The Walking Dead: The Next World

February 21, 2016 10:29 PM - Season 6, Episode 10

During a supply run, Rick and Daryl cross paths with a new survivor that reveals a whole new world outside of Alexandria. Meanwhile, Carl recovers from his injury, as Spencer finds closure.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (89 comments total)

Richonne!
posted by The Gooch at 11:03 PM on February 21, 2016 [6 favorites]

Rick: Let's leave our perfectly good car here and take this truck we just found. And instead of rushing home with this full truck of supplies let's take an alternate route back.
Daryl: Why not take both cars? We don't know if this truck will break down in twenty miles and strand us out here. And why would we take an alternate route home? This truck is fucking loaded. Why wouldn't we travel back along a route we know is relatively safe back to Alexandria?
Rick: Because we can't get stranded if we have two cars when that Jesus dude on our alternate return route steals the truck keys and makes off with our stuff.
Daryl: But that....
Rick: I know. It makes no sense, but it's in the script. So we'll just do it that way.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:08 PM on February 21, 2016 [30 favorites]

JUST DRIVE STRAIGHT HOME YOU STUPID FUCKING ASSHOLES GOD DAMMIT
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:09 AM on February 22, 2016 [14 favorites]

This was just wall-to-wall Bad Decision Bear stuff. I'm not even going to go into the whole Truck Incident. Or the Other Truck Incident. Nor the Third Truck Incident. BUT HOLY SHIT RICK WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST GET OUT OF THE TRUCK AND PUNCH THE DUDE INSTEAD OF DRIVING ALL OVER THE FARM. ALL OVER THE FARM, RICK. THE FARM. YOU DROVE ALL OVER IT INSTEAD OF JUST GETTING OUT AND PUNCHING JESUS.

JUST.

PUNCH.

JESUS.

I mean, fuck, you made Morgan look like a paragon of decisive action. And then the little exchange at the end: "We gon' do it all again tuhmorra?" "Ayup." PLEASE GOD NO.

Then there's whatever the fuck One-Eyed Coral was doing. Just escaped the single largest mob in the show's history? Just lost an eye to Psycho Porch Monkey Jr? COOL LETS READ COMICS IN THE FOREST AMIRITE? DERR LETS LEAD ZOMBIE DEANNA TO THE LOVING ARMS OF HER FAAAAAAMBLY.

I don't even know what point the writers are trying to make any more.

Nice one for the Richonne shippers, though.
posted by prismatic7 at 3:08 AM on February 22, 2016 [11 favorites]

RICK YOU ARE TOO STUPID TO LIVE.

ALSO, JUST SHOOT JESUS. IF HE'S REALLY JESUS I'M SURE HE'LL BE OK. IF NOT, ONE LESS ASSHOLE.

I'm sorry for the yelling, guys, but that was seriously like the most concentrated hour of stupidity the show has seen, and that is saying A LOT.
posted by TwoStride at 5:15 AM on February 22, 2016 [10 favorites]

Well cashman called it! And I know there was alot of pushback in last week's thread but with Rick seeming to have become sane, they were actually a pretty cute couple.

Also, yes, so many WTF THAT IS A TERRIBLE DECISION in this episode.
posted by LizBoBiz at 5:28 AM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

I'm really not feeling magical-teleporting-Jesus.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 5:37 AM on February 22, 2016

Pepsico gets the Hamfisted Product Placement of the Week Award with the Orange Crush subplot, beating out perpetual contender Chrysler and their mint-condition sedans of the apocalypse.
posted by cardboard at 6:19 AM on February 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

There was definitely an elixir of concentrated dumb that Daryl and Rick were taking swigs from. I did like Jesus though. But dude, it's like summer in VA, and you're running around with a cap on, fully clothed, and what looked like a full length leather coat. And a beard! I'd hate to see what you wear in the winter. I did thoroughly enjoy watching Rick catch a beatdown for underestimating Jesus' ability to defend himself. That's what you get. Daryl and Rick just wander around like they own everything, no sense of being quiet or having a 'run' mindset like Glenn's where you get in and out. I thought them tracking the truck was ludicrous. I mean what else do you have to do these days, sure, but I don't think those two could run fast enough to get anywhere notable if the truck had driven for more than a minute. But it did set up Jesus on the roof, so I guess I'm not too mad. I like him, he's annoying as shit. It was fun to root for him when he shot the walker about to caress Daryl, but then still laugh when Daryl punched him with the "that's my gun" line. Good stuff. The setups were kind of silly, but some of the lines and action were fun to watch.
posted by cashman at 6:21 AM on February 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

you're running around with a cap on, fully clothed, and what looked like a full length leather coat.

That's actually not a terrible idea in the world they're in though, right? Having as much skin protected as possible saves you from grazing scratches and bites that could turn deadly if you're caught unawares and can't make it to medical treatment in time.

But, yeah, insanely, impossibly stupid decisions from nearly every character given screen time.
posted by codacorolla at 6:29 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I kept waiting for the Benny Hill theme during the farm scene. Good Lord.
posted by gatorae at 6:30 AM on February 22, 2016 [10 favorites]

here you go, gatorae.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 7:03 AM on February 22, 2016 [15 favorites]

i spent the entire time shouting KILL JESUS KILL HIM SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE so it is a good thing i'm moving soon because my neighbors are prolly a little nervous
posted by poffin boffin at 7:14 AM on February 22, 2016 [9 favorites]

Thank you, Unicorn on the cob -- that was wonderful. Maybe TWD should go in that direction next season -- turn the zombie-apocalypse into a dramedy, using stuff like that.
posted by davidmsc at 7:23 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

i spent the entire time shouting KILL JESUS KILL HIM SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE so it is a good thing i'm moving soon because my neighbors are prolly a little nervous

I know! I yelled something like, "that jesus fucking took Judith!" Fortunately our neighbors can't hear us. But really. I think the guy kidnapped Judith and now he's going to negotiate some kind of deal with Rick. I have so much anxiety about Judith! I hope this isn't true, but the Jesus guy obviously did something while Rick was sleeping, and with the shot of Judith in her crib and the "follow the north star home" thing, I think she's in trouble.

Really glad to hear others say they should have driven the truck straight back or taken both the car and the truck. That was hunky dunky crazy.
posted by areaperson at 7:26 AM on February 22, 2016

areaperson: Fortunately our neighbors can't hear us.

Unfortunately (but hilariously) -- that is not always the case.
posted by davidmsc at 7:29 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

My dislike for Richonne* wars with my fondness for the relationship between Michonne and Coral. I'm quite frankly amazed that the writers decided to give Spencer some depth, given their prior refusal to let him be anything other than the Totally Incompetent Son of a Politician. Hopefully they'll extend this treatment to the other Alexandrians.

Also, no Carol. ;__; (Am I obsessed, yeah, maybe a little, but damn it, I just want to see some competency once in a while. Would Carol have lost the truck? I don't fucking think so.)

This is about where I stopped reading in the comics. I don't know why I thought Jesus was pronounced Hay-sus but I did.


*Rick is such an idiot, I just don't think Michonne could tolerate living with him if she didn't have to worry about zombies. Also she deserves much (much) better.
posted by longdaysjourney at 7:32 AM on February 22, 2016 [7 favorites]

Really glad to hear others say they should have driven the truck straight back or taken both the car and the truck.

GOD THAT WAS SO STUPID AND SO FUCKING CONTRIVED it made me so wildly mad. One of them drives the car and the other drives the truck! come the fuck on!
posted by poffin boffin at 8:08 AM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

Is there at least a Coral GIF for me to look at, so the episode's not a total loss?
posted by Rat Spatula at 8:19 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I found it hilarious that Jesus was dressed like a stereotypical "cowboy" bandit and then he did some banditing.
posted by juiceCake at 8:21 AM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Psycho Porch Monkey Jr

Two things:

1) The nickname from Talking Dead was "Porch Dick"
2) The slightly similar phrase that you used instead has some very unfortunate implications

Anyway. Richonne. Sigh. I'm just glad the show made a point of Rick trying to be less of an imperious dick before they had this happen. So, I'm not as annoyed as I could have been.

My dislike for Richonne* wars with my fondness for the relationship between Michonne and Coral.

Agreed. I think it'd be nice for this show to not just keep recapitulating nuclear family ideas in a post-apocalyptic society where they no longer make sense. And I guess that Alexandria's whole thing is that it reminds people of the World Before, but still.

Prior to this, everybody shared responsibility for Judith. Now she's just going to be Rick & Michonne's baby, which is way less interesting than when she was everybody's baby and represented their shared hope for the future of humanity. Now she's just Rick's & Michonne's hope for white picket fences and PTA meetings and shit. Also, where we had a cool mentor/mentee relationship between Michonne and Carl, now it's a mom/stepson thing.

Basically, they took several of the more interesting relationships on the show, which were interesting precisely because they didn't fit traditional molds, and just arbitrarily hammered them into familiar shapes. It's a small consolation indeed to know that the season finale will probably blow everything up again.

When does season 3 of Z Nation start?

Also, are we allowed to talk about the "sneak peek" footage from Talking Dead?
posted by tobascodagama at 10:25 AM on February 22, 2016 [5 favorites]

I'm quite frankly amazed that the writers decided to give Spencer some depth, given their prior refusal to let him be anything other than the Totally Incompetent Son of a Politician. Hopefully they'll extend this treatment to the other Alexandrians.

Doesn't this just mean that he's next on the chopping block for the 'cheap side character kill to drum up emotional resonance'?
posted by codacorolla at 10:37 AM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

Also, are we allowed to talk about the "sneak peek" footage from Talking Dead?

Not from what I remember.
posted by cashman at 12:10 PM on February 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

i don't care if they kill off a dozen people next week as long as michonne stays alive
posted by poffin boffin at 12:10 PM on February 22, 2016 [5 favorites]

Ok. I was gonna make a prediction based on that scene we saw, but I'll just hold my tongue until next week.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:11 PM on February 22, 2016

predictions:

- weird obvious foreshadowing
- someone Makes An Uncharacteristically Stupid Decision
- manufactured danger that the protagonist could have easily avoided!
- dead ppl do squishy noises, groaning, staggering
- a teenager is moody
- a new person is Behaving Suspiciously
- someone is having a problem but instead of talking about it with their friends they keep it a secret which ends up being the wrong thing to do
- dead ppl do squelching noises, moaning, stumbling
- a stupid cliffhanger appears!
posted by poffin boffin at 12:19 PM on February 22, 2016 [11 favorites]

- someone Makes An Uncharacteristically Stupid Decision

This assumes that characters on this show make smart decisions, which is incorrect.
posted by eyeballkid at 1:00 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I really didn't think Rick/Michonne was going to happen, but after the sort of light comic shenanigans of Rick and Darryl's interactions with Jesus (who was so perfect as a representation of the character from the comics), rick was playing as way less unhinged and way more relatable than normal, so it came off as way more believable than it would have in an average episode between various grunted Rick proclamations.

At the beginning of the episode, the exchange between them in the house made me think, "Wow, maybe folks saw something I didn't after all!" but then by the time they were asking about each other's days, it was not only clearly happening, I kinda welcomed it.

I wonder if their relationship is going to take the place of the sort of common law marriage of badassery Rick and comic book Andrea had in the comics. That could be great. I'm still a little wary of one of my favorite characters being in a relationship with the lead, because I worry they'll kill her as part of an arc. That said, I kind of liked the way that Rick/Andrea not only humanized Rick in the comics, but also sort of consolidated a lot of force of personality within one family. Rick/Michonne could do the same thing.

I really thought they were going to have Michonne pair off as she did in the comics. That's what I get for being hung up on what happened in the books.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:10 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I don't think I'm violating any spoiler rules mentioning Rick's relationship with a character in the comics who is long, long dead on the show and was never developed in the same way in that medium anyway.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:12 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Well, hope cashman's happy, I am less so for the reasons mentioned above (Rick not being a lunatics dickhead for forty minutes does not a good catch make, it's literally about three weeks since he chopped up his last love WITH AN AXE!). I would have loved if they had made out a bit, and then laughed as they did, and let it be. But what the hey, can't give everyone everything.
In general I really enjoyed this ep, dumb and all as it was, loved Darryl getting an outing and a pouting, and Jesus seems like a fun guy, I for one appreciated his outfit, +5 bite resist.
posted by Iteki at 1:45 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Show Andrea was a total waste of a potentially interesting character. I liked the arc that season 2 set her on, and it sucked when season 3 derailed that arc in favour of the whole "is compwetewy in wuv wid duh guvnah" bullshit arc that we got instead.

Chris Hardwick claimed on Talking Dead that the writing team have been dropping hints about Richonne for a while, which frankly I did not see at all. But the hints about Michandrea were totally blatant, and it pissed me off to have that cut short and for no good reason.
posted by tobascodagama at 1:49 PM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

the hints about Michandrea were totally blatant

So I didn't imagine that? Good.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 1:50 PM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

My feelings on this episode are split. The part of me that enjoys excitement and danger and badassery was thrilled. The part of me that enjoys a coherent and thoughtful narrative was like "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING" the entire time. (This is pretty much how I've felt about every episode for the last season or two. I guess I need to set my expectations accordingly.)
posted by escape from the potato planet at 2:02 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Interestingly, according to this interview, if you saw sparks between Rick and Michonne long before the episode in which they got together, you may have imagined them. Because it wasn't until they got the script for that episode that the actors knew it was going to happen. They found out part way through shooting the midseason premiere.

So if you got that vibe from the midseason premiere, you might have been picking up something the actors were putting out that wasn't in the script, or maybe editing or musical cues.

But the actors were as surprised as we are.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:06 PM on February 22, 2016

And again, now that we're safe talking about Michonne, at least enough to stake out where the fork in the road between comic book Michonne and TV show Michonne came in, comic book Michonne sort of hangs back and waits for her opportunities with the more worthwhile black men. So this is new.

I am increasingly wondering if that means she'll absorb elements from comic book Andrea's arc in the same way Hershel picked up parts of comic book Dale's.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:09 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I get that the writers had Jesus hide on the roof and get knocked out so that they had a reason to bring him back to Alexandria and introduce a new character, but what a dumb way to do it.

If RicK and Darryl's reason for tying him up and driving away was to leave him without killing him, then why didn't they just drive away after stopping short and knocking him off of the roof? What was the point of chasing him through the field?
"HOW DARE YOU SIT ON THE ROOF OF OUR TRUCK!?!"
posted by ActingTheGoat at 2:29 PM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

2) The slightly similar phrase that you used instead has some very unfortunate implications

Not so much unfortunate implication as racist slur.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 2:30 PM on February 22, 2016 [6 favorites]

If RicK and Darryl's reason for tying him up and driving away was to leave him without killing him, then why didn't they just drive away after stopping short and knocking him off of the roof?

They left him tied up while they drove away, and he somehow made it onto the roof of the truck. He obviously has the ability to teleport. If you don't punch him out, he'll just end up back on the roof. Or something.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 2:47 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Not to derail, but I would like to apologise unreservedly for unwittingly using such offensive language in my post above. I genuinely was not aware of the history of the term, and couldn't remember the nickname from the previous thread.

If any mod would care to update my comment with the correct 'Porch Dick Jr.' joke, I will be grateful. Otherwise, I will be over here in this corner under a massive blanket of horror and shame.

I am very, very sorry.
posted by prismatic7 at 2:56 PM on February 22, 2016 [15 favorites]

In my house we will forever refer to this as the Wile E. Coyote episode of Walking Dead. That was some utterly hilarious utterly cartoon bullshit with Rick and Daryl and Jesus and the Truck. That rocked. All it lacked was actual cartoon stars around their heads.

Also, while I feel bad for Michonne that she's now sleeping with a crazy dude, I'm VERY happy to stand corrected about the writers not seeing her as a viable option for getting naked with the crazy dude.

That was way sweeter than it had any right to be; I reluctantly approve.
posted by kythuen at 3:34 PM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

So if you got that vibe from the midseason premiere, you might have been picking up something the actors were putting out that wasn't in the script, or maybe editing or musical cues.

But the actors were as surprised as we are.

Nah. Did you check out Danai on Talking Dead? She said she sensed that was the character arc for a long, long time. It's always going to be shocking to then finally see it in the script, but she said last night a couple different times that based on the things that had happened in the show to her character, that she sensed it.
posted by cashman at 3:36 PM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

Well, hope cashman's happy

No matter how I feel, I can't touch Yvette Nicole Brown's reaction to Rick & Michonne that they showed on Talking Dead last night. So, so cute! She was cooing and saying "That's what I'm talking about!" and had her arms up like she was Kobe Bryant after hitting the game winner. That was probably second only to this reaction.

I'm enthused at what showrunner Scott M. Gimple said about Rick and Michonne:

"These are two people who have found kindred spirits in each other, strength, respect, support, loyalty. But the world has been screaming in their faces and clawing at them for a good part of their acquaintance. For all they’ve been through, when the world stopped screaming and clawing for them, they realized what they had."

....

"These are two people who have suddenly realized — pretty much at exactly the same time, on that couch — what they already had together and who they already were to each other. This isn’t a one-night stand. And what they have was already there, before they even kissed."

Who knows what will happen going forward, since I've noted before that the show does a poor job in general with its female characters. But its good to see that it's a thought out thing. Not an afterthought.

But there have been a lot of happy campers (heh) who were thrilled at "Richonne" finally being a thing. People taking pictures of themselves with bags of mints, posting the most hilarious reaction gifs, and saying they can't stand the show but they're going to watch that scene over and over.

I think my favorite part of that scene was after, when they were laying in bed together, passed out. Jesus shows up and they jump out of bed naked. Rick naked with his gun (didn't we see his butt one other time?), Michonne naked with her sword. That was great.
posted by cashman at 3:55 PM on February 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

I kind of liked the silliness of Rick and Daryl's adventures, although once Jesus caused them to lose the truck, I would have probably killed Jesus. That was a lot of much needed supplies. They were foolish in their actions though, so they deserved to lose the truck.

If it weren't for last week's thread, I would have been totally surprised with Rick and Michonne hooking up, as I never noticed any tension between them. This episode it was very apparent though and I was pretty excited when Richonne came into being. This does make me a bit worried about Michonne. Good to see Rick got over Jessie though.

I thought the idea that zombies should be put down by people who knew them in life is actually kind of perverse. I think I would prefer to have someone else do it for me. That may vary among people who have different life experiences though.
posted by A Bad Catholic at 5:25 PM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

I kind of liked the silliness of Rick and Daryl's adventure

Me, too, actually. Right up until the part where Rick drove the truck into a field trying to run down Jesus, because that was just way too stupid to let slide. (Box vans are not all-terrain vehicles, bro, that's a great way to fuck up your drivetrain, and THEN how are you going to get all the goodies home?)

But a show like this needs occasional light-hearted/breather episodes, to remind us why all the heavy drama matters.
posted by tobascodagama at 5:57 PM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

Another Do.Not.Like. Richonne.

"my fondness for the relationship between Michonne and Coral..."

I saw their relationship as foreshadowing of something going on with Michonne/Rick, like, the path to a widower-with-a-teenage-son's heart lies through getting in good with the teenaged son.

Also... I'm a little je ne sais quoi about how how everyone, including Coral, seems to be "hunky dunky*" with his injury. How much time has passed between the last episode and this one in TV-show time?

Jesus, did the treatment of Jesus (the character and the circumstances) annoy the bejesus out of me (a comic book reader). But at least I know that the intention really was for Jesus to be pronounced Jesus as opposed to "Hey Zeus." But, Jesus... really writers?

We, of Metafilter and Fanfare, ought to write a season of episodes if Mefites had to deal with The Walking Dead universe, as had been tossed around before (re: discotheque in a quarry filled with flammables, come one, come all. Walker hoards over 1000 given discount admission**).

*Eugene - it's hunky dory dude, hunky dory. But kuddos on saying it "dunky." Christ Jesus knows I've mis-said stupid shit like that all the time. Don't feel poorly over it.

**[registration in advance required]
posted by porpoise at 6:59 PM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

How much time has passed between the last episode and this one in TV-show time?

Danai Gurira said it had been two months on Talking Dead. Something that I did not feel was adequately portrayed via the show itself.
posted by A Bad Catholic at 7:04 PM on February 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

Something that I did not feel was adequately portrayed via the show itself.

It was so bad I thought it was a fever dream when the episode started.
posted by cashman at 7:08 PM on February 22, 2016 [7 favorites]

*Eugene - it's hunky dory dude, hunky dory. But kuddos on saying it "dunky." Christ Jesus knows I've mis-said stupid shit like that all the time. Don't feel poorly over it.

Eugene is definitely the kind of guy who would invent his own intentional malapropisms from common sayings, so this actually didn't bother me at all.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:08 PM on February 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

(Takes one to know one.)
posted by tobascodagama at 7:09 PM on February 22, 2016

Ugh. Sorry. You can't force chemistry where it doesn't exist. I'm all for Michonne finding some sexy times and love (she and Carol are my favorite characters), but I'm not buying this at all. That makeout scene was awkward and uncomfortable and cringeworthy.

Do better, show.
posted by MsVader at 7:11 PM on February 22, 2016 [3 favorites]

I usually watch the show so late I can never catch up with the thread to comment, but I just finished watching and had to come in and see what everyone was saying. I have never laughed so loud while reading my stupid phone. Carry on.
posted by ezust at 7:15 PM on February 22, 2016

Danai Gurira said it had been two months on Talking Dead. Something that I did not feel was adequately portrayed via the show itself.

Wouldn't Coral's eye have healed by then?
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 7:27 PM on February 22, 2016

They never said how the bullet went in/came out did they? It was so jarring to see that picture of him with the bandage holding Judith. I think it's impossible to know. In my experience the show does things like that on purpose, so them not saying and just fast forwarding means they aren't focusing on it and don't care. Kind of like with the details of how this whole thing happened/started. (Fear the Walking Dead is a joke as an explanatory vehicle)

They just make up dates and times as they go. It's pretty weak, but this show is terribly weak on consistency/realism things like that. Kirkman has never cared.
posted by cashman at 7:32 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I was really expecting Michonne to put the brakes on the make-out session until they'd both gotten some toothpaste... Again, way to fuck up with the truck, Rick.
posted by TwoStride at 7:36 PM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

The script called for Michonne and Rick to scramble to cover themselves when Jesus woke them up. The actors insisted (rightly) that their characters would go for their weapons and face the intruder naked but armed, rather than covered and helpless.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:52 PM on February 22, 2016 [10 favorites]

Rick/Darryl/Jesus chase scene, improved with new soundtrack.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:55 PM on February 22, 2016

TWD writing crew should really give Christ Carter a high five the next time they see him, because this run of the X-Files has just lowered the bar for TV speculative fiction CONSIDERABLY.
posted by codacorolla at 7:59 PM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

Coral's eye have healed by then?

Yeah, and no-one's traumatized by looking at it, least of all Coral.

Coral had not only his eye shot out but a chunk of orbital bone. Tremendous amount of trauma; 2 months is a little too optimistic, but that's not unprecedented (but everyone's infected with the Z virus and "heals" faster and resist microbial infection).
posted by porpoise at 8:01 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Yeah, and no-one's traumatized by looking at it, least of all Coral.

Sure, but use an eyepatch instead of burning through your limited supply of sterile gauze.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 8:17 PM on February 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

Richonne!

I peeked in this thread while watching the episode, and I thought the first comment was in regards to the casual, comfortable family setting in the beginning, or maybe when Coral told Michonne she was family for him (more or less). But then the ending? It would have been perfect to cut to Rick and Michonne holding hands and leaning together for a kiss ... but it kept going. And then Jesus walks in? Ugh....


prismatic7: ... Bad Decision Bear ...

Um, that's Bad Decision Dinosaur (at least it is for me, and shall be forevermore - anyway, I think you're thinking of Bad News Bear(s)).


gatorae: I kept waiting for the Benny Hill theme during the farm scene. Good Lord.

My wife's one-word comment for that scene: "Boys."
posted by filthy light thief at 8:39 PM on February 22, 2016

And we were just talking about Richonne - my wife said something like "Rick is just ... yuck!" And I thought of the best Walking Dead spin-off series yet: Yucks with Rick, in which Rick tells his best worst dad jokes, like what time did the guy make his dental appointment for?
posted by filthy light thief at 8:54 PM on February 22, 2016 [2 favorites]

But there have been a lot of happy campers
My "hope you're happy" was genuine, I'm happy for you and everyone for whom this was an important principle for. It comes down to the issue of having too few of any given "type" of characters (cept straight white dudes) that we have to share them in ways that means someone's going to be disappointed. I am yay for the folks who needed a a strong black woman (tm) to get the prince and be loving, sexual and attractive, and I am sadsniff for those like me who needed the hero of the damned show, moral, capable, decisive and caring to be made a mom just because she is gorgeous and hasn't passed her "last fuckable day". "Don't forget to pick up toothpaste" my ass. I get that the view from one side is that she won Rick by being all these amazing things, but from this side it's like she's given to Rick as his reward for not having been a total shit for one whole episode and it's now her job, like a billion women before her, to keep him happy so he doesn't flip his goddam kid and get them all killed. The usual extension of this will be her sacrificing herself to save him or his kids or whatever, thus further fueling his arc.
posted by Iteki at 10:19 PM on February 22, 2016 [4 favorites]

I don't know about you all, but I would not have been quite so blasé about losing an entire transport van full of non-perishable food.

I literally wailed "Nnnnooooooo!" when Rick and Michonne held hands, but in the end I thought the scene was kind of sweet. I don't think it has to mean Michonne is suddenly submissive to Rick, I'm hoping that it's built upon the equal partnership they've formed so far and Michonne will continue to knock Rick over the head (literally or figuratively) when he needs it.

I do feel like it's impossible in TV/movies for a heterosexual man and hetersexual woman to have platonic love for each other, and that is irritating and silly.
posted by torisaur at 4:43 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Did I miss something? Weren't there thousands and thousands of zombies on the outside of the fence? I know in the last episode they hit a few of them on the head and burnt a few, but I didn't realize they killed every single one of them. Did they just sort of gloss over that and we are supposed to believe they spent the past few months cleaning them up?

I honestly checked the episode list on Wikipedia because I thought maybe I'd skipped an episode.

This was honestly probably the best episode of the season, though it's been a pretty bad season.
posted by bondcliff at 7:20 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Did they just sort of gloss over that and we are supposed to believe they spent the past few months cleaning them up?

I don't even think they suggested they'd cleaned them up, did they? It was just two months later (which you'd never really have known unless you saw Danai on Talking Dead) and everything was hunky dunky.
posted by cashman at 7:38 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

Did I miss something? Weren't there thousands and thousands of zombies on the outside of the fence? I know in the last episode they hit a few of them on the head and burnt a few, but I didn't realize they killed every single one of them. Did they just sort of gloss over that and we are supposed to believe they spent the past few months cleaning them up?

They implied that what remained of the zombie horde--which to be fair, was the 30-ish percent that split off because of the horn, not the full horde--was drawn into the fire and killed. It's a bit convenient and you can argue its plausibility, but it is *an* explanation and apparently the one they're going with.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:41 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

the 2 months later thing makes the deanna thing even more stupid. she's been shuffling around right outside for 2 months and no one's noticed? no one except her cowardly incompetent son? ok. how heartwarming.
posted by poffin boffin at 7:43 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]

I don't even think they suggested they'd cleaned them up, did they?

Well, things sure were quiet at the gate. Getting in and out of Alexandria was a non-event. In the last episode the zombies were 30 deep all around the perimeter.

They implied that what remained of the zombie horde... was drawn into the fire and killed.

That's what I figured happened, but when I watched the last episode I just thought they were burning the ones that were an immediate danger, not the whole horde.

I know they often skip over details and just sort of say "something happened, we're all good now." but it seems the zombie horde was one of the main plot points of the season and they just got rid of it in five minutes.

I know I shouldn't expect anything better from this show at this point.
posted by bondcliff at 7:45 AM on February 23, 2016 [4 favorites]

Spencer mentioned he saw Deanna from the watch point on the wall, but only once. So presumably she hasn't been close often at all and even then not in such a way that anyone who wasn't on watch had a shot at seeing her.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:47 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]

I'm not arguing these are good explanations, only that explanations were given.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:51 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]

It would have been perfect to cut to Rick and Michonne holding hands and leaning together for a kiss ... but it kept going. And then Jesus walks in? Ugh...

My youth minister said Jesus is always in the room when I'm having sex. So I wasn't surprised at all.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 8:20 AM on February 23, 2016 [17 favorites]

Eww
posted by bondcliff at 8:30 AM on February 23, 2016

The script called for Michonne and Rick to scramble to cover themselves when Jesus woke them up. The actors insisted (rightly) that their characters would go for their weapons and face the intruder naked but armed, rather than covered and helpless.

Ugh. How could the fucking writers misunderstand their own goddamned characters so badly? This fucking show, you guys.
posted by tobascodagama at 9:01 AM on February 23, 2016 [11 favorites]

I found it hilarious that Jesus was dressed like a stereotypical "cowboy" bandit and then he did some banditing.

Cowboy? I found myself rolling my eyes because he was dressed like Criss Angel and everyone god their damn minds fruck.
posted by Sys Rq at 9:19 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

(And, I mean, seriously: This guy untied himself and climbed onto the top of a moving truck within seconds, and you decide to leave him tied up in an unlocked room in your own home while you sleep? Jesus. Jesus.)
posted by Sys Rq at 9:22 AM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]

As soon as Rick and Daryl were just sitting there chopping it up in the truck after they tied him up, you just knew what was about to happen. When they had a scene from behind the truck where you could see that he wasn't on the back or the side, I still didn't give up. I knew he was somewhere. It was just nonsense of course, but many have expressed a joy at how loose and fun the episode was, after how brutal the last one was.

I just think they could do a much better job at writing it so that the things happening were believable. But I think they just feel like it's all made up and the majority of viewers today don't care whether there's a good explanation or a crappy one, it's all made up so who cares.

Or, they've got the audience now, and they've just become increasingly lazy. I wish they'd get to a place where I cared again. It's the end of humanity, there is no civilization, packs of people just roaming the land with no real rules, and the past season or two the show mostly feels more like the Dukes of Hazzard than a post apocalyptic wasteland.
posted by cashman at 9:31 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

So, nobody else has mentioned yet that there was a drawing in the dust on the back of the van when Rick & Daryl recover it from Jesus. Looked an awful lot like an animal (wolf?) paw to me. I don't remember if it was there when they originally found the truck at the sorghum barn, but it was conspicuously in the center of the frame when R&D confront Jesus about stealing the van.

I actually thought for a while that Jesus was working with the Wolves or something and had filled the van with walkers in the time between when he stole it and when R&D tracked him down. Probably not the case, but I'm not sure why else the show would make such a point of showing off a silly dust-drawing on the back of the damned van.
posted by tobascodagama at 10:22 AM on February 23, 2016

I'm not sure why else the show would make such a point of showing off a silly dust-drawing on the back of the damned van.

Maybe they're just littering the periphery with references to the Wolves as foreshadowing.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 10:44 AM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

So, nobody else has mentioned yet that there was a drawing in the dust on the back of the van when Rick & Daryl recover it from Jesus.

if this was like season 1 or 2 then I'd be like YES THIS IS A FASCINATING THING TO PONDER but at this point I'm all lol wevs, just blow up more stuff
posted by poffin boffin at 10:55 AM on February 23, 2016 [3 favorites]

And, I mean, seriously: This guy untied himself and climbed onto the top of a moving truck within seconds, and you decide to leave him tied up in an unlocked room in your own home while you sleep? Jesus. Jesus.

What happened to that handy cell that Morgan put the wolf guy in? Seems like that would have been useful here. Although Jesus would have just turned himself into mist and floated through the bars or something.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 3:43 PM on February 23, 2016

HE WAS IN THAT EXACT SAME PLACE but he used his magical jesus powers to get out, it's so infuriating.
posted by poffin boffin at 4:32 PM on February 23, 2016 [2 favorites]

They showed Rick closing the door on him, and it was, like, just a door? Maybe even a French door? I don't really remember. But it was, at best, one of those doors you can unlock by poking anything pokey into the little hole, if it locked at all. Nothing remotely secure. Even if it was a big steel door with super heavy duty locks, it's not like it'd take a whole lot of magic to just punch straight through the drywall.
posted by Sys Rq at 4:49 PM on February 23, 2016

I hope that was a wolf drawing. If the wolves subplot is really over after the dude from last week got shot, then that is the worst plot arc ever written.

Also, to have that long and acrimonious debate about a Rick/Michonne romance literally one week before it actually happens is pretty remarkable.
posted by skewed at 8:16 PM on February 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

cashman is Scott M. Gimple, it's the only explanation.
posted by tobascodagama at 8:33 PM on February 23, 2016

AMC is way behind on sending me checks then. Like, way behind.
posted by cashman at 6:30 AM on February 24, 2016 [2 favorites]

Seriously, though, re: last week's debate... Now that it's not a spoiler (since the show went a different way than the comic), comic book Michonne's take on love is, more or less, "Where are all the decent black men?" I legit thought that she hadn't dated yet because they were just carrying that over. I'm happy with her assuming the Andrea storyline as queen regent of badassery, though.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:05 AM on February 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

I have been waiting so, so long for one particular episode. You know what I'm talking about - the perfect one that fulfills my wildest desire, the one that finally shows me what I've wanted in my heart ever since I started watching the show and getting to know these characters.

This is that episode. This is the chosen episode ...



... the one that was so damn stupid that I can finally say, "I can't watch this anymore" and mean it.
posted by komara at 7:54 PM on February 28, 2016 [4 favorites]

Accidentally sinking an entire truck of food (the likes of which you may never see again) in a dam because of bullshit macho tomfoolery isn't just some easy-come, easy-go lighthearted jape. It's a fuck-up so egregious those dudes should be heading home cap in hand, to resign their positions so someone who appreciates the gravity of the situation can take over.

look i'm sorry, but I take zombie apocalypses very seriously
posted by EXISTENZ IS PAUSED at 1:39 PM on March 3, 2016 [3 favorites]

Frankly, you come back to me with that outcome? I'm gonna thin the herd.
posted by Iteki at 9:04 AM on March 6, 2016 [1 favorite]