despite the brutality of the world around her, Beth’s wild spirit refused to be cowed by it.
On Talking Dead, in the Dead Notes section, it said that Beth represented purity and honesty to Daryl. My WD buddy and I have discussed this subject at length, and while she thinks that Daryl thought of Beth as more of a little sister, I personally think that Daryl felt romantic love for Beth, as well, to some degree.
While Daryl was certainly older than Beth, there did seem to be a real and powerful attraction between them, whether or not that connection would have ever manifested itself into a romantic relationship.
Daryl had a very childlike and innocent, unexplored way about himself, especially in the beginning of the series. His painful, abusive childhood and teen years never seemed to let him truly experience, or explore, the rites and rituals of coming of age, and from those experiences, fully develop into manhood. So, instead, poor Daryl became closed off, distrustful of others, for his very survival, until he got free of his older brother, Merle, and was able to find his own identity among the good, loving people of the prison group.
The way I see it, Beth’s pure and honest expression, her openness and innocence, and her ability to accept Daryl unconditionally for exactly who, and where he was in the moment, allowed Daryl to feel safe enough to really open himself emotionally to her. I think, with Beth, Daryl was able to have the experience of young love that he never got to have growing up.
In the short time they were together, Beth taught Daryl to open his heart, to be sweet, and allow himself to feel, and to show tenderness and love to another person. In turn, Daryl taught Beth to be strong, and resourceful, to listen to her instincts, to fight if she needed to…to survive. Daryl and Beth were firey, kindred spirits, and I think if they had remained together longer, just the two of them, that something sweet and romantic would have blossomed between them.
Saying this, I feel that Daryl and Carol also have a deep, undeniable love connection between them. Carol and Daryl have a lot in common. They both suffered abuse in their pasts, and they both got to free themselves of their former personas, their former lives, and start afresh, be who they were “always meant to be”, in Carol’s words, in the apocalypse. They connected early in the series, when Daryl kept hope alive and tirelessly searched for Carol’s missing daughter, Sophia. There was always a chemistry between them, and as Carol is a grown woman, and a consenting adult, she and Daryl were able to explore a physical relationship back in the days at the prison (while that has never been confirmed outright, I think, especially after watching “Consumed,” that it’s safe to say that Daryl and Carol had a romantic relationship of some kind back at the prison).
I think that Daryl fell in love, on different levels, and in different ways, with both Carol, and Beth. In doing so, Daryl got to explore, and develop, crucial aspects of himself with both relationships. I think Daryl needed both Carol and Beth, and sharing love with these two catalytic, amazing women, Daryl was able to finally fully develop into a man, and tap into the emotional depth, sensitivity, and sweetness that he always had.
I really do hope that Daryl can heal his heart, and come to terms with the loss of Beth in the second part of Season 5. I really hope the entire group can. I also really hope that Daryl’s grief doesn’t drive a wedge between the new level of connection that he and Carol established with one another in “Consumed.”
I think, as the group has needed to remember Hershel’s wisdom, and teachings, as they navigate through these dark times, they will also need to invoke Beth’s spirit, and keep a small part of her purity and light within themselves, so they can keep love, hope, and faith alive in the times ahead.
I would like to take this moment to award Beth Green,andEmily Kinney, with a Deadie of the highest honor: MVP of the first part of The Walking Dead, Season 5.
Emily Kinney’s amazing portrayal of Beth Greene has catapulted Beth’s character to, I predict, legendary icon status. I can see many incarnations of Beth and Daryl fan fiction in the future of pop culture…maybe even in the anime genre?
Please, please, oh please, somebody do it, and send me a link if, and when, you do!
As for Emily Kinney, while she may need a moment to process this loss (keep.showingher the love on social media, people!), once she recovers, I do believe this beautiful, talented, and multifaceted young actress, songwriter/musician, and model has a bright future ahead of her.
One of Emily Kinney’s hot upcoming projects is being the new face of the Nikki Rich Spring 2015 collection, the haute, music-and-art inspired clothing line collaboration ofdesigners Nikki Lund and Richie Sambora.
Check her out:
(Images used are from the Nikki RichSpring 2015 collection.)
Young, hot, and on fire…not such a bad takeaway for being on a hit show that has become a worldwide pop culture phenomenon. Something tells me that Emmy Kinney’s star is on the rise, and that she will be just fine,thank you very much!
Much love, mad props, and life eternal, Beth Greene. You are a true badass.
Beth Forever! ❤
_______________________________________
“Coda”
In the opening sequence of “Coda,” we see a pair of (fine-ass) lean legs, clad in black jeans and boots, running fast on the concrete…
We soon recognize these fine getaway sticks as belonging to Deputy Rick Grimes.
Next, we see a pair of hands, bound behind the back by a zip tie, trying frantically to cut the tie against the edge of a Grady Memorial police car’s front bumper…
Going somewhere,Lamson?
Meanwhile, the Stoner Trio Walkers lurch aimlessly around...just another day in the parking lot…
“What are we gonna do today?”“I dunno...what do you guys wanna do?”“I dunno…what do you wanna do?”“I dunno…”
“Hey, look, there’s a dude over there!”“Awesome! Hey, I know…let’s go eat that dude!” “Righteous idea, bro…let us, like, totally go forth, and eat that dude!“
Meanwhile, quick as a blur, Deputy Grimes speeds by, and disembowels, Spill Yer Guts Walker…
<Slice!> “S’cuse me, just passing through…”
“Hey, man…”
“…those were my guts and shit...what the hell, buddy?!”
Rick finds the cop car, gets in quickly, and begins speeding towards Lamson. We see a picture framed on the dashboard of the squad car, of Lamson in better days, arm around a woman and smiling happily. In a crazy twist of fate, the tables are turned, and now Lamson is on the lam, son,running as fast as he can away from his own squad car, which is now tailing him, about 30 yards back.
Deputy Rick Smash! grabs the microphone and commands Lamson’s retreating form, “Stop!”
Lamson does not comply, however, and Deputy Smash! barks into the microphone, “Stop right now!”
When Deputy Smash! tells you to stop twotimes, you should do as he says, Lamson…
…because you get three strikes…
...third strike, You’re Out!
Ouch!That’s gotta hurt…what an insane stunt!
“Crazy…” Lamson manages. “I think you broke my back!” Rick stands over him, says, “It didn’t have to be like this.” The beautiful man’s got a point, Lamson.
Lamson tries to get Rick to take him “Back…take me back to the hospital.”
Deputy Smash! echoes Gareth’s words to Bob back at Terminus, “Can’t go back, Bob.”
As walkers approach, Bob tells Rick that, “You’ve been out here too long…you’re gonna die…you’re all gonna die.”Rick Smash! pulls the trigger, silencing Bob Lamson with a bullet to the brain.“Shut up,”Rick Smash!growls, looking down at Lamson’s lifeless form.
A couple of thoughts on this scene…being a little deafened by years of blasting rock n’ roll, I didn’t quite get what Lamson was mumbling to Rick as he lay, broken and bloody on the pavement. If Lamson gave any clues as to why he knocked out Sasha and ran, instead of letting himself get traded back to Grady Memorial, and, in his words, “sleepingin my own bed tonight,” my half-deaf ass didn’t catch it….the only reason I can think of as to why he made his ill-fated escape attempt was pure pride.
I think that Lamson, once a real cop, (anda sergeant, no less) could not abide the thought of being marched back to Dawn Lerner, hands zip-tied behind his back, in a disgraced hostage situation, especially if he was being groomed to take over as head cop of Grady Memorial once the others “took care” of Dawn Lerner.
I can see where Dawn Lerner, with her acid tongue, and predilection for belittling and humiliating others, would have had a field day with Lamson, both during and after the trade-off. Maybe death, to him, was preferable to her mockery.
Pride indeed goeth before a fall, Lamson.
Anyway, my WD buddy and I of course enjoyed many champagne toasts to Rick Grimes throughout this opening scene, once again blown away by the man. How did he know not to leave right away, to hang back and see if Sasha was ok, and if Lamson was for real?
As my WD buddy and I have asked, many times, Why does anybody question Rick Grimes any more?
The man is just a chiseled, lethal brand of pure dreamy, people, and btw, he is looking really good in those black jeans of his.
Gael Anderson, Andrew Lincoln’s wife, and daughter of Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson, is one lucky woman, and rock royalty, no less. She also has really cool hair, and she looks all lean and stealth, like she could scale silently up the side of a building, knife in her teeth, and quickly dispatch an entire enemy camp in their sleep, ninja-style.
Another beautiful, badass woman, who I really do not want to piss off.
(Gael Anderson, if you ever read this, I mean no disrespect, ever…while I admittedly have been giving your man the “hungry eyes” on the tv screen, for years, now, if there is such a thing as respectful ogling, then that’s what I, and my WD buddy, have been doing when we go on and on about how beautiful and hot your husband is. We, like you, are happily married women, who love our husbands, but who do like to sneak a look now and again at our pretend boyfriends, like Rick Grimes and Daryl Dixon, to file away in our fantasty rolodexes, for later. You are married…you know what I’m talking about, I think...but maybe, in retrospect, you don’t!)
Anyway, respect, Gael Anderson, much love, and P.S., Congratulations!
Now, speaking of rock royalty, I have a very special announcement…today, at the time ofthis writing, it’s Ozzy’s Birthday!Whoooo hoooo!Happy Birthday, and much love, Ozzy Osbourne!
All hail the Dark Prince of Metal…and smoke ’em if you got ’em, bitches.
Ahhh, the pause that refreshes…
I must say that I am very glad that Rick, Daryl, and Tyrese came back to check in on Sasha, and she’s safe, for the time being, anyway. For a moment there, last week, I really did imagine that they may return to that warehouse and find her dead, and reanimated into a walker.
Shudder!
Meanwhile, back in the woods, the Schoolhouse Walkers, stilllocked inside the schoolhouse, are seething, snarling, and pawing at the glass of the school doors, trying to get to Gabriel, who is outside, poking around the former campsite of Gareth and the Terminans.
Exactly why he is there, and what the hell he is doing, I do not know, children. If I knew, I would tell you. My guess is as good as yours, and aside from moving along the plotline in a more “walker mayhem” direction, there is no earthly reason I can think of for that man to be there, sleuthing around like some misguided Matlock, instead of being holed up, safe, inside the church.
Boggles the mind, truly it does.
As Gabriel pokes around outside, the walkers in the school get more and more agitated…
…and as they continue to bang against the door, we see the glass is starting to crack…
Outside, Gabriel finds a couple of pages of either a school event flyer, a yearbook page, or a couple of missing person flyers, a pack of cards, and a student’s backpack with a bible inside. As Gabriel thumbs through the bible, he sees a girl’s name written on the inside cover, with a little heart over the “i.” His face shows his distress at this, until he lowers the bible and sees something else truly distressing, and awful to behold…
Bob’s charred leg, on the Terminans’ makeshift grille, with maggots crawling over it.
Horrified, Gabriel stares at the leg, then, with a cry, he upends the grille and throws it aside. (Guessed while watching this that Gabriel was probably not in cahoots with the Terms after all, but I definitely still thought he was a major dumbass for busting out of that church, for no good reason, immediately stepping on a big-ass nail, and hobbling, unarmed, right to the worst possible place he could have chosen to go…the overrun schoolhouse, where a band of cannibals had recently set up camp…I mean,really,Gabriel? Really?)
Then, of course, this happens:
The Schoolhouse Walkers bust through the glass doors and start pursuing Gabriel…
…who, hobbling and tripping along the way, leads the walkers through the woods…
…right to the church.Thanks, dude. Really, thanks for that.
Once again, a cruel, karmic twist of fate plays its fickle hand as the priest, who barred the doors of his church to his parishioners, leaving them outside to be torn to pieces by the undead, finds himself now barred from his own church, begging and pleading to be let inside as the horde of walkers close in on him.
Inside the church, Carl and Michonne, who is holding Baby Judith, are shocked to hear Gabriel screaming for help outside the church.
Thankfully for Gabriel, the Morgan-style spikes that Daryl and Tyrese fashioned from the organ pipes hold the walkers off, buying him a couple of minutes’ worth of time…
Wearing Baby Judith on her back, Michonne looks like the most badass momma ever, chopping at the boarded up church doors with an axe...babywearing, zombie-apocalypse style!
Doors chopped open, Gabriel makes it into the church, while Michonne, still toting that baby on her back, holds the walkers off.
(Now,not to be a dick here, but that baby on Michonne’s back looked totally like a doll, stiff and unyielding, as Michonne did her badass momma walker kills and katana flourishes. Maybe next time, the effects crew could fashion a softer, jelly-filled doll that would move and flow a little more like a real baby would, as of course a live stunt baby is not an option.)
I officially declare Michonne as being beautiful and badass enough to be Rick Grimes’ girlfriend…and Carl and Judith’s NewMom.
Just casting my vote, here, for the record.
The church, however, gets overrun with the walker horde, who push through the doors’ opening…
There are too many to fight off, and Gabriel calls to them to get to the rectory, his room in the back of the church.
Gabriel finally steps up, bravely barring the door to allow Carl, Judith, and Michonne to escape through the crawlspace under the church.
And as Gabriel dives for the crawlspace hole in the floor, Machete Walker falls through the door, lunging towards Gabriel…
…and Gabriel’s machete makes its first kill, as Machete Walker falls right into the sharp blade, slicing her head in two. (Bravo, Nicotero & Co.!)
Once outside the church, Michonne quickly closes the doors on the walkers, boarding them closed…and fickle fate once again plays her cruel hand, as the walkers are now locked inside the church, unable to get out.
Meanwhile, back at the warehouse…
Sasha’s feeling pretty dumb right about now…don’t take it too hard,girl…not the first time a righteous sister’s been taken in by a smooth-talking man with an agenda.
Rick returns, as they see, alone.
Rick pulls Daryl aside. “He wouldn’t stop,” Rick says, simply. They must think quickly, come up with a new plan, as this development changes things.
As they turn back to their kneeling hostages, Officer Shepherd doesn’t need much time or encouragement to flip the script on the Lamson situation.
Shepherd is quick on the uptake of the situation. “He was a good man,” she intones, as if eulogizing Lamson. “He was attacked by rotters. I saw it go down.” Rick Grimes sizes her up, remarks snidely, “You’re a damngoodliar.” Shepherd replies, “We’re hanging by a thread, here…he was attacked by rotters.”
Daryl steps forward, asks Shepherd that she initially thought the trade was a bad idea, so what changed? Shepherd replies that Lamson was their shot, and now that he’s off the table, it’s either say he got attacked by rotters, or go in guns blazing. Rick turns to the other cop, Licari, who says that Dawn won’t want to look weak in front of the other officers, and she’ll think that the trade is a rip-off if she thinks that Rick and them took out Lamson, so, “It’s a good thing that he (Lamson) was attacked by rotters.”
Rick looks at Daryl, who nods back at him.
Back at Grady Memorial…
As she tidies Dawn Lerner’s office, Beth overhears Dawn try to radio Lamson, Licari...to no reply, of course.
Dawn swears softly, and Beth asks her, with false concern, if something is wrong. Dawn tells her that the officers out on runs don’t always radio back, which drives her, Dawn, crazy.
As Beth goes to put the framed picture of Dawn and her mentor, Hanson, on the desk, Dawn (being totally OCD) tells Beth that no, the picture goes up there, by the badges.
When Beth asks her if that’s Hanson in the picture, Dawn Lerner looks down, as she pedals the stationary bike, and asks Beth if someone said something about him, Hanson, to her.
Beth replies innocently that she just heard that Hanson used to be in charge. Dawn Lerner replies that Beth will probably hear stories about him, about her, Dawn, and what Dawn did…
Beth looks down, digesting this new piece of information...seems like Dawn took out Hanson at some point to take control of the hospital.
Dawn finishes her cardio, and as she towels the sweat off her face, she tells Beth that Hanson was her mentor, her friend…she looks at Beth, says, “I miss him. That’s the part the stories leave out.”
Beth asks her what happened to him. Dawn walks over to where Beth stands, looks at the framed picture. She tells Beth that every time the officers go out, they risk their lives, so the runs have to be for a good reason, have to be worth it. Dawn says that Hanson lost sight of that, and so, “He lost them,” meaning, Hanson lost the officers’ fealty and respect.
Dawn looks right at Beth, then, and tells her that in this job, not everyone is going to like whomever is in charge, but they need to respect that person. “Lose that (respect), and everyone goes down.” Dawn looks at Beth, tells her, “Hanson lost his way.”
This scene is very telling, as it explains, later, why Dawn Lerner makes the choices she makes, especially at the end of the episode…she knows her position as leader is in jeopardy, already, and she is terrified of losing face with her fellow officers, and ending up like Hanson did.
Back in the woods, outside the church…
As Gabriel takes a rest, Michonne touches Juith’s sleeping head (and that, my readers, is all a stunt baby should be expected to do…look adorable, and take a nap!).
Michonne then turns to Gabriel, asks him where he went.
Gabriel replies that he went to the school, because he had to see it for himself, had to know. (Whatever, dude.)
The walkers, however, are pretty much over being inside of the church, and they begin to break away at the barred doors keeping them inside.
“Hey, you out there!This place blows…there’s nothing to eat, and you fuckers drank all the damn wine! We’re busting down these freakin’ doors, then, ZOMBIES OUT!”
As the walkers begin to break through the doors, Gabriel, Michonne, and Carl back away in fear and alarm. Carl asks, “Where do we go?” Michonne looks around, trying to come up with a plan, when…
…a perfectly timed fire truck smashes through, barring the doors and saving the day! Yay!
The gang reunites, and Glenn breaks the bad news about Eugene lying, and D.C. being a bust, before asking where everyone else is. Michonne, smiling, tells Maggie that Beth is alive, in a hospital in Atlanta, and the others have gone to go get her back.
Maggie, overjoyed at hearing this news, grabs up Glenn in a hug, while Tara says, “Let’s blow this joint and go save your sister!” (Ugh, feeling like I am about to cry, and vomit, rewatching this scene.)
Meanwhile, at the Grady Memorial Hospital from Hell, Beth has turned a corner to find Officer O’Donnell bullying poor Percy in the hallway, chewing the poor elder gentleman out for forgetting to sew the hole in Officer O’Donnell’s shirt.
Poor Percy, the fine man who faked a coughing attack for Beth in exchange for strawberries, dares not look Officer OD in the face as he stammers an apology…
…to no avail, as Officer OD mocks, then shoves the elder gentleman to the floor, then looks up to see Beth watching…
Officer OD, looking down the hall at Beth, challenges her, “What about you? Are you any good with needle and thread?” Dawn Lerner walks by, says nothing about the pushing, as she briefly regards poor Percy, lying on the floor. Seems Dawn Lerner picks her battles, and this isn’t one of them.
Beth stares, frozen, unable to reply right away as Dawn quickly cuts in, telling Officer OD, “I need her..sorry.. we have a lot of work to do. Come on, Beth.” It seems Dawn Lerner is taking Beth under her wing, making her Dawn’s new ward. I can see how Dawn Lerner had this relationship with Noah, protecting him, confiding in him, but still abusing him like all others if she deemed it necessary…probably worse. Being Dawn’s ward would have both its benefits and steep cost.
(Now, before I go on, I must say my piece about this. I am one crazy Irish mutha, and the blood of O’Donnell flows through my veins. O’Donnell is my maiden name, the name of my birth, and as such, I hold it very dear to my heart. It pains me greatly to see the name of my kin, and my ancestors, be represented in such bunk fashion by this shrill, bullying a-hole. I am sure that the actor who plays Officer O’Donnell is a wonderful human being, but the character of Officer O’Donnell can eat a bag of dicks.
I think I speak for all O’Donnells when I say, “This character in no way, shape, or form represents the true spirit of O’Donnell.”
Because he sucks, Officer O’Donnell shall be demoted from O’Donnell status and referred to henceforth in this post as Officer OD.)
Later, as Beth sits at the elevator shaft, legs dangling, and daydreams about escape, Dawn Lerner comes in, interrupting Beth’s quiet time. When Dawn tells Beth that Percy is going to be ok, Beth replies, “Nothing’s ok.”
In reply, Dawn asks Beth, with mock gravity, “Are you gonna jump?” Beth rolls her eyes at this, tells Dawn, “I wanted to be alone…you left your elevator key where it was.” Dawn replies that at least she knows Beth isn’t going anywhere.
Beth replies, “Neither are you.” She turns to face Dawn, tells her that “you keep telling yourself you’re going to do whatever it takes until this is all over…but it isn’t over. This is it. This is who you are, and what this place is, until the end.”
Dawn Lerner isn’t having it. “This place saved you. I saved you…twice. The others don’t know what you did…they think Joan was just trying to get back at me.” Dawn tells Beth that she, Dawn, saw the smashed jar, and closed up the office before the others could figure out what really happened, what Beth did to Gorman in Dawn’s office.
Dawn looks at Beth, tells her, “You’re a cop killer.” Beth protests that she would never kill anybody, to which Dawn replies, “But you did.” Dawn asks Beth what she thinks the others would do if they found out what Beth did…Dawn continues, telling Beth she protected her, she helped save that woman in Room 2, not because she had to, but because she, Dawn Lerner, wanted to. “But there’s a way that things have to happen around here…don’t you get that?“
A noise from down the hallway startles Beth and Dawn…they turn to find Officer OD standing there. It seems he has been there a while, and has overheard all the dirty deets.
Dawn asks Officer OD, hands held loosely at her sides, but ready to reach for her guns if need be, “What are you gonna do?” Officer OD fires back, “No, Dawn, what are you gonna do? Starting with her?” He motions to Beth. “She’s my ward,” Dawn replies. “I’ll handle it.”
Officer OD steps closer, tells Dawn that he thinks the other officers should know who they’re working for, “So are you gonna tell them, or should I?”
Dawn narrows her eyes, begins to step closer to Officer OD. “You don’t get to threatenme,“ she says, dangerously. “This isn’t a threat,” replies Officer OD.“These are thefacts…you look like shit…the guys are talking,they think you’re cracking. This is Hansonallover again.”
Officer OD turns to the door with the parting shot, “It’s time to make a change.”
(Now, don’t get me wrong. I am all about Officer OD, and the other officers, ousting Dawn Lerner as the head chief if it were about her being crooked, and they were wanting to make a clean slate and some much-needed changes. But, if Dawn Lerner is the only tenuous thread holding them back from going full rampage on the female wards of the hospital, or abusing the weaker ones like Percy, then Officer OD and the other male cops who are rapists and bullies are just as shitty, if not more shitty, than Dawn Lerner. The whole place sucks, really, when it comes right down to it.)
The click of a gun behind him stops Officer OD in his tracks. Dawn Lerner has pulled out her pistol, cocked it, tells him that he’s wrong, that she’s nothing like Hanson…she killed Hanson, remember?
“I was the only one who could go through with it.”Watch out, Dawn Lerner’s getting the crazy eyes!
Officer OD turns to face Dawn. “Lower your weapon, Dawn,” he says. “All I have to do is shout.” Dawn replies that all she has to do is say that he came at her. She orders Beth, who is behind her, to get out of the way. Beth complies, moves to the other side of the hallway. Dawn then orders Officer OD towards the elevator shaft opening. “Don’t do this,” he tells her.
“Don’t make me,” Dawn replies.
As he walks slowly towards the elevator shaft, Officer OD reminds Dawn that they were rookie cops together, that she had cigars with him and the other officers in the parking lot of this very hospital when his son was born. (It’s crazy to think how these hospital cops were once good people, with lives, and families, who were on the police force, wanting to help others in the community…and now, they are reduced to this…enslaving people against their will, raping and abusing them because they are in control of them, and can.)
These remembrances seem to be rattling Dawn even more than she already is. She tells Officer OD to stop, that the man he was, once, is gone.
“Look at you,” Dawn tells Officer OD. “You’re pushing the old man, you’re laughing with the others about that poor girl getting raped...that’s who you are now.”
Officer OD steps forward, asks Dawn, “So who the hell are you?” Dawn Lerner replies, “Someone who isn’t going to let it happen anymore.”
“That’s not what this is about,” replies Officer OD. “It’s about holding on to what youhave.”
Dawn asks, incredulously,“What the hell do I have?”
Officer OD distracts Dawn with some mindfuck shit about Hanson, then ambushes Dawn, tackling her into the wall. A super burly beatdown ensues between Dawn Lerner and Officer OD…it happened too fast for me to get any good pictures of it, but Dawn was holding her own pretty well against an enraged male cop who was also trained in hand-to-hand combat.
Officer OD does get the best of Dawn, clamping his hand around her throat in a chokehold and lifting her up high against the wall.
“You think you’re better than us?” he asks through clenched teeth. Beth tries to pull Officer OD off Dawn, and he knocks Beth to the floor. “Stay in your lane, bitch!” he screams at Beth. This gives Dawn Lerner the opening she needs…she punches Officer OD hard in the throat, then side kicks him, sending him towards the opening of the elevator shaft.
I did get this shot…watching this, I was thinking, “Why can’t Dawn Lerner be one of the good guys?” She definitely has some mad fighting skills, and some leadership & other smarts to offer a group…such a waste for her to be so twisted at this point.
Before Officer OD can get his bearings, Dawn Lerner screams, “Beth!” and with one hard shove, Beth pushes Officer OD off the edge of the elevator shaft and sends him flying down the steep blackness, until we hear his body crash down below…then the sounds of the walkers descending upon him.
That scene is a hard one to watch…we get glimpses of who Dawn Lerner and Officer OD were before the change: idealistic, rookie cops, with families, and normal lives. We see what they have been reduced to, exchanging words, accusations, then pulling guns and coming to blows, all in the quest for top slot at Grady Memorial.
We see glimpses of Beth, what she has had to do in the short time at Grady Memorial, (things that she never would have thought she would do) like killing someone, just to survive in this hellish place. And now, she has just pushed a cop down an elevator shaft, and helped Dawn Lerner stay in power, which I guess was the preferable option than letting Officer OD and his goon squad have full reign of power…but either option is hardly ideal.
Poor Beth.
Later, we see Beth, dozing against the wall of Carol’s room, sitting on the floor, looking so sad and lonely there. Carol is Beth’s only friend there, and she is still unconscious. Beth has nobody to turn to, to talk to, and she is just a young girl. She has been through so much, and had to be so strong throughout all the horrible shit that has gone down at this hospital.
One moment, she was sitting at a table, exchanging a sweet, loving moment with Daryl, and now, she is here, in a living, daily hell in a hospital prison.
Wake up, Carol!
I am so sad for Beth in this scene.
Dawn Lerner comes into the room, a little loud and sloppy, carrying a flask and a glass. She’s drunk, you can tell. She tells Beth that it’s ok to cry.
Beth states, with a young defiance, that she doesn’t cry anymore…
“I do,” says Dawn, pouring herself a drink
Dawn offers the cup to Beth, who turns away, refusing the offering. Dawn places the cup on the edge of the sink. “It’s from my own stash, no strings, “ Dawn tells her. She goes over and sits on the end of Carol’s bed, and takes a long pull from her flask.
I have thought about the character of Dawn Lerner a lot since watching this episode…definitely felt some sympathy for her during moments like this, while still knowing what harm she is capable of doing, and how quickly she can turn on others.
Beth tells Dawn that she knows why Dawn covered for her…she was actually covering for herself. Gorman, Jeffries, and O’Donnell were problems for Dawn, and now they are gone, and Dawn didn’t have to do the dirty work. “That’s how things get done aroundhere,” Beth says. “Everyone uses people to get what they want. You aren’t the ones who have to remember.”
Dawn peers down at Beth’s face. “Is that what happened with Edwards and Trevitt? He used you?” (Dawn is astute, I’ll definitely give her that.)
Beth says then, “I’m getting out…just like Noah.” Dawn tells her that Noah will be back. “He’s going home, “ Beth tells her. Dawn tells her that they always come back, that they don’t make it far…for one thing, they can’t, but, also, they really don’t want to.
Beth leans forward, tells Dawn angrily that Noah is going home.
Dawn smiles a little smile at Beth, tells her that she, Dawn, was like Beth, once. “Nobody could tell me anything.” Dawn tells Beth that she isn’t stupid…she motions towards Carol with her head, says, “You know her…and somehow, you both ended up here. Maybe that means something.”
Dawn goes on to tell Beth that they, Beth and her friend, can be a part of “this thing,” what they have going at the hospital, and that it may be the most important thing she, Beth, has ever done. Beth cuts a look at Dawn as she says this, but says nothing.
Dawn continues, “And what you did back there…” and with this, Dawn puts a hand to her throat, remembering O’Donnell’s hand clamped down on it. She tells Beth, after a moment, that Gorman and O’Donnell hurt people…the world didn’t lose anything when they died. Dawn then tells Beth that she’s wrong about her, Dawn.
“I didn’t use you,” Dawn says. “And I will remember.” As Dawn sits, lost in her thoughts, Carol, unnoticed, turns her head slightly on the pillow.
Meanwhile, on the top of a building in downtown Atlanta…
At their sniper station, Tyrese is telling Sasha to stop beating herself up for not rekilling Bob.
As Daryl leads the hostage cops to their waiting places on the roof, Tyrese goes on to tell Sasha about Martin, the one she killed at the church. He tells Sasha that he was left with Martin, and how he maybe should have killed him, but didn’t, even though he said he had. Tyrese muses that maybe they haven’t changed so much, after all, from the way they used to be, and maybe that’s good.
Sasha looks at her brother, tells him that he hasn’t changed from who he was, and that is good. But she, Sasha, can’t go back to who she was, before…
Sasha peers through the rifle scope, refocusing on the task at hand. “Not anymore,” she says, as she takes aim at the target below.
As Daryl and Sasha see the cop car approaching, Daryl signals Tyrese to radio as much to Rick.
We see Rick get himself in the zone of Negotiation Mode, then we see a shot of the red flag they’ve erected to mark the meeting point, blowing in the wind, as Rick raises his arms and begins to walk towards the cop car that slowly approaches.
I love the homage to old cowboy movies in this episode…so many shots, like this one, and the hallway scene between Dawn Lerner and O’Donnell…
…look like they were taken from right from the old western classics. Love it.
As the cops get out of the car, guns raised and levelled at Rick, he addresses them both by name.
“Officer Franco, Officer McGuinley…I’m Rick Grimes.”(Mmmm hmmm, he sure is.)
Rick tells them that he was a deputy at the Kent County’s Sheriff’s office, that he’s here to make a proposal. The officers, taken aback by this approach and familiarity, exchange looks. One officer tells Rick to lay his weapon on the ground. Rick agrees, moves slowly, complies. Daryl and Sasha hold their aim, have the cops’ heads in their sights.
As they move closer to Rick, the other cop asks Rick what his proposal is. “You have two of our people, we have two of yours. We want to make an even exchange, then we walk away…no one gets hurt.”
The officers ask Rick who they have. Rick replies they have Officers Shepherd and Licari. Rick then tells the cops that they have two of their people: Beth, and another woman who was hit by one of their cars and brought in yesterday.
The cops exchange looks at this, and the one cop asks if Noah is with them. “Yes, he is,” says Rick. As a walker approaches, one of the cops asks where Rick’s people are.
In reply, a perfectly placed shot by Sasha, sniper style, takes out the walker behind them.
“They’re close,” Rick replies, nonchalantly. The cops looks around, spooked. Rick takes a step back. “Radio your lieutenant, I’ll wait,” he tells them.
And then, it has become time to make the exchange. We see Rick’s group, with Rick and Daryl marching Sheppard and Licari in front of them, at gunpoint, walking through the maze of hallways and stairwells in the hospital, led and flanked by the cops at the negotiation, towards the meeting place.
We then see Beth, getting ready to go, with the bloodstained yellow shirt she got back at the country club, the Pine Vista, where she and Daryl went in search of her first drink…as Beth gathers her things, she thinks a moment, then reaches under her mattress and gets the scissors she took from Doc Edwards’ office.
We watch as Beth slips the scissors into her cast, just in case…
We see Beth wheeling Carol down the hall in a wheelchair, with Doc Edwards walking behind them.
They approach the group of Dawn and her officers, and wait.
As Officers McGuinley and Franco rejoin Dawn Lerner’s group, Rick tells Dawn the officers in their keeping haven’t been harmed.
Dawn immediately asks where Lamson is.
Shepherd says, a little too quickly, that “rotters got him.” Licari adds that they “saw it go down.”
Dawn Lerner isn’t buying it. She narrows her eyes, nods, says, “Oh…I’m sorry to hear that…he was one of the good guys.“
Dawn then tells Rick, “One of ours for one of yours.” Rick nods to Daryl, who releases Licari forward, and one of Dawn’s cops wheels Carol forward to Rick’s group.
Then, Dawn marches Beth forward, herself, and Rick follows suit, bringing Shepherd forward. The exchange is made, and Rick reaches out and touches Beth’s head, tenderly, while looking at her face and checking in with her for a brief and wordless moment.
I love how tender he is with her…she is so close…so hard to rewatch this scene.
As Rick and the gang turn to leave, Dawn says to their retreating backs, “I’m glad we could work something out.” Rick turns to look at her. “Yeah,” he replies, hoarsely and with barely concealed contempt.
Dawn glances back at her officers, afraid to look like she is losing face in this deal…
…and with a slight shake in her voice, Dawn says, loudly, “And now, I just need Noah.”
At Dawn’s words, Rick stops in his tracks. He turns to Dawn, walks back towards her, “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
Dawn replies that Beth was her ward, and now she’s lost a ward…and she, Dawn, lost good men who were killed looking for Noah, so she needs a new ward, and she needs Noah.
Daryl steps forward, says Noah isn’t going back to Dawn. Rick says the boy wants to go home, and that Dawn doesn’t have any claim to him.
Dawn says, “Then we don’t have adeal.” Rick protests, rightly so, that the deal was done.
Noah steps forward, “It’s ok,” he says. Rick tries to hold him back, but he looks at Rick, tells him that it has to be done. Otherwise, it’s war. He hands his gun to Rick. From behind, Beth’s voice is clear, shaking, “It’s not ok.”
As Noah limps forward, Dawn Lerner says, with satisfaction, “It’s settled, then.”
“Wait!” Beth rushes forward and hugs Noah, hard, not wanting to let go.
Noah tries to reassure Beth that it’s ok, while Dawn Lerner cannot bring herself to watch. Even she knows howwrong this is. But then, she recovers herself, turns to Noah….
…and says, softly, smugly, “I knew you’d be back.”
Beth looks at Dawn with pure hatred.
She walks up to Dawn, looks her in the eye, says, “I get it now.”
In one quick instant, Beth stabs Dawn Lerner with the scissors…
And, in a moment of pure reflex, Dawn Lerner shoots Beth through the head, killing her instantly.
Dawn Lerner shakes her head in disbelief, and fright, mouths that she didn’t mean to…
In fury and grief, Daryl steps forward and shoots Dawn Lerner through the skull.
As the officers draw their weapons, Shepherd tells them to hold their fire…“It was just about her(Beth), “ she says. “It’s over.Stand down!“
Poor Daryl! 😦
Officer Shepherd offers for the gang to stay, if they like. One of the men pipes up, says that they are surviving here, that it’s better than “out there.”
Rick, dazed, stricken, shakes his head. “No,” he disagrees, refusing. He says that anybody who wants to go, is coming with them…but only Noah comes forward.
Outside, Abraham pulls the fire truck into the hospital parking lot…the gang steps out, takes care of stray walkers as they approach, walking toward the hospital. As they get closer, Maggie allows herself an excited, happy smile at the thought of seeing her sister again. Rick and the others file out, Rick giving a little shake of his head.
Maggie allows herself a hopeful smile, and then they see…
The image that has seared itself into the hearts of all WD fans worldwide…Daryl carrying Beth’s body. So heartbreaking, the worst ever.
Upon seeing Beth, Maggie screams, collapses on the ground.
😦
The final shot of the Season 5 midseason finale…
Wow. I don’t even know what to say, even now. Watching it again, finishing this post, I feel really overcome. Tears. Beth! We love you, girl.
So many of my friends are saying that there is no hope, that The Walking Dead is just going to keep getting more and more bleak, that nothing in the world that is being portrayed in the show is going to get any better. I do hope that’s not true, but as I said before, the comic series doesn’t exactly lead to chocolates and roses.
Kirkman, Gimple, be kind. It’s all I ask.
A couple of things, before I sign off for a while…I would like to thank all those who have found me, and my crazy tweaker blog, and who have given me encouragement, posted comments, shared with friends. I am gaining new readership all the time, at unprecedented rate. Thanks, gang. I appreciate your showing the love.
One reader, Brooks, asked me in a comment a couple of months back if I would ever consider having a guest writer post on my blog.
I am sorry that I did not directly answer your question in my reply to you, at the time, Brooks. I was honestly taken aback, as I had never even thought about it before. I was so surprised to be asked.
But, I have thought about that question you asked me ever since, and this is what I came up with…during the midseason break, while I take a much needed rest, I would like to open up barnfullawalkers to be a forum for writers, artists, WD fans to contribute their talents, if they wish. I will not be posting, so there is opportunity to get your talents showcased if you want to play along.
As this is a blog about The Walking Dead (more or less, sometimes more, sometimes less), I would ask that any contributions be centered around The Walking Dead as a central theme. If you have fan fiction, poetry, drawings, art, photographs, essays, commentaries, Season 5thoughts, synopses, that you would like to submit, or any other correspondence that you would like to send along, please send it to: barnfullawalkers@gmail.com
This is totally a new thing, and I’m not quite sure how it’s all going to work as of yet, but I promise that any submissions will be treated with the upmost respect, and if I choose to post it, I will contact you, and we will take it from there.
On a funny note, as always, the midseason and season finale episodes of WD seem to result in especially memorable Talking Dead episodes, and last week was no exception.
As Robert Kirkman, the creator of both The Walking Dead comic and television series, was a featured guest on TD, fans were invited to Skype in questions for him, and we got a few new additions to the Kooky WD Fan Hall of Fame:
We got to meet:
Brendan and Suzanne, the wacky swinger or “free pass” couple whose “kids” wanted to know if their dad could kiss Maggie. Ol’ Brendan said it was up to his wife, but if she was down with it, so was he…and then they both gave this “thumbs-up” sign, so, I guess everyone’s ok with it, even the kids!
Christie (sp?)…she was cute, with a sweet smile and a normal question for Kirkman that I can’t remember at the moment.
Then, we met Scott, who asked Kirkman if Daryl ever got to have a “booty call” or if he was just saving himself for one special person….got my fingers crossed for you, Scott, buddy…here’s hoping!
Then we met the bespectacled girl with the quirky style who dolled herself and her little dog in fancy bow ties. She asked some question about Shane, I think.
And finally, there was Gig Guy, sporting a fox pelt hat and screaming at the camera as he channeled Rick Grimes telling off all those who doubted his leadership abilities.
Ah, humanity! 🙂
Have a lovely holiday, my WDO darling readers, and drop me a comment, or if you are shy, drop me an email at barnfullawalkers@gmail.com
Until Feb.8, and enjoy Beth’s playlist:
Playlist:(Seven-song playlist to take Beth up to Level 7…Beth Forever!❤)
3.(atmospheric) the movement of an object into and through the gases of a planet’s atmosphere from outer space, which exposes the object to the opposing and potentially combustible forces of gravity,atmospheric drag, and aerodynamic heating. These forces can cause objects with lowercompressive strength to explode…
Well gang, it was quite the epic summer, full of beach trips, little league games, summer camp, and many lazy, blissful hours spent floating in the pool, beverage in hand, getting hosed down by trigger-happy kids and their super soakers. Ahhh, memories.
But now, Labor Day weekend has come and gone, the kiddies are back in school, and it’s time for me to get back to work. The Walking Dead’s Season 5 is coming, people, less than a month away, and if the recent interviews with Andrew Lincoln, Robert Kirkman, Scott M. Gimple, and the rest of The Walking Dead cast and crew are any indication, Season 5 is going to be balls-to-the-wall, more gory, brutal, and savage than any season thus far.
When we last left Rick and the gang, in The Walking Dead’s Season 4 finale episode, “A,” many had found their way to Terminus, only to be stripped of their weapons, riot gear, and choice items of clothing and accessories, forced at gunpoint into a train car (where they reunited with some old, and new, friends), and were left to marinate in their own sweat, blood, and tears before, ostensibly, being harvested into Sunday barbecue by Gareth, Mary, and their creepy comrades at the Sanctuary Cannibal Co-op.
Um, Rick-In-Charge don’t think so, Terminans. Neither does Rick Smash!
After dropping the Season 4 finale bomb on us, Kirkman, Gimple, and the WDcast and crew took a well-deserved break, bid us farewell for the summer, and left us WDfans to catch our collective breaths, scratch our heads, look at each other, and ask, online and in the IRL, “What the hell just happened? Were those Sanctuary people…cannibals?”
In various interviews throughout the summer, Scott M. Gimple deftly evaded the cannibalism question whenever asked…which was often. On The Talking Dead summer preview special (which aired after the July 4th “Dead, White, and Blue” Walking Dead marathon on AMC),Chris Hardwick finally turned to Gimple and asked, in mock exasperation, “So, Scott M. Gimple, what is the deal with Terminus? Are they cannibals, or what?”
In response, Gimple smiled his enigmatic, Mona Lisa smile and make some clever, diverting comment, but he wasn’t giving anything away. It was clear that Gimple was holding onto that juicy tidbit tighter than a virginal coed putting her boyfriend through the paces of the “10 Date Rule.”
In response to Gimple’s non-response, Chris Hardwick and Aisha Tyler gleefully got their young and irreverent revenge on Scott M. Gimple by pouncing over to him and pawing playfully at him, petting and rubbing his head, as if trying to absorb the secrets locked inside by osmosis, goading, “C’mon, tell us! Tell us!”
Gimple’s initial horror as he realizes what is about to happen….the fear is real.
“Tell us! Tell us!” (Gimple’s silent prayer, “This is not happening, this is not happening…”)
As the cute young people playfully paw at him and rub his head, Gimple tries one last vain attempt at escape…curling up into a human ball and imploding unto himself like a collapsing star.
Three weeks after the hilarious TD Gimple Incident, the WD cast and crew held court at the 2014San Diego Comic Con like the rock stars they are, and unveiled the official trailer for The Walking Dead, Season 5.
Check it out…you have probably watched it already, of course, any number of times by now, scanning it again and again for any new clues about the season to come, as I have, and will again.
Now, before we deconstruct The Walking Dead’sSeason 5 trailer, I would like to take a moment wish a very Happy Birthday to our main man, Andrew Lincoln, who turns 41 today, September 14, 2014. Much love, much love, Andrew Lincoln!
May I speak for all of us on Team Rick when I say: Thank you, Andrew Lincoln, for being born, and for bringing us Rick Grimes, Rick-In-Charge, and Rick Smash! And thank you for bringing us that cute guy in Love, Actually, who told the Keira Knightley character he loved her with the series of cue cards, out in the cold…that guy was totes adorbs.
In honor of Andrew Lincoln’s/Rick Grimes’ birthday, I am bringing you a little Metallica-dance-party blog-break…so, get on up and shake one out for our man, Andrew Lincoln, to Metallica’sSeek and Destroy:
(And, just because Andrew Lincoln’s birthday is the gift that keeps on giving, we at barnfullawalkers bring you this tasty treat…Entertainment Weekly’s spread, “27 Times Andrew Lincoln Looked Hot During the Zombie Apocalypse”):
Well, that was fun! Now, where were we? Ah, yes, the Season 5 trailer.
First off, watching the trailer, I would say that the cannibalism theory is all but confirmed at this point. The Season 5 trailer opens with the now-iconic shot of Rick, as he turns from peering out the train car door he has cracked open, letting the light from the outside world pour into the darkened train car, and onto his people, and utters the famous “made for primetime TV line” from The Walking Dead comic series: “They’re gonna realize they’re (fucking)screwing with the wrong people.”
If Rick-In-Charge says it is so…then it is so.
But, Daryl doesn’t look so sure…
Especially when Abraham yells, “Move!” and someone tosses in a canister of…teargas? sleepy gas? into the train car. Enter…the Dicks With Gas Masks, come to gather up the human harvest…
As the trailer continues, we hear Gareth’s voice in a soft, whispery voice-over, “I just hope you understand…we didn’t want to hurt you…nothing was personal.”
Oh, I’m sure it never is, Gareth…nothing personal, we don’t want to hurt you, we just want to eat you.
What an a-hole. Trying to sound all reasonable and shit. Gareth looks like a vegan emo-punk scenester, but is probably the king of the cannibals. That guy can eat a bag of dicks…wait…he probably already has!
Ewwwwww!
During Gareth’s creepy voice over, we see scenes of Rick and the gang trying their desperate escape out of Terminus, their paths getting blocked again and again by snipers’ bullets as they are corralled, trapped. We see a (scary) shot of Rick’s head, slamming into the concrete, then he looks up, dazed, to see the back of a man, who seems to be sawing apart a human body, laid out lifeless on a chopping block table.
Blurry, dazed shot before Rick blacks out of what looks like a man, clad in butchering apron, goggles, and chainsaw, going to town on some poor doomed somebody, as the piercing shriek of the chainsaw escalates into a deafening cacophony.
Next shot is of Glenn, Daryl, Rick, and Bob on their knees, hands tied behind their backs. It seems they have been forced to kneel in front of what looks like perhaps a combination of chopping blocks/sinks, or collecting tubs, presumably to catch the blood that will spill when the goons behind them beat their heads in with bats, and slaughter them. They are all gagged, except Bob.
Gareth is standing before them, on the other side of the blocks/tubs, with a pen and a journal-looking notebook…collecting memorable last words, perhaps, for the Sanctuary Cannibal Co-opcreepy comrades to read aloud and laugh at while stuffing their faces with peeps burgers, later, at dinner?
I call them the “Creepy Comrades,” while Chris Hardwick and Aisha Tyler call them the “Terminans.” Andrew Lincoln, and many of the cast and crew at WD refer to the Sanctuary citizens as the “Termites.” Whatever you call them, it is clear that these Sanctuarians have a lot of explaining to do.
Bob seems to have the wits and resourcefulness to use his last words to throw a quick, desperate Hail Mary pass out there, telling Gareth, “You don’t have to do this…we canturn the world back to how it was!” Bob’s eyes are huge, and earnest, as he explains to Gareth that they have a man in their group that holds the cure to the zombie outbreak. “We just have to get him to Washington…you just have to take that chance!”
I have grown to love Bob Stookey, despite having a major “stranger danger!” initial vibe about him. Big ups to our man, Bob, as he uses his quick wits to adapt to the situation at hand, saving the day, once again…or at least buying the gang some extra time, and us WD fans a couple more seasons of our fave show. Thanks, man! (Sorry I was such a B before.)
The next shot shows Gareth, who has bent down to be face to face with Rick Grimes. Gareth has a sick little smile on his face as he stares into Rick’s eyes, challenging him…it feels to me that he is really getting off on having a true adversary, one who equals (surpasses) him in intellect, cunning, and leadership mojo: Rick Grimes.
Rick, whose mouth is not gagged, returns Gareth’s stare in a silent look of unbridled hatred and defiance.
It’s a powerful moment, the silent standoff between Gareth, and Rick, who is so freaking hot in his defiance.
In the next series of scenes, we hear Gareth’s voice, again, telling what I assume is the group, “You don’t have a choice…none of you…You join us, and (we?) go toWashington and cure this thing.”
I put the word “we” with a question mark, because while I played the trailer over and over again, I couldn’t be sure if Gareth said “we go to Washington”or “you go to Washington.” Too many years of going to out to hear live music, and blasting tunes directly into my ear canal via ear buds, has probably ruined my hearing by this point.
It really sounded like “we,” and that makes me wonder if Gareth is as sick of Sanctuary as we all are by now, and if he’d rather take a chance outside the safety of its walls and go on a suicide mission to D.C. just to get the hell out of there…especially if Mary is his mom.
In the following group of scenes, we see a shot of Rick holding…Baby Judith! It appears that Carol, Tyrese and Judith found their way into theSanctuary Cannibal Co-op by this point….wonder how that first scene between Rick, Carol, and Tyrese is going to play out…
Baby Judith is surely going to be held behind at Sanctuary as a hostage while our gang goes to Washington.
In another scene, we see a shot of the gang, reunited, in the woods, Glenn’s voice saying, “We get to start over…all of us. We’re not splitting up again.”
We hear Sasha’s (?) voice: “We don’t know what’s coming next.” Then, a shot of Abraham, glass in hand, as if giving a toast, or a sermon, or a Braveheart-style rallying speech.. He seems to be addressing our gang, who are seated in what looks like a chapel area, in pews. The room is lit with the kind of tall vigil candles we saw in the rooms at the Sanctuary when the gang was trying to escape, the rooms with slogans like, “We first, Always” scrawled on the walls.
Abraham’s voice resonates with the feeling, the conviction, and the fervor of one who truly believes what he is preaching, even if it’s just in the moment, while the others in the group sit silently, listening to his words.
“When we get to Washington, we will make the dead die, and the living will have this world again.”
It seems they have wine in Terminus, which is a good thing…the Terminans would need a whole bunch of wine to wash down the taste, and the bad karma, of eating human flesh, if they are indeed cannibals…and I am 99.9% sure that they are.
So, by this point in the trailer, it seems reasonable to surmise that our gang narrowly escapes becoming another Sanctuary Cannibal Co-op human harvest by cutting a deal with Gareth and the Terminans…it seems our gang must “join” the ranks of the Creepy Comradesand head north to Washington D.C., to deliver Eugene to our nation’s capitol, and try to get a cure going for this walker epidemic thing that’s been happening all over the world for the last year and a half.
Watching the trailer, it looks like it was a super-close call for our gang, as we see one shot of a Terminal Thug wielding what is either a bat or sword, winding back, getting ready to bash or slice into Glenn’s head/neck. Glenn, who is kneeling, and gagged, squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his gag with his teeth, anticipating the blow:
This image sent rumors flying around social media that Glenn was going to die in the Season 5 premiere, but I am happy to say that it appears that Glenn will be with us, and Maggie, for a while longer…yay!
So, it seems that Mr. Grimes (and the gang) is going to Washington. It is 638.1 miles from Atlanta to Washington D.C. If our gang were to follow along the highways (which seems alogical and fairly direct choice) they would need to go through, or near, some major cities and populated areas, including the cities of Atlanta, Greensboro, and Richmond, before getting to Washington D.C.
In Entertainment Weekly’s recent feature on The Walking Dead’s upcoming Season 5, WD executive producer Gale Ann Hurd confirms that our gang is embarking on an extremely dangerous journey, “You’re never going to find the cure to the zombie apocalypse in the sticks. Now they have to re-enter The City of the Dead (a.k.a. Atlanta), and there are many cities of the dead that they’ll have to encounter to complete their mission.”
It is a tall order, even for our beloved gang of seasoned warriors. The next scenes in the trailer show many flashes and moments of walker hordes, walker kills, and explosions, both ballistic and emotional. In one scene, Rick is talking to Carl, telling him, “I don’t trust this guy…no matter what anyone says, no matter what you think, you are not safe.“
In another voice over, we hear Gareth’s voice, saying, “You don’t trust us any more.” and then Rick’s soft threat, as he grinds out, “These people are my family, and if you hurt them in any way, I will kill you.”
There are also many suggestions that certain members of the group may come into some danger, most probably from Gareth and the Terminans…one scene shows Sasha yelling, at someone, “Where are our people?”
There is a chance, however, that the danger to our people could come from a new character coming, Father Gabriel, who is a character taken from the comic series. I am not familiar with the Father Gabriel character of the comic series, as I did not read that far into it.
I also have avoided researching Father Gabriel, as I want the television storyline surrounding him to be unspoiled, but Father Gabriel seems like he’s done some things, things that are probably pretty bad. Anyone alive still at this point in the walker apocalypse has had to see, and do, some horrific things to survive this long.
Apparently, Father Gabriel’s church, pictured here, was created exactly from the church in the comic series..
It looks like Father Gabriel has def seen, and done, some dark things to survive. ..the dude looks pretty tortured.
Both Robert Kirkman and Scott M. Gimple have confirmed that the WD story lines for Season 5 will be following the comic series more closely, and we can expect to see more iconic characters from the comic series to come.
There is also potential, it seems, for discord and division within the core group of Rick and the gang. What is the dynamic going to be between Rick and Carol, at last reunited after Rick singlehandedly banished Carol from the prison community back in Season 4?
How is Maggie going to react if/when she finds out that Tara was part of the Gov’s Makeshift Army 2.0and was playing for the bad-guy team when the Gov beheaded Hershel? And how are Rick and Abraham, who are both used to being in the leadership role and calling the shots, going to be able to get along and find a way to work together in this epic and perilous journey to Washington D.C.?
And, a couple of core questions burning a hole in my heart: Does Eugene’s mulletted head truly possess the cure for the walker epidemic? Is this guy for real, or is he faking?
What do you think?
What is going on under that epic mullet of yours, Eugene?
Another burning question in my heart: Are we going to get to see some of our favorite characters get busy in Season 5, or what?
Robert Kirkman confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that, “There are certainly more couples.” While we know the obvious pairings of Glenn and Maggie, Bob and Sasha, Abraham and Rosita, we fans are wondering if our favorite hot dudes, Daryl Dixon and Rick Grimes, are going to get another chance at love in the zombie apocalypse…
Rick…he’s a tough one. Still wearing his wedding ring, super focused on keeping his people safe and getting the job done…doesn’t leave much room for romance. But he’s so freaking hot, and it’s been, like, forever since our man’s gotten some. I have always wondered if maybe something was in the works with Rick and Michonne…that would be…so hot.
And now, to Bachelor Number Two…Daryl Dixon.
Daryl and Carol 2.0? While I love the thought of Carol getting a second chance with Daryl, can things really go back to the way they were? Carol’s kill-happy shenanigans at the prison, and Daryl’s brief foray into young love with Beth, may put the Daryl/Carol pairing into the “let’s just be friends” file. But we shall see, won’t we?
And speaking of Beth…
I thought it was quite the masterful presentation for the Season 5 trailer to seemingly end, and go to black screen, after a particularly gripping (and hot) scene showing Rick singlehandedly mowing down about five living, enemy dudes armed with assault rifles, then turning to face…someone, or something, with a grim, unremorseful, totally smoking hot look before lowering his gun…
I texted my WD buddy, while watching the trailer in the writing process: Rick just singlehandedly mowed down like 5 live, weapons-baring enemy peeps on a bridge.
(Sigh…) ❤
My WD buddy texted back: Such a man, that one.
…then, the screen goes black, the Bear McCreary music hums darkly, and then, we see…
Beth’s new digs…what is this place? Prison? Mental ward? Looks shitty…
…especially when we see some sadisic-looking lady cop telling Beth that her personal needs are not jiving with this institution’s mission, to serve the “greater good.”Uh, oh, that’s never good news.
We see poor Beth, dressed in prison-looking fatigues, peering down a steep elevator shaft, looking for a way out of what looks like Hell.
Beth freaked, trying to offer some comfort to a poor woman who looks like her bitten arm is about to be amputated with cape wire…
Beth seems to be connecting with her own inner warrior in this hellhole…
Damn…another walker prison riot?
Whatever Beth is doing to survive in this hellish place, it seems that she has earned the unlucky top slot on the sadistic lady cop’s hate list, earning poor Beth a savage blow upside the head with the lady guard’s baton…
Run, Beth, run!
Kirkman adds to the Beth Mystery, telling Entertainment Weekly that while the Beth storyline may take some time to unfold, “It’s going to have some far-reaching ramifications for all the characters.”
Yikes!
While the answers to all these questions will surely unfold with the debut, and progression, of The Walking Dead’s Season 5, I think I can safely say that Season 5 is going to reward us WD fans with lots of hot flexing, epic berzerker-style zombie-killing mayhem, unparalleled effects and super-gruesome walker characters, like this guy:
Ummm, Nicotero? You’ve got some explaining to do here, buddy.
Scott M. Gimple says this of the Season 5 premiere:
October 12th, people…it’s just around the corner. I advise that you stock up on your choice beverages, and get yourself some Bach’s Rescue Remedy and a Daryl Partner, if you don’t already have one. (See my Season 4 mid-season prepost, “What Happens After?” for more on Daryl Partners and other WD coping mechanisms.)
Note: (All images used in this post are screen caps from AMC’s The Walking Dead, unless otherwise specified.)
On a final note, I do need to apologize for not keeping my promise to post over the summer about The Walking Deadwebisodes. I love the webisodes and look forward one day to writing about them, as well as past seasons of The Walking Dead television series. Those of you who read my blog know that my writing style seems to involve deconstructing scenes, dialogue, etc, ad nauseum, imbedding lots of DIY-style photographs, captions, music into each post.
The result is some serious word-count, tweaker-style recap madness…and if you are still reading after all this, then I guess you like it, and that’s good, because that’s just how I do, people. It takes me an average of 8 hours to complete a post, with the watching, rewatching, picture-taking, writing, rewriting…and I’m ok with that. Just know that the post on that Sunday’s episode may not be up until Tuesday/Wednesday night…or maybe even not til Friday.
And know that when the post does come, it will be another act of love, filled with juicy bits, for our favorite show…and once it’s up, it’s on the internet forever and ever!
So, this summer, I did choose to set the blog aside and to savor the sweetness of being in the real world, sharing adventures and fun times with family and friends. My kids are at such fun ages, and they are growing up so fast, that I wanted to fully immerse myself in the good times while they were happening. The result was one of the best summers of my life. I have no regrets.
I am happy to say that my readership has grown over the summer, with barnfullawalkers getting views from all over the world. I seem to be developing an awesome Brazilian fan base, which makes me super happy, as I love all people, and things, Brazilian.
I asked my Brazilian friend if she could teach me how to say hello, and welcome, to my new Brazilian friends, and she taught me this phrase:
“ALO ALO para todos os Brasileiros!!”
(Which means, I think, “Hello to all Brazilians!”)
My final gift to you, dear readers, before we part ways, for now…epic covers from EW’s amazing WD feature. And because those haters in Hollywood snubbed The Walking Deadtelevision series for the 2014 Emmy Awards, and because at barnfullawalkers we do not let such insults go unchallenged, we will award a “Deadie” at the end of each Season 5 post, for some outstanding acting feat, walker-kill, special effects, or just epic awesomeness.
Until October 12th, my WD darlings…enjoy the playlist.
Playlist:
Gang Starr, “Mass Appeal” (Dedicated to the pop culture phenom that is WD)
Fidlar, “Blackout Stout” (For the poor peeps who came expecting a true Sanctuary, and instead woke up in a dark, locked train car…)
Phantogram, “Blackout Days” (…and for the poor peeps that met their final end on Mary’s grill)
Ramones, “Blitzkrieg Bop” (For Rick Grimes and the Train Car Superstars and the other prison peeps…may the powers of Dee Dee, Johnny, Joey, and Tommy be with you all)
Beastie Boys, “Rhymin & Stealin” (Dedicated to MCA, who would have turned 50 over this past summer…B Boys forever! And, p.s., I too am most ill when I’m rhymin’ & stealin’. <3)
Welcome back, gang….It’s been a nice couple of months since we watched the Governor implode in a hero-brother-hating self-sabotage and basically fuck it all up for everybody, including himself, by making an ill-fated play for the prison.
The Walking Dead’s Season 4 mid-season finale, Too Far Gone, left everybody either dead or broken and bleeding, running for their lives in ragtag bands (or alone) as the prison is overrun with walkers… and then, after the finale, we shaken WD fans all took a well-earned break from the mayhem and went on holiday.
And it’s the day we’ve been waiting for, Feb. 9th, 2014. Tonight, my friends, WD is back with its mid-season premiere, “After,” and the blood and guts are gonna hit the proverbial fan.
After a couple of moons, many questions, predictions, and about a million social media freakouts later, the question stands: We are back, but are we ready?
I, for one, do not know… but here I am. So, armed with two Stellas for self-medication (and bravery), I rewatched Too Far Gone… and yes, it was even more brutal and heartbreaking this time around.
I did notice a couple of things in the episode that I guess I had missed before, like Rick’s getting shot in the leg…I did not remember that Rick had gotten shot in the thigh.
That is so not good, and his poor, beautiful face is looking like raw hamburger meat after the Gov beat the total crap out of him and almost strangled him to death (btw, that fight scene between Rick and the Gov is one of the burliest onscreen punchouts, ever).
Rick’s not looking too good in the previews, either, and then there’s that scene in the preview where Carl’s terrified face is above an unconscious Rick, screaming for him to “Wake up! Wake up!”
Oh, god…Rick…I cannot. I just cannot.
(Stella! At this point, I took a writing break and went to the neighborhood bodega get another twelver of Stella…I am learning that when writing, one must choose their beverages wisely and stick with the chosen kinds during the writing process. Bukowskiwould agree, I think.)
One of the main questions I wanted to get clear on while rewatching Too Far Gone was: Who ended up with whom as the surviving prison peeps scattered?
From what I saw, Glenn ended up on the bus, Maggie ended up with Sasha and Bob, Tyrese ended up chasing after Lizzy and Mika, yelling, “Hey! We go that way!”(I sense the potential for a kooky sitcom here, NewDad and the girls braving the pitfalls and funny shenanigans of zombie apocalypse and impending puberty).
Daryl and Beth ended up together, and I have this creepy feeling they are going to hook up at some point. While I do feel a little jealous and shitty about that possibly happening, I really couldn’t blame them…they are both smokin’ hot and pumped full of adrenaline. And, I suppose you gotta get it while you can in these dire times.
I don’t hate the players, people…at times, however, I do hate the game.
When I suggested the Daryl Fucks Beth Postulate to my WD buddy (by texting, God, is Daryl going to fuck Beth?), she immediately texted back, No, Daryl is not!
Hmmm….I wish I could be that confident. I do not relish the mental picture that comes up in my head when I think of Daryl and Beth getting it on… but the way I see it, while Daryl may not, Beth definitely would, and will.
I remember that long-ass hug she gave him in “30 Days Without an Accident.”That Beth is a little Lolita, and despite his best efforts, Daryl may just give in to a “what the hell” moment late one night, when all they’ve got is each other, and Beth’s looking real cute tidying up their squatter house and singing a Tom Waitssong to herself.
Whatever happens, let’s just hope that when it does happen, they don’t get walked in on by Crazy Carol. That would not go over well.
Oh, you didn’t hear? Carol’s coming back… at least, that’s what the buzz is about on social media these days.
Norman Reedus posted pictures on Instagram of MelissaMcBride getting made up backstage at the Conan show, and all the comments were about how two characters from before are returning to WD. No surprise here. I knew Carol was coming back.(Refer to the ongoing Crazy Carol Theory in previous posts)
Nobody puts Carol in the corner!
As for the second WDalum returning to the show, my work buddy Jeff and I have been predicting Morgan’s return into the forefront of the storyline for some time now…Jeff is the maverick who offered the Carl Theory in the first part of Season 4, and I respect his WDinsights (even though you still haven’t put a “Like” on my Barnfullawalkers FBpage, Jeff, you cagey bastard!). https://www.facebook.com/barnfullawalkers
Ahem…sorry…where was I?
Oh yes, anyway, at the end of Season 3, Jeff and I both agreed that we thought it was Morgan who poured gasoline on the Gov’s pit of walkers and set them on fire (thus spawning The MorganTheory.) But, of course, at the time, the Gov blamed poor Milton for torching his pit walkers.
Remember when the Gov asked Milton, “Where did you get the gasoline?” to set the fire, and Milt looked like he didn’t know what the Govwas talking about? Then, in a total dick move, the Gov killed Milt and left him to zombify, chomp Andrea, and, ostemsibly, zombify her… earning my vote for the Governoras the Worst Boyfriend Ever.
Anyway, Jeff and I have discussed The Morgan Theory at length during lulls at work… we’ve always said that he’s coming back to be a major game changer and fuck some shit up.
So, my pick for characters returning are (drumroll,please): Morgan and Crazy Carol, WD’s Homecoming King and Queen! I mean, who else is left as far as characters from before? Everyone else is all dead, right?
Three characters, however, remain a question: Tara, Lilly, and Baby Judith. Are they alive or dead, and will we see any of them again?
Baby Judith.Sigh…Man, I don’t know. Many of my friends are talking about how Baby Judith could have been scooped up and taken on the bus…yeah, yeah. I would love that, I really would.
That last shot of her, strapped into the baby carrier and being jostled by Mika and the other cute girl as they tried to carry her to the bus, is burned into my memory…I mean, she was the most beautiful baby in the world. We all love Baby Judith! Even Daryl named her Lil Asskicker.I am so pro-Baby Judith being alive, I really am.
I love Baby Judith!
But….I also know that back in Season 3, when Glenn Mazzarra was still at the WD writing helm, the other writers were pretty much wanting to kill off Baby Judith…and Glenn Mazzarra held them back…for a while.
Now, Glenn Mazzarra is out, and Scott M.Gimple’s at the helm. And, after Too Far Gone aired on AMC,Talking Dead’sChrisHardwick asked Robert Kirkman about the possibility of Baby Judith being alive still. In response to that question, Robert Kirkman got this look on his face, this scoff, like he was so sure that he was so doubtful about that one.
After the scoff, Kirkman kind of shook his head, and said, with a laugh, “There was a lot of blood in that car seat!”
That, straight from The Mouth of Kirkman, people, the creator of both The Walking Dead comic series and the television series… I would say that Kirkman pretty much has the final say on Baby Judith’s fate, or anything to do with The Walking Dead.
So, unless Kirkman is totally fucking with us and playing with our emotions (and we know how he, and Gimple, and Nicotero and the rest of the gang at WD, Inc. love to play with our emotions)…
…Baby Judith is probably not one of the returning characters…I really want to be wrong about this, people. Let’s hope I am.
I will say that with this most recent and painful viewing of Too FarGone, I did see the possibility of Judith being scooped up by someone from the prison who had been wounded and who, perhaps, bled on her while freeing her from the car seat and carrying her to safety.
I tried to see if the car seat straps were torn or gnawed away when I watched the wrenching scene of Carl and Rick’s discovery of the bloodied and empty seat. It was really hard to tell.
I am not sure what happened to Tara, or her sister Lilly, after Lilly pulled the trigger on her shitty boyfriend, the Gov. It would not be hard to imagine Lilly turning the gun on herself and pulling the trigger after she did the deed on the Gov, after losing her daughter, Meghan and everything going to shit. I guess we will see if either of the ill-fated sisters shows up in the second installment of Season 4… I liked them both, so I would hope so.
I am also not sure what happened to Michonne, if she ended up with any of the other prison peeps…my WD buddy thought she had ended up with Rick and Carl, but in that final scene, when Rick tells Carl not to look back, to just keep going, it is just them, no Michonne.
I know that Michonne can take care of herself, but she was just starting to open up to the others, and to get thrust back into that bleak solitary survival mode would just suck so bad…maybe she’ll find Tara and they will travel together and be hot asskicking girlfriends!
I can’t stop thinking about that crazy scene in the “After” preview, when Carl is luring the walkers away from the front door of the house, and down the street… I have been watching it over and over and thinking about Carl a lot.
Apparently, that scene is straight from the comic series. I think this time together, with Carl and his father, is going to be really significant in the development of their relationship, as they only have each other. And it looks in the preview that Rick is pretty messed up, and Carl has to take care of him, even screaming down at Rick in terror that Rick is slipping away… I am so freaking scared for them, for all of them, but I am especially bonded to Rick and Carl.
Ok, so this brings us to the hard hitting question that is in, I think, everyone’s hearts:How is this all going to go down? What is going to happen to our most beloved WD characters?
The long term prognosis is not good here, people. While I do not pretend to be an expert on the comic series, I do know enough to know that the end isn’t exactly chocolates and roses.
At this point in the zombie apocalypse, even if a group of people establish a foothold somewhere, set up a dwelling, and find a way to feed themselves and defend themselves to whatever degree from walkers, it seems that other surviving groups and individuals may prey upon them merely to get what they have.
Resources are dwindling, and the world is becoming more and more predatory, competitive, brutal to try to navigate and survive in.
And is it just me, or does it seem that the world of WD that Mother Nature herself is dying, or sick? In the Camp Martinez episode, the lake next to the Gov’s camp was a dead lake, and the hunting expedition in the forest only yielded a dismal haul of a couple of squirrels… Rick’s attempt to raise hogs ended in a highly lethal swine flu… it all leaves me wondering if the pestilence and decay of the walkers is infecting the world and poisoning its resources even further.
We have to steel ourselves, people. It’s balls-to-the-wall time. Some fucked-up mean characters from the comic series are coming.
Remember the radio promise of the Sanctuary? Remember how the little camp the Gov, Martinez, and Sweet Pete happened upon was ransacked, the people massacred? And we never found out who was feeding the walkers rat-snacks and creating gruesome rabbit-art with entrails…
Many questions remain to be answered.
Now, I must say the thing that I do not want to say, but we are all thinking it. I have read, and commented in, many exchanges on social media about the what if scenario: What if one (or more) of my favorite characters die?
Norman Reedus’s Instagram account is a classic example of the social media panic, as is AMC’s TheWalking Dead live chat page. People are really starting to freak the fuck out…they are posting comments like, NORMAN!! IF DARYL DIES I WILL QUIT WATCHING THE SHOW!!!!
Now, let’s all just take a deep, cleansing breath, shall we? That level of distress at the thought of losing a beloved WD character is totally understandable. I did try to post, in response, what I thought was a placating, soothing thought, something like, Daryl Dixon is a warrior and does not fear going into the void…and Norman Reedus is alive, well, and here to stay! That’s nice, right?
Trying to be reassuring, and the response I got to that was like the social media equivalent to being chased by an angry mob brandishing sticks and torches…never again!
But for all my brave words, I too am freaking about this. I called my WD buddy and asked her, point blank, “Dude, what are we going to do if Daryl dies?”
I won’t go into all the details of what happened next… let’s just say there were tears,…and more tears…and some shaky laughter, and sharing memories, thoughts, feelings…it was raw, it was real.
We needed to get it out, and we were kind of moving through it, getting a grip on it….and then, my friend spoke the unspeakable sentence.
Her voice breaking, she said, “But…I don’t know what I would do…if Rick…”
Oh, God, say no more, SAY NO MORE! Now it is time for my shouty caps and thousand exclamation points…. STELLA!!!!!
Ok, here is what I propose…we cannot control The Mind ofKirkman … The Law of Kirkmanbasically states (I think) something like: Kirkman will do as Kirman wants, and Kirkman and Co. can (and will) play with our emotions.It’s nothing personal…it’s how he do!
We have to stay strong, people. I advise that you all set up a Daryl Plan with a designated Daryl Partner.
Here is how a Daryl Plan works:
You pick a close friend and similarly obsessed WD buddy to be Daryl Partnerswith you, so if one of your very favorite characters dies in the show, you are there for one another.
In the Daryl Plan, you and your Daryl Partnerwould check in with each other…Being a Daryl Partner may entail little, supportive gestures, like sending little encouraging texts throughout the day, such as, Thinking of u! Hope your day is going well! 🙂Load on the emoticons.
Or, perhaps you can share some uplifting links to your DarylPartner’sFacebook timeline, like, Onward and Upward! (or basically anything that involves a photo of a kitten, puppy, or baby, preferably with an upended bowl of spaghetti on their heads).
As a Daryl Partner, you may need to go check on your designated buddy’s place, unannounced, especially if you cannot get a hold of him or her by phone, text, or computer after repeated attempts…
You may need to go to their front door and knock loudly, calling their name.You may need to go around their house or apartment, looking in the windows… and if you see your buddy, face down, sobbing in a pool of tears and vomit, you may need to break in through one of the windows to get to them. You may need to help lift your buddy up from their prostrate grief, gently wipe away the tears and vomit, and say something to snap them out of it, like, “You have to get it together…think of the children!”
A Daryl Plan is a serious pact, and the way I see it, key to our survival as WDO’s (Walking Dead Obsessed).
The key tenant of the Daryl Plan is: Do for your Daryl Partner as you would have your Daryl Partner do for you.
Pop-culture histrionics aside, the second installment of TheWalking Dead’sSeason 4 is sure to be a wild, fun ride, chock full of suspense, plot twists and turns like shiny, bloody innards, and super gnarly walker kills.
Nicotero will once again outdo himself, and Kirkman, Gimple, and the writing crew will be sure to infuse dark humor and moments of respite and renewal to keep us all hanging on through these dark times.
And there is sure to be amazing music, both by the inimitable Bear McCreary and an array of musical artists, as the addition of an ongoing playlist/soundtrack is one of the new offerings of Season 4. So stock up on Stellas (or whatever your beverage of choice) and strap on your strap-on’s, people.
We are in for a wild, bumpy ride.
To kick off the music, here is my humble offering…the prepost playlist for the upcoming mid-season premiere episode, “After.” Enjoy, and cheers!
Playlist:
Iron Maiden,Aces High
Soundgarden, The Day I Tried to Live
Foo Fighters, Alone + Easy Target
(Oh, and p.s., if you haven’t already done so, find my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/barnfullawalkers and show the love…will be full of fun posts, updates, media, and wacky antics!)
barnfullawalkers 