The Walking Dead: Heads Up
November 23, 2015 6:44 AM - Season 6, Episode 7 - Subscribe
Alexandria is finally able to begin pulling itself back together; peace is embraced between the two groups.
My stray observations:
- The green balloons heading up into the air at the end of the episode are probably some terrible red herring. I bet a walker (or a Wolf) attacked Enid and Glenn and in the fracas the string got cut and the balloons released.
- After watching Coral condescend to Team Edward over and over during his gun training I started to feel far less sympathy for him with regards to any harm that may come his way in the next episode.
- Can anyone explain why Glenn was so fixated on getting Enid back home? She had obviously left the walls of her own volition, so why not just let her go?
posted by komara at 6:56 AM on November 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
- The green balloons heading up into the air at the end of the episode are probably some terrible red herring. I bet a walker (or a Wolf) attacked Enid and Glenn and in the fracas the string got cut and the balloons released.
- After watching Coral condescend to Team Edward over and over during his gun training I started to feel far less sympathy for him with regards to any harm that may come his way in the next episode.
- Can anyone explain why Glenn was so fixated on getting Enid back home? She had obviously left the walls of her own volition, so why not just let her go?
posted by komara at 6:56 AM on November 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
I laughed a little that they went from green balloons to Glenn so fast. No one loves Darryl, Sasha, or Abraham.
The dumpster escape was well played and not the most ridiculous zombie survival moment we've seen. It was a little annoying that they waited a month to come back to it, but that's par for the course with the past few seasons. If they had stopped the first episode with Nicholas and Glenn falling into the mob of zombies it might have been better. Or left them stranded on the dumpster.
I really want to talk comic books with what is going to happen with the Alexandrian kid with the gun, but don't want to spoil anything. It's going to be good though.
Glad Tara gave Rick the finger. I'm not a Rick-hater but he deserved it there, and a little more.
posted by 2ht at 6:59 AM on November 23, 2015 [9 favorites]
The dumpster escape was well played and not the most ridiculous zombie survival moment we've seen. It was a little annoying that they waited a month to come back to it, but that's par for the course with the past few seasons. If they had stopped the first episode with Nicholas and Glenn falling into the mob of zombies it might have been better. Or left them stranded on the dumpster.
I really want to talk comic books with what is going to happen with the Alexandrian kid with the gun, but don't want to spoil anything. It's going to be good though.
Glad Tara gave Rick the finger. I'm not a Rick-hater but he deserved it there, and a little more.
posted by 2ht at 6:59 AM on November 23, 2015 [9 favorites]
This was probably the best episode of the season, though that's not saying much.
Did Deanna single-handedly knock the tower down? Why? I feel like I missed something there.
There's a lot of reasons I want Carl to die but that silly hat is #1. As soon as that kid pulled the gun out I said "Kill him!" at my TV.
The Glenn thing was total bullshit but whatever. I'm glad he's still around.
"No, we can't shoot guns in the center of town because it will attract the walkers so instead I'm just going to bang on the metal fence with a hammer."
posted by bondcliff at 7:17 AM on November 23, 2015 [12 favorites]
Did Deanna single-handedly knock the tower down? Why? I feel like I missed something there.
There's a lot of reasons I want Carl to die but that silly hat is #1. As soon as that kid pulled the gun out I said "Kill him!" at my TV.
The Glenn thing was total bullshit but whatever. I'm glad he's still around.
"No, we can't shoot guns in the center of town because it will attract the walkers so instead I'm just going to bang on the metal fence with a hammer."
posted by bondcliff at 7:17 AM on November 23, 2015 [12 favorites]
The steeple that fell over is the most interesting character this year.
posted by codacorolla at 7:31 AM on November 23, 2015 [20 favorites]
posted by codacorolla at 7:31 AM on November 23, 2015 [20 favorites]
I couldn't understand the steeple foreshadowing. I kept yelling at the TV to "come on! show me who's in there screwin' around already!" but no, apparently when a building deteriorates it regularly drops boards from up high on its structure or something. I dunno. I'm no engineer.
I also couldn't stand every time someone said, "If only there were a way that we could get outside and distract the walkers." I can't believe Maggie and Whatsit haven't told Rick & Co. about that already. Guess it's a moot point now, what with the outsides being insides and all.
posted by komara at 7:36 AM on November 23, 2015 [5 favorites]
I also couldn't stand every time someone said, "If only there were a way that we could get outside and distract the walkers." I can't believe Maggie and Whatsit haven't told Rick & Co. about that already. Guess it's a moot point now, what with the outsides being insides and all.
posted by komara at 7:36 AM on November 23, 2015 [5 favorites]
I have been enjoying Deanna's character (and was even sad when her husband was taken out) throughout this last season, but boy oh boy her kids are/were idiots.
posted by thefang at 7:45 AM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by thefang at 7:45 AM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
"No, we can't shoot guns in the center of town because it will attract the walkers so instead I'm just going to bang on the metal fence with a hammer."
Yessssss. This was like the main thing from the episode I knew would get ripped to shreds here today. Come ON, writers. Jesus Christ.
I was real excited thinking that kid was going to shoot Carl. There is NOTHING good about Carl.
Deanna's physical deterioration from last season is really disturbing. I hope that's just some really good makeup and hair people and not real-life illness, because it looks like she's dying.
posted by something something at 8:15 AM on November 23, 2015
Yessssss. This was like the main thing from the episode I knew would get ripped to shreds here today. Come ON, writers. Jesus Christ.
I was real excited thinking that kid was going to shoot Carl. There is NOTHING good about Carl.
Deanna's physical deterioration from last season is really disturbing. I hope that's just some really good makeup and hair people and not real-life illness, because it looks like she's dying.
posted by something something at 8:15 AM on November 23, 2015
Did Deanna single-handedly knock the tower down? Why? I feel like I missed something there.
The church building was damaged by fire and, I believe, being hit by the semi during the Wolves' attack. That, combined with the crush of walkers, caused structural failure and collapse.
And yes, how about using a nice, quiet, electric drill to secure those boards, Rick?
posted by schoolgirl report at 8:26 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
The church building was damaged by fire and, I believe, being hit by the semi during the Wolves' attack. That, combined with the crush of walkers, caused structural failure and collapse.
And yes, how about using a nice, quiet, electric drill to secure those boards, Rick?
posted by schoolgirl report at 8:26 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Urrrgh. This show is so...uneven when it comes to explaining things to the audience. We get beaten over the head with some things, while other things are explained obliquely or not at all. And there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. The steeple thing is a prime example: maybe I spaced out, but I didn't even notice any steeple until the very last scene (when it fell). (And, yeah—unless it's sabotage, it's hard to believe that it could have deteriorated to that extent without anyone noticing. And if it was sabotage, it feels arbitrary to hide that fact entirely.)
It's like they show inexplicable things happening, and then two or three episodes later they say "oh, by the way, here's the explanation for that inexplicable thing that happened a few weeks ago". And by then it's way too late. The explanation is what gives shape and sense to the story; we need it while the thing being explained is still happening, or at least still immediately relevant. If you're going to conceal things, it needs to be done tactically, for a specific storytelling purpose—and most of the time, it feels like things are just being concealed to create some cheap mystery and drama (or through simple incompetence at explaining things properly).
I've never written fanfiction, but I'm half-tempted to try rewriting this damn show. They have a classic premise, a great aesthetic and effects department, a wealth of source material to draw from, some capable actors, and a sizable budget and fan base. But so much of the storytelling is just sloppy and lazy.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 9:00 AM on November 23, 2015 [7 favorites]
It's like they show inexplicable things happening, and then two or three episodes later they say "oh, by the way, here's the explanation for that inexplicable thing that happened a few weeks ago". And by then it's way too late. The explanation is what gives shape and sense to the story; we need it while the thing being explained is still happening, or at least still immediately relevant. If you're going to conceal things, it needs to be done tactically, for a specific storytelling purpose—and most of the time, it feels like things are just being concealed to create some cheap mystery and drama (or through simple incompetence at explaining things properly).
I've never written fanfiction, but I'm half-tempted to try rewriting this damn show. They have a classic premise, a great aesthetic and effects department, a wealth of source material to draw from, some capable actors, and a sizable budget and fan base. But so much of the storytelling is just sloppy and lazy.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 9:00 AM on November 23, 2015 [7 favorites]
Also what is Pugsley-from-the-Upstairs doing, aside from nursing his grudge against the World's Most Awful Mother who will not bring him cookies? Carol would've carried the cookies upstairs. "Care" - it's right there in her name!
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:16 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:16 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was worried early in the episode when Glenn asked Enid simple direct questions about recent events. Fortunately she provided no useful information at all. They almost broke one of the show's fundamental rules there!
posted by gubo at 9:24 AM on November 23, 2015 [16 favorites]
posted by gubo at 9:24 AM on November 23, 2015 [16 favorites]
apparently when a building deteriorates it regularly drops boards from up high on its structure or something
Yeah, every time they showed the tower, I had a different thought:
1. Huh. Maybe it's just being buffeted by waves of walkers?
2. Man, they're really foreshadowing something with this tower dealy. Oh, somebody must be in there, sabotaging! Some more Wolves? The Anger-Teen? Enid?
2a. Wait a minute. Why did Mr. Architect Genius* arrange the wall to run right past a pre-existing siege tower?
3. Oh, Rick or somebody must be up there prying off boards to use for the wall-reinforcement work they're doing.
4. Oh, I guess I was right the first time?
I am able to appreciate the dramatic tension that ambiguity can introduce, but on this show it's hard to distinguish the purposely-introduced narrative ambiguity from sloppiness.
* - Also, why are the wall reinforcements on the outside? You'd put the props inside, to keep the walls from collapsing in. They need to hire a seven-year-old with an Erector set as a consultant.
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:36 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah, every time they showed the tower, I had a different thought:
1. Huh. Maybe it's just being buffeted by waves of walkers?
2. Man, they're really foreshadowing something with this tower dealy. Oh, somebody must be in there, sabotaging! Some more Wolves? The Anger-Teen? Enid?
2a. Wait a minute. Why did Mr. Architect Genius* arrange the wall to run right past a pre-existing siege tower?
3. Oh, Rick or somebody must be up there prying off boards to use for the wall-reinforcement work they're doing.
4. Oh, I guess I was right the first time?
I am able to appreciate the dramatic tension that ambiguity can introduce, but on this show it's hard to distinguish the purposely-introduced narrative ambiguity from sloppiness.
* - Also, why are the wall reinforcements on the outside? You'd put the props inside, to keep the walls from collapsing in. They need to hire a seven-year-old with an Erector set as a consultant.
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:36 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
The steeple fell the wrong way. Plot physics.
The balloons...dumb. I suppose they fell from a nearby party supplies tree. And, hey, maybe instead of just assuming they mean Glenn is alive, you get up a watchtower and look in the direction they floated in from?
The husband zombie with his eyeball stuck to the fence was being eaten last we saw him. Apparently zombies regenerate now?
Couldn't give less of a crap about the whole Glenn thing. A ratings stunt (unsuccessful), and nothing more. No point plot-wise. Everything just reset.
Both of Rick's kids are now under the sword of Damocles. Way to go, Rick and Carol. Way to go, terrible writers.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:40 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
The balloons...dumb. I suppose they fell from a nearby party supplies tree. And, hey, maybe instead of just assuming they mean Glenn is alive, you get up a watchtower and look in the direction they floated in from?
The husband zombie with his eyeball stuck to the fence was being eaten last we saw him. Apparently zombies regenerate now?
Couldn't give less of a crap about the whole Glenn thing. A ratings stunt (unsuccessful), and nothing more. No point plot-wise. Everything just reset.
Both of Rick's kids are now under the sword of Damocles. Way to go, Rick and Carol. Way to go, terrible writers.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:40 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Can someone explain why the walkers are still crowding the walls of Alexandria with no form of stimuli to keep them there, yet immediately disperse after killing dude on top of Glenn?
Or am I asking too much for this show to have a consistent set of rules for zombies (or anything, for that matter)?
posted by eyeballkid at 9:42 AM on November 23, 2015 [10 favorites]
Or am I asking too much for this show to have a consistent set of rules for zombies (or anything, for that matter)?
posted by eyeballkid at 9:42 AM on November 23, 2015 [10 favorites]
Oh, crap - is Pugsley gonna menace Judith? I mean, they bothered to show Football, I mean Judith, on screen, to make sure we all saw Carol hand her over to #WorstMom.
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:46 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:46 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
She basically told him to kill Judith.
"Killing is what keeps you from becoming a monster. Here, have a helpless baby while I attend to some totally non-urgent errands."
posted by Sys Rq at 9:51 AM on November 23, 2015 [8 favorites]
"Killing is what keeps you from becoming a monster. Here, have a helpless baby while I attend to some totally non-urgent errands."
posted by Sys Rq at 9:51 AM on November 23, 2015 [8 favorites]
Gawd, I had forgotten that. And then the look on her face; "Did I really just say that? Eh, it'll probably be fine..."
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:55 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Rat Spatula at 9:55 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Well that was some to-da-he's-not-dead-really! bullshit.
Sepinwall:
Sepinwall:
But when you put him in a circumstance where death seems all but certain [...] only to have him literally wiggle out of death under silly circumstances, and you wait a month before that dumb payoff, then you're just jerking around the audience because you can, and because you don't much care about the show's internal credibility, about whether the audience trusts you going forward, and about whether they'll believe you the next time you endanger any of the central cast.posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 10:01 AM on November 23, 2015 [5 favorites]
The balloons...dumb. I suppose they fell from a nearby party supplies tree.
I believe they were originally part of the "herd the walkers away" plan. There were different balloons marking different rally points or whatever. Mind you, I don't know that they ever explained where the balloons and helium tank came from in the first place.
why are the wall reinforcements on the outside?
Thank you, yes! This has been driving me crazy.
posted by schoolgirl report at 10:09 AM on November 23, 2015
I believe they were originally part of the "herd the walkers away" plan. There were different balloons marking different rally points or whatever. Mind you, I don't know that they ever explained where the balloons and helium tank came from in the first place.
why are the wall reinforcements on the outside?
Thank you, yes! This has been driving me crazy.
posted by schoolgirl report at 10:09 AM on November 23, 2015
I was real excited thinking that kid was going to shoot Carl.
Heheh, yes, this was probably my favorite scene in the entire episode (after those with Carol). Not ashamed to say I'm Rooting for Ron*!
The dumpster escape was well played and not the most ridiculous zombie survival moment we've seen.
The problem really isn't with the (non-)plausibility of Glenn's escape, but with how the question of his survival was teased out over several episodes. I've already seen the usage of "slid under a dumpster" as a replacement for "jumped the shark" and I'm not sure those people are wrong.
Finally, the Return of Carol. It's such a pleasure having her back because whenever she's on screen she's doing or saying something interesting (which unfortunately doesn't apply to so many of the conversations characters have in this show). Also having Carol watch you must be a terrible feeling - like having someone walk over your grave. (Don't die Morgan, please!)
I did enjoy the discussion between Morgan, Rick, Carol, and Michonne and their attempt to hash out what Morgan believes and if they can all live with that. I really hope Morgan doesn't die this season (or ever). The show really needs a charismatic character with a philosophy diametrically opposed to Rick's to stand up to him and Morgan does this very well. Tara's middle finger to Rick was desperately needed and more people should be doing this. (Also damn, multiple one-handed head shots while dangling off a wall - I want to be on Tara's side in the zombie apocalypse for sure.)
Eye zombie was amazingly gross, even if it shouldn't have existed. I'm sort of bummed that Glenn did not get a chance to head knife ZombieNicholas. Glenn needed the closure and so did I .
*although he really does look like TwilightEdward.
posted by longdaysjourney at 10:27 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Heheh, yes, this was probably my favorite scene in the entire episode (after those with Carol). Not ashamed to say I'm Rooting for Ron*!
The dumpster escape was well played and not the most ridiculous zombie survival moment we've seen.
The problem really isn't with the (non-)plausibility of Glenn's escape, but with how the question of his survival was teased out over several episodes. I've already seen the usage of "slid under a dumpster" as a replacement for "jumped the shark" and I'm not sure those people are wrong.
Finally, the Return of Carol. It's such a pleasure having her back because whenever she's on screen she's doing or saying something interesting (which unfortunately doesn't apply to so many of the conversations characters have in this show). Also having Carol watch you must be a terrible feeling - like having someone walk over your grave. (Don't die Morgan, please!)
I did enjoy the discussion between Morgan, Rick, Carol, and Michonne and their attempt to hash out what Morgan believes and if they can all live with that. I really hope Morgan doesn't die this season (or ever). The show really needs a charismatic character with a philosophy diametrically opposed to Rick's to stand up to him and Morgan does this very well. Tara's middle finger to Rick was desperately needed and more people should be doing this. (Also damn, multiple one-handed head shots while dangling off a wall - I want to be on Tara's side in the zombie apocalypse for sure.)
Eye zombie was amazingly gross, even if it shouldn't have existed. I'm sort of bummed that Glenn did not get a chance to head knife ZombieNicholas. Glenn needed the closure and so did I .
*although he really does look like TwilightEdward.
posted by longdaysjourney at 10:27 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Also, why are the wall reinforcements on the outside? You'd put the props inside, to keep the walls from collapsing in.
This is what happens when you're stuck with an architect and not a civil engineer.
posted by memento maury at 10:28 AM on November 23, 2015 [13 favorites]
This is what happens when you're stuck with an architect and not a civil engineer.
posted by memento maury at 10:28 AM on November 23, 2015 [13 favorites]
Can someone explain why the walkers are still crowding the walls of Alexandria with no form of stimuli to keep them there, yet immediately disperse after killing dude on top of Glenn?
The walkers at Alexandria do have stimuli: people on watch at the top of the fence, Rick yelling really loudly during his speech at the people in town, Rick banging away on a hammer. The people inside the town really arent doing anything that help keep quiet and make the zombies lose interest.
Also, why are the wall reinforcements on the outside?
Cardboard already answered this back on during the season 5 finale. Basically that the supports on the outside are better to prevent buckling of the supports or something.
posted by LizBoBiz at 10:36 AM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
The walkers at Alexandria do have stimuli: people on watch at the top of the fence, Rick yelling really loudly during his speech at the people in town, Rick banging away on a hammer. The people inside the town really arent doing anything that help keep quiet and make the zombies lose interest.
Also, why are the wall reinforcements on the outside?
Cardboard already answered this back on during the season 5 finale. Basically that the supports on the outside are better to prevent buckling of the supports or something.
posted by LizBoBiz at 10:36 AM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
What I don't get about Glen and the dumpster was how the dumpster was by his head when he was able to slide under it but when he and Nick fell their feet should have been closest to the dumpster. That alone has been the reason I didn't think the dumpster was going to save him but I guess I was wrong.
posted by LizBoBiz at 10:39 AM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by LizBoBiz at 10:39 AM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
My list of Please Don't Kill These People has dwindled from Glenn, Carl, Michonne and Carol to maybe just Michonne and Carol.
Couldn't care less about Judith. When we watch it we usually shout at the screen, mockingly, "Oh no not Baby Judith!" I feel bad that I'm not caring about Carl much anymore because I used to panic whenever he was in danger.
Also did the episode end really abruptly with the tower falling through the fence and then cut to black without it landing or anything? Or did our episode get cut off? Seemed really jarring.
posted by chococat at 10:46 AM on November 23, 2015
Couldn't care less about Judith. When we watch it we usually shout at the screen, mockingly, "Oh no not Baby Judith!" I feel bad that I'm not caring about Carl much anymore because I used to panic whenever he was in danger.
Also did the episode end really abruptly with the tower falling through the fence and then cut to black without it landing or anything? Or did our episode get cut off? Seemed really jarring.
posted by chococat at 10:46 AM on November 23, 2015
Feet vs. dumpster is exactly the kind of sloppiness I'm talking about. When they arrange this careful slow-mo climactic-moment set-piece involving a major character, I take my responsibility as a viewer seriously, and I pay close attention, and then none of it ends up mattering, because they just fucking move the goal posts on the next episode. Just like the shit with Rick getting swarmed in the RV... "Oooh, his hand is pretty messed up... oh, shit, Wolves! ooh, he's surrounded by zombies..." and then the answer is just "Oh that? Yeah, he escaped."
posted by Rat Spatula at 10:54 AM on November 23, 2015 [18 favorites]
posted by Rat Spatula at 10:54 AM on November 23, 2015 [18 favorites]
ooh, he's surrounded by zombies..." and then the answer is just "Oh that? Yeah, he escaped.
That's just it. It's fine that Rick managed to escape that situation. It's not okay that they set it up as a high-tension cliffhanger...and then utterly failed to pay it off.
If they're gonna set it up that way, then there needs to be a brief scene in the next episode showing how Rick escaped. (Even if it's just "he wrestled with the leading edge of the horde and managed to fight his way loose"—it doesn't have to be complicated; it just has to be there, to provide continuity and closure.) If they're not gonna do that, they should just skip the cliffhanger entirely—instead of ending the episode with tense music and a dramatic shot of the horde descending on the RV, they should have shown Rick getting out just in the nick of time, and sprinting for his life ten yards ahead of the horde. That's all they needed to do. Then it would've been no problem when the next episode was all like "oh hey here's Rick just hanging out, no big deal".
This is the mismatchiness that I'm talking about. Plot threads don't connect the way they should—they're just left dangling limply at the ends. It happens on the micro-scale, too, like Rick's hand injury in the same episode—they called attention to it at least twice, and then it never came up again.
Also did the episode end really abruptly with the tower falling through the fence and then cut to black without it landing or anything? Or did our episode get cut off?
It ended abruptly for me as well. (I paid for a season pass on Google Play, but it takes forever for new episodes to become available, so I download the episodes via BitTorrent. I thought I just got a slightly mangled file, but it sounds like maybe the actual show was just like that. It definitely felt more like a glitch than a deliberate edit.)
Blurrgh. I wouldn't say I'm hate-watching the show at this point, but I am starting to get fed up with the writing. The mid-season finale had better be strong.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 11:22 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
That's just it. It's fine that Rick managed to escape that situation. It's not okay that they set it up as a high-tension cliffhanger...and then utterly failed to pay it off.
If they're gonna set it up that way, then there needs to be a brief scene in the next episode showing how Rick escaped. (Even if it's just "he wrestled with the leading edge of the horde and managed to fight his way loose"—it doesn't have to be complicated; it just has to be there, to provide continuity and closure.) If they're not gonna do that, they should just skip the cliffhanger entirely—instead of ending the episode with tense music and a dramatic shot of the horde descending on the RV, they should have shown Rick getting out just in the nick of time, and sprinting for his life ten yards ahead of the horde. That's all they needed to do. Then it would've been no problem when the next episode was all like "oh hey here's Rick just hanging out, no big deal".
This is the mismatchiness that I'm talking about. Plot threads don't connect the way they should—they're just left dangling limply at the ends. It happens on the micro-scale, too, like Rick's hand injury in the same episode—they called attention to it at least twice, and then it never came up again.
Also did the episode end really abruptly with the tower falling through the fence and then cut to black without it landing or anything? Or did our episode get cut off?
It ended abruptly for me as well. (I paid for a season pass on Google Play, but it takes forever for new episodes to become available, so I download the episodes via BitTorrent. I thought I just got a slightly mangled file, but it sounds like maybe the actual show was just like that. It definitely felt more like a glitch than a deliberate edit.)
Blurrgh. I wouldn't say I'm hate-watching the show at this point, but I am starting to get fed up with the writing. The mid-season finale had better be strong.
posted by escape from the potato planet at 11:22 AM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Glad to see everyone is still enjoying the show!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:51 AM on November 23, 2015 [21 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:51 AM on November 23, 2015 [21 favorites]
The writing has been mostly terrible since Season One, but then the comic is mostly terrible too. That's not why I watch.
posted by entropicamericana at 11:56 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 11:56 AM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
That's some quality mansplainig to Maggie there Rick! Can see where Carl gets it from, insufferable little dick...
I liked Enid's "I don't know you" line to abductor!Glen. Who was also doing some delicious telling Enid shit she already knows. I was shocked to see how close "the bend" was to the house, or was that some other shield? Big smile on my face the whole way through the piñata!Spencer bit and sad he made it, but joyfully the scene gave us the first words exchanged between women 35 minutes into a forty minute show.
posted by Iteki at 12:16 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
I liked Enid's "I don't know you" line to abductor!Glen. Who was also doing some delicious telling Enid shit she already knows. I was shocked to see how close "the bend" was to the house, or was that some other shield? Big smile on my face the whole way through the piñata!Spencer bit and sad he made it, but joyfully the scene gave us the first words exchanged between women 35 minutes into a forty minute show.
posted by Iteki at 12:16 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Glad to see everyone is still enjoying the show!
I knew you couldn't REALLY quit.
posted by Rat Spatula at 12:30 PM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
I knew you couldn't REALLY quit.
posted by Rat Spatula at 12:30 PM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
"Killing is what keeps you from becoming a monster. Here, have a helpless baby while I attend to some totally non-urgent errands."
Can we all agree that, as awesome as Carol is in many, many ways, her track record regarding childcare has been (to put it generously) not great?
Tara is the best. Just the best. Her presence is always the best indicator that a scene might not be relentlessly bleak, and we need more smart, capable characters who are willing to tell Rick where he can shove his raging self-importance (the strawman dummies who usually have problems with him aren't nearly sufficient).
posted by Parasite Unseen at 1:59 PM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
Can we all agree that, as awesome as Carol is in many, many ways, her track record regarding childcare has been (to put it generously) not great?
Tara is the best. Just the best. Her presence is always the best indicator that a scene might not be relentlessly bleak, and we need more smart, capable characters who are willing to tell Rick where he can shove his raging self-importance (the strawman dummies who usually have problems with him aren't nearly sufficient).
posted by Parasite Unseen at 1:59 PM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
Y'all, if I'm right the midseason finale is going to make at least 3 of you cackle with black-hearted glee. But I'm not here to spoil, even with speculation, so here are my actual thoughts on the ep:
- Agreed that Glenn is being all weird/Rick-like/rapey in a way towards Enid, but I think part of that's down to dehydration and learning he may become a parent soon.
- Judith either needs to die soon or they should just start switching out obviously different babies for each ep; get paid, ageless Judith baby actresses! I'd love to actually see different genders/ethnicities/an adult bearded man play Judith at this point. It'd be very absurdist and a nod to how completely unrealistic the show is, even in sheltered Alexandria.
- Yes of course the tower fell, and I attribute it 100% to Father Gabriel taping a church flyer to it. Even the touch of Gabriel's hand is a curse! MOO HA HA, DOOMED!
- I'm on team Carol + Enid. Enid needs to signal Carol somehow during the zombie melee at Alexandria and the two of them can scoot off to Paradise Island with Michonne. (Kind of amazing that the most competent survivors, murderers of bad guys and general supply scavengers are all women, yeah? Suck on that, patriarchy!)
- Columbine Ron didn't grab enough bullets for the herd, but he hasn't had much shooting practice yet. Here's hoping he makes at least a couple of head shots next episode.
- Whoulda thunk it: Bruce was right (and Spencer was also kind-of right)! Anyone who stole extra food from the pantry and hoarded it/bottled water is going to be much safer holed up in his/her house as the Herd wanders through Alexandria
Holy crap, can't believe I called Enid rescuing Glenn. I was barely half-right, mind you, but it's still something (and not comic canon, either).
I hope we next see Eugene completely covered in walker guts and surrounded by felled corpses, because that machete needs a workout. His cowardice needs to GTFO already.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 2:13 PM on November 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
- Agreed that Glenn is being all weird/Rick-like/rapey in a way towards Enid, but I think part of that's down to dehydration and learning he may become a parent soon.
- Judith either needs to die soon or they should just start switching out obviously different babies for each ep; get paid, ageless Judith baby actresses! I'd love to actually see different genders/ethnicities/an adult bearded man play Judith at this point. It'd be very absurdist and a nod to how completely unrealistic the show is, even in sheltered Alexandria.
- Yes of course the tower fell, and I attribute it 100% to Father Gabriel taping a church flyer to it. Even the touch of Gabriel's hand is a curse! MOO HA HA, DOOMED!
- I'm on team Carol + Enid. Enid needs to signal Carol somehow during the zombie melee at Alexandria and the two of them can scoot off to Paradise Island with Michonne. (Kind of amazing that the most competent survivors, murderers of bad guys and general supply scavengers are all women, yeah? Suck on that, patriarchy!)
- Columbine Ron didn't grab enough bullets for the herd, but he hasn't had much shooting practice yet. Here's hoping he makes at least a couple of head shots next episode.
- Whoulda thunk it: Bruce was right (and Spencer was also kind-of right)! Anyone who stole extra food from the pantry and hoarded it/bottled water is going to be much safer holed up in his/her house as the Herd wanders through Alexandria
Holy crap, can't believe I called Enid rescuing Glenn. I was barely half-right, mind you, but it's still something (and not comic canon, either).
I hope we next see Eugene completely covered in walker guts and surrounded by felled corpses, because that machete needs a workout. His cowardice needs to GTFO already.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 2:13 PM on November 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
A couple years back, Joaquin Phoenix decided he would perform some sort of art/prank by pretending to quit acting and become a rapper. I guess the idea was to see how the public would react to watching a very famous and talented person lose his mind, and then see how the public would react to the reveal that he was faking all along. The problem? No one bought it. No one. Everyone thought he was faking going crazy and becoming a rapper. So now Joaquin was stuck. As he had already shot a lot of footage for the documentary he wanted to make, he finished off what he was doing. He made the documentary and released it. No one cared. Joaquin Phoenix took a gamble and lost.
On The Walking Dead, they tried to make it look like Glenn had died. They wanted the audience to think he had died, and then shock the audience with the reveal that Glenn was alive. The problem? No one thought Glenn was dead. There could be no big reveal, because no one thought he was dead. It was apparent the day after the episode where Glenn fell that no one thought he was dead. At that point, the producers should have said something like, "We are not going to tell you what happened to Glenn, but it is worth noting that he was still alive when that episode ended." Or something like that. But instead, the producers stuck to the script and tried to be coy about what was going on with Glenn. It made them look foolish.
It put them right into the same situation that Joaquin Phoenix found himself in a few years earlier. They had tried to fool the public, and they failed. At least Joaquin Phoenix was able to turn right around and make The Master. What are the producers of The Walking Dead going to do? I don't quite think they have the zombie-equivalent of The Master up their sleeve to make us forget everything.
posted by flarbuse at 2:47 PM on November 23, 2015 [7 favorites]
On The Walking Dead, they tried to make it look like Glenn had died. They wanted the audience to think he had died, and then shock the audience with the reveal that Glenn was alive. The problem? No one thought Glenn was dead. There could be no big reveal, because no one thought he was dead. It was apparent the day after the episode where Glenn fell that no one thought he was dead. At that point, the producers should have said something like, "We are not going to tell you what happened to Glenn, but it is worth noting that he was still alive when that episode ended." Or something like that. But instead, the producers stuck to the script and tried to be coy about what was going on with Glenn. It made them look foolish.
It put them right into the same situation that Joaquin Phoenix found himself in a few years earlier. They had tried to fool the public, and they failed. At least Joaquin Phoenix was able to turn right around and make The Master. What are the producers of The Walking Dead going to do? I don't quite think they have the zombie-equivalent of The Master up their sleeve to make us forget everything.
posted by flarbuse at 2:47 PM on November 23, 2015 [7 favorites]
- Yes of course the tower fell, and I attribute it 100% to Father Gabriel taping a church flyer to it. Even the touch of Gabriel's hand is a curse! MOO HA HA, DOOMED!
Heh, I love that, except I think he was taping flyers to the gazebo within Alexandria, not the tower outside it. The prayer circle was going to be by the solar panels, so I gather there isn't a church inside the walls. It was kind of a neat moment with Michonne chiding Rick for ripping down the flyers--a little later, Michonne looks at Deanna's plan for new Alexandria, which prominently features a church.
Walker David, ugh. It really, really bothered me when Michonne et al. left him to be eaten alive, and it bothered me again to see him as a walker with his eyeball welded to the fence. I can't relate to what seems to be their cavalier attitude about turning. I wouldn't want my loved ones to turn and I wouldn't want them to let me.
posted by mama casserole at 2:47 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Heh, I love that, except I think he was taping flyers to the gazebo within Alexandria, not the tower outside it. The prayer circle was going to be by the solar panels, so I gather there isn't a church inside the walls. It was kind of a neat moment with Michonne chiding Rick for ripping down the flyers--a little later, Michonne looks at Deanna's plan for new Alexandria, which prominently features a church.
Walker David, ugh. It really, really bothered me when Michonne et al. left him to be eaten alive, and it bothered me again to see him as a walker with his eyeball welded to the fence. I can't relate to what seems to be their cavalier attitude about turning. I wouldn't want my loved ones to turn and I wouldn't want them to let me.
posted by mama casserole at 2:47 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
I knew you couldn't REALLY quit.
Right? I don't watch it, but still skim reviews to get the general gist. It's amazing how often the review are like "well, this stupid thing happened and this other stupid thing, but CAROL (or Daryl or some other favorite).
Its a weird addiction.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:05 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
Right? I don't watch it, but still skim reviews to get the general gist. It's amazing how often the review are like "well, this stupid thing happened and this other stupid thing, but CAROL (or Daryl or some other favorite).
Its a weird addiction.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 3:05 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
I like Tovah Feldshuh a lot, I think she's one of the better actors, and I think they've even done some good stuff with her character.
(The next part will be a complaint.)
Her Big Plan is just eye-rollingly silly, and it reduces the show and her character every time she's depicted with that backwards-S crayon drawing. CORN BARLEY CHURCH givemeaBREAK. It is not unreasonable for the character of Deanna to be Planning Big Plans, but it is maddening for her to be doing that work at a fifth-grade level.
posted by Rat Spatula at 3:06 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
(The next part will be a complaint.)
Her Big Plan is just eye-rollingly silly, and it reduces the show and her character every time she's depicted with that backwards-S crayon drawing. CORN BARLEY CHURCH givemeaBREAK. It is not unreasonable for the character of Deanna to be Planning Big Plans, but it is maddening for her to be doing that work at a fifth-grade level.
posted by Rat Spatula at 3:06 PM on November 23, 2015 [2 favorites]
It was kind of a neat moment with Michonne chiding Rick for ripping down the flyers
Argh sorry it was Carl, not Michonne.
posted by mama casserole at 3:12 PM on November 23, 2015
Argh sorry it was Carl, not Michonne.
posted by mama casserole at 3:12 PM on November 23, 2015
Walker David, ugh. It really, really bothered me when Michonne et al. left him to be eaten alive, and it bothered me again to see him as a walker with his eyeball welded to the fence. I can't relate to what seems to be their cavalier attitude about turning. I wouldn't want my loved ones to turn and I wouldn't want them to let me.
It's actually one of the reasons I like Enid. I feel like headknifing walkers when you can do so without unnecessary risk should be a thing that people should be doing, not only because you're marginally increasing the safety of your environment, but because you are performing one final service for the dead and giving them rest. Yes, you didn't know them (hopefully), but walkers used to be just like you. I'd want someone to make sure the end was really the end for me and not leave me in some deathless hell.
posted by longdaysjourney at 3:33 PM on November 23, 2015 [7 favorites]
It's actually one of the reasons I like Enid. I feel like headknifing walkers when you can do so without unnecessary risk should be a thing that people should be doing, not only because you're marginally increasing the safety of your environment, but because you are performing one final service for the dead and giving them rest. Yes, you didn't know them (hopefully), but walkers used to be just like you. I'd want someone to make sure the end was really the end for me and not leave me in some deathless hell.
posted by longdaysjourney at 3:33 PM on November 23, 2015 [7 favorites]
Hurray for Glenn! I knew he wasn't dead. Now I just need Game of Thrones to deliver with something similar (not likely). While I was watching the episode, I saw some one Facebook had posted "Glenn is dead! Season ruined" or something like that, and I thought that he was going to die in the last few minutes of the episode. However I guess that person was several episodes behind. What a chump.
I mostly liked this episode. Now for random thoughts:
-I'm surprised that Tara has survived this long, for some reason I thought she would be killed off shortly before being introduced to the show.
-I've never seen a wooden tower slowly collapse, so I don't know whether boards fall off one by one prior to it actually falling over.
-Pretty sure killing is not what keeps you from becoming a monster, Carol. In the book On Killing by LTC Dave Grossman, he theorizes that killing is actually what produces the most psychiatric casualties in war. Perhaps Carol meant that killing is what keeps you alive and thus keeps you from becoming a literal monster of the undead variety.
-Despite foreshadowing by people who have read the comics, I'd be surprised if they actually kill of Corl and his hair. Maybe the writers will surprise me.
posted by A Bad Catholic at 3:49 PM on November 23, 2015
I mostly liked this episode. Now for random thoughts:
-I'm surprised that Tara has survived this long, for some reason I thought she would be killed off shortly before being introduced to the show.
-I've never seen a wooden tower slowly collapse, so I don't know whether boards fall off one by one prior to it actually falling over.
-Pretty sure killing is not what keeps you from becoming a monster, Carol. In the book On Killing by LTC Dave Grossman, he theorizes that killing is actually what produces the most psychiatric casualties in war. Perhaps Carol meant that killing is what keeps you alive and thus keeps you from becoming a literal monster of the undead variety.
-Despite foreshadowing by people who have read the comics, I'd be surprised if they actually kill of Corl and his hair. Maybe the writers will surprise me.
posted by A Bad Catholic at 3:49 PM on November 23, 2015
Rick: "We need to get outside to distract the horde, lead them away. Wish there was a tunnel or something."
Deanna: "Check out my cool draw-ring."
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:51 PM on November 23, 2015 [11 favorites]
Deanna: "Check out my cool draw-ring."
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:51 PM on November 23, 2015 [11 favorites]
Just want to say I've never seen a dumpster that an adult human could crawl under.
Still, decent episode. I feel like the show's on autopilot, no need to think to hard, just let it drift pleasantly. Might hit the side of a mountain at some point, but all good things must end.
posted by skewed at 6:31 PM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
Still, decent episode. I feel like the show's on autopilot, no need to think to hard, just let it drift pleasantly. Might hit the side of a mountain at some point, but all good things must end.
posted by skewed at 6:31 PM on November 23, 2015 [1 favorite]
but because you are performing one final service for the dead and giving them rest.
That's actually a thing they make a specific point of on that other zombie show over on Syfy. They call it "giving mercy."
posted by Pryde at 6:35 PM on November 23, 2015 [6 favorites]
That's actually a thing they make a specific point of on that other zombie show over on Syfy. They call it "giving mercy."
posted by Pryde at 6:35 PM on November 23, 2015 [6 favorites]
Tara giving Rick the finger was so gratifying. Almost want to see a whole episode where Rick wanders around barking orders at everyone, they all flip him the bird and ignore him, and he eventually gives up and babysits Judith for a change.
posted by p3t3 at 6:58 PM on November 23, 2015 [14 favorites]
posted by p3t3 at 6:58 PM on November 23, 2015 [14 favorites]
This is what I wrote a few episodes back:
I'm calling it now: Glenn will survive as a disembodied, wisecracking head that Maggie carries around everywhere.
When I saw that this episode's title was "Heads up" I was excited that I was right!
Shucks.
posted by mmoncur at 6:59 PM on November 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
I'm calling it now: Glenn will survive as a disembodied, wisecracking head that Maggie carries around everywhere.
When I saw that this episode's title was "Heads up" I was excited that I was right!
Shucks.
posted by mmoncur at 6:59 PM on November 23, 2015 [4 favorites]
Oh C'mon!
Glen under the dumpster and Enid showing up and being weird.
posted by porpoise at 8:23 PM on November 23, 2015
Glen under the dumpster and Enid showing up and being weird.
posted by porpoise at 8:23 PM on November 23, 2015
Glenn's complete unwillingness to put up with any of Enid's stupid brooding angsty emo bullshit for even one second, even when she had a gun on him, was a perfect example of why I need Glenn to be on this show forever.
posted by mstokes650 at 8:36 PM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by mstokes650 at 8:36 PM on November 23, 2015 [3 favorites]
So, yeah, I'm going to say something nice about Rick: that is, while his decisions are frequently terrible, his other leadership skills are not. Time and again, I've seen him solicit opinions from the group, really listen to them, and then amend his own thinking accordingly (yes, okay, not all the time on that last one). The finger from Tara was great, but it was also nice that his reaction later was to find her and apologize to her. She was right, he was wrong, and he admitted it.
posted by Mogur at 5:31 AM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Mogur at 5:31 AM on November 24, 2015 [4 favorites]
I was disappointed that the "special message" from Steven Yuen during Into the Badlands was not a balloon bouquet.
posted by larrybob at 1:40 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by larrybob at 1:40 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
The Glenn thing was total bullshit but whatever. I'm glad he's still around.
Totally agree. I liked the concept of Glenn's escape under the dumpster. If they had just shown Glenn and dude just fall off the dumpster at the end of episode instead of that lame red herring it would've been easier to digest.
Other thought: insects don't exist in TWD's universe, right? Somebody's covered this, I'm sure. I suspect this stale season just has me looking for more reasons to stop watching...
posted by alrightokay at 4:06 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Totally agree. I liked the concept of Glenn's escape under the dumpster. If they had just shown Glenn and dude just fall off the dumpster at the end of episode instead of that lame red herring it would've been easier to digest.
Other thought: insects don't exist in TWD's universe, right? Somebody's covered this, I'm sure. I suspect this stale season just has me looking for more reasons to stop watching...
posted by alrightokay at 4:06 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah, the only reasonable explanation is that, as with Twinkies, the flesh of the undead is unappealing to the vermin that cause decay. (But then zombie mouths would be as clean as a dog's, right?)
Hey, it's almost like the writers aren't thinking things through.
posted by Rat Spatula at 4:31 PM on November 24, 2015
Hey, it's almost like the writers aren't thinking things through.
posted by Rat Spatula at 4:31 PM on November 24, 2015
So, who the hell said "Help!" on Darryl's walkie-talkie in the last episode? Could it have been Glenn, but after what we saw in this ep?
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:21 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Saxon Kane at 6:21 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
Mr. Squirrel and I had a big discussion the other night over whether Carol should or shouldn't be a hero. The fierce awesomeness of Melissa McBride's acting aside, I have really mixed feelings about the character. Part of me is totally #teamcarol, with her badass take-charge righteousness, but part of me is terrified of her, and not in a good way. She seems to have lost all sense of humanity; no one warrants her empathy anymore, except maybe Baby Football. It's like her heart has shriveled into this little black walnut, and all she does is killkillkill, and for her the world is a place where there's no hope for anything ever. It seems very two-dimensional to me, and I miss the nuance of that character. That said, to see a beloved character devolve into what really could be called a wolf in its near-feral state, is a fascinating arc. CONFLICTED.
posted by flyingsquirrel at 7:05 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by flyingsquirrel at 7:05 PM on November 24, 2015 [1 favorite]
So, who the hell said "Help!" on Darryl's walkie-talkie in the last episode? Could it have been Glenn, but after what we saw in this ep?
Huh. That's a good question. I thought it sounded like Glenn, but if he had a walkie-talkie on him, wouldn't he have used it by now to let everyone know he was okay?
So...maybe someone in Alexandria after all the walkers break in? No idea, really.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:29 AM on November 25, 2015
Huh. That's a good question. I thought it sounded like Glenn, but if he had a walkie-talkie on him, wouldn't he have used it by now to let everyone know he was okay?
So...maybe someone in Alexandria after all the walkers break in? No idea, really.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:29 AM on November 25, 2015
My initial thought with the walkie-talkie was Glen because at that time everything was fine back in Alexandria. Since then we have seen the steeple fall and can guess that it will break the fence and walkers will get through, which means it really could be Rick asking for help.
posted by LizBoBiz at 8:33 AM on November 25, 2015
posted by LizBoBiz at 8:33 AM on November 25, 2015
I listened to that walkie call like 10 times in a row and I'm convinced that it's Eugene.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:05 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:05 PM on November 25, 2015 [3 favorites]
My first thought was that it was Rick from the RV, to explain how he escaped from being surrounded. But not that either, he just walked/ran out, I guess.
posted by tracicle at 11:23 PM on November 25, 2015
posted by tracicle at 11:23 PM on November 25, 2015
I think everything's all caught up now, timeline-wise, right? So the end of Daryl's episode lines up with the end of this one?
If so, it's fair to assume it's someone in Alexandria just after the tower collapses. Eugene would make perfect sense.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:56 AM on November 26, 2015
If so, it's fair to assume it's someone in Alexandria just after the tower collapses. Eugene would make perfect sense.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:56 AM on November 26, 2015
Just catching up on the last couple of episodes now.
Unicorn on the cob: I hope we next see Eugene completely covered in walker guts and surrounded by felled corpses, because that machete needs a workout. His cowardice needs to GTFO already.
It will be the climax of the bildungsroman that has traced his transformation from meek hair farmer to ruthless harvester of souls.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:34 AM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
Unicorn on the cob: I hope we next see Eugene completely covered in walker guts and surrounded by felled corpses, because that machete needs a workout. His cowardice needs to GTFO already.
It will be the climax of the bildungsroman that has traced his transformation from meek hair farmer to ruthless harvester of souls.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:34 AM on December 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
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Recaps
FoxSisters
posted by komara at 6:49 AM on November 23, 2015 [8 favorites]