The Walking Dead: Hearts Still Beating
December 12, 2016 6:13 PM - Season 7, Episode 8 - Subscribe

Negan's unwelcome visit to Alexandria continues as other members scavenge for supplies; things quickly spin out of control.
posted by gatorae (17 comments total)
 
I liked the part where Negan killed Carl and was then shot by multiple bullets from Rosita. Negan's men sure did retaliate heavily though, was it really necessary for them to kill everyone at Alexandria?
posted by FallowKing at 6:22 PM on December 12, 2016 [3 favorites]


Rosita shooting Lucille was such a dumb note I didn't even understand what happened at first. How could she have possibly missed Negan? Was she supposed to have been much farther away than we saw? The show has dropped the ball a few times when depicting scale, but it looked like Rosita was maybe a dozen feet away from her target. Was the idea that the homemade bullet misfired somehow?
posted by kittens for breakfast at 7:20 PM on December 12, 2016 [1 favorite]


I think JDM's decision to play Negan as someone suffering from scoliosis is very scrumtrilescent and will be talked about for generations.
posted by entropicamericana at 7:21 PM on December 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


Wait... Why is everybody smiling? It seemed like things didn't go at all well for the gang this episode; why are they suddenly filled with optimism and purpose?

Just kidding! I know that it's because most of the characters whose names we've bothered to learn are together in one place and Rick got his penis gun back.

As an easily cowed person with a moderately useful talent, Eugene probably would have done pretty well in the Negan organization if he'd just been with them from the beginning. I'm hoping that they explore that a little, but I suspect that they won't.

It's kind of remarkable that we made it all the way to the mid-season finale, and almost nothing has happened. Taking a show that was struggling to come up with enough material to fill 60 minute episodes and giving it a bunch of 90 minute episodes would probably make more intuitive sense to me if I was watching it with all the commercials, but watching it commercial-free it just feels like a nonsensical decision on AMC's part.
posted by Parasite Unseen at 7:28 PM on December 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


The most* ridiculous part is that the showrunners made such a big deal about how Rick is utterly defeated and beaten down after Glenn/Abe's deaths. Of the episodes this season:

Ep1 - Rick & crew
Ep2 - The Kingdom
Ep3 - Sanctuary
Ep4 - Alexandria
Ep5 - Hilltop
Ep6 - Oceanside
Ep7 - Sanctuary/Alexandria
Ep8 - Sanctuary/Alexandria/Kingdom/Hilltop

So, Rick has been featured in half the episodes this season. This... did not feel like we were dwelling in Rick's utter defeat for very long. It was more like a minor blip on the Walking Dead radar. We are only a half season away from Glenn/Abe dying and we are already into Rick moving into resistance-mode? I mean.... I get it based on his character, but it actually gives the impression that Glenn's murder had no actual lasting effect on him whatsoever.

Question: Rick and Aaron stole supplies from that weird houseboat. We saw a booted foot lurking in the background; was that supposed to be the Kingdom guy who was hanging out in his secret RV? Are we to assume that the supplies (with that weird threatening note) are actually meant for the Saviors and are sabotaged somehow? I was so confused.

* ok, its hard to actually rank "most" ridiculous things about this show, but this bothered me.
posted by gatorae at 7:44 PM on December 12, 2016 [2 favorites]


Why is everybody smiling?

NODDING MONTAGE
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 10:46 PM on December 12, 2016 [4 favorites]


I saw this comment on the avclub page:
The Walking Dead is a show where hope is represented by the penis. When Daryl gave Rick his gun (notice it is called a Colt Python), it was as if the castrated man had received his penis anew. Rick has now taken up the fight against Negan because Negan's penis, Lucille, has been wounded, indicating that the alpha male can be defeated. This gives the show's heroes hope that one day their suffering will end, and they will be able to live under a more benevolent society.
posted by yonega at 4:18 AM on December 13, 2016 [5 favorites]


My, Rick, what a big gun you have.
posted by torisaur at 6:02 AM on December 13, 2016


It's kind of remarkable that we made it all the way to the mid-season finale, and almost nothing has happened.

I watched the first three episodes of the season, and then I watched the Oceanside episode and the finale. I don't feel like I missed anything. Or at least nothing that I'd go back and watch more of to catch up.
posted by gladly at 6:52 AM on December 13, 2016


At least I had a Carol and Morgan scene. I cling hard to that. "You're going soft." "You're going." , but with a little grin and I'm reminded of her interplay with Daryl.

That Kingdom guy that showed up is having an interesting breakdown. After begging Carol to save him from himself (his third reason for alarm is something like "someone's going to do the wrong thing and Negan will kill us all", which would be him himself killing a Saviour, obv), he goes to his hidden Trailer of Stuff and breaks down crying. I'm curious to see what he does next.
posted by Mogur at 9:42 AM on December 13, 2016


I was like, I don't know this kick-up-the-drama guy at all, why do I care that he's crying in a trailer?
posted by agregoli at 7:19 AM on December 14, 2016 [1 favorite]


We only saw him once before, beating up a Saviour. That he's still alive is a tribute to King Ezekial's diplomacy.
posted by Mogur at 11:58 AM on December 14, 2016


Also, his combat skills and attitude are such that he's a natural Rickhead. If they ever meet up, there'll be some butting of heads that turns to brolove. Ten bucks says I'm right.
posted by Mogur at 5:24 AM on December 15, 2016


It's good that Neagan and his crew know who the tertiary characters are so he knows who to keep alive and who he can pick to kill each episode.
posted by LizBoBiz at 7:27 PM on December 18, 2016 [3 favorites]


NODDING MONTAGE

the first set of exchanged nods was awkward and silly

about ten minutes of nodding later I couldn't decide if the show was being deliberately absurd or if I was having a neurological episode
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:57 AM on December 29, 2016 [1 favorite]


That Kingdom guy that showed up is having an interesting breakdown. After begging Carol to save him from himself (his third reason for alarm is something like "someone's going to do the wrong thing and Negan will kill us all", which would be him himself killing a Saviour, obv), he goes to his hidden Trailer of Stuff and breaks down crying. I'm curious to see what he does next.

Annndddd that moment finally pays off in the latest episode (Feb 20, 2017). That must have been the moment when he realized he has to arrange for the Saviours to kill Carol to provoke the King into a war.
posted by Mogur at 4:57 AM on February 20, 2017


NODDING MONTAGE

Has anyone edited this into 45 minutes of just nodding? The premier of next season should just be endless nodding. 40 minutes of nodding, 10 minutes of commercials. Then someone kills Rick and the show is over.
posted by dis_integration at 8:54 AM on September 12, 2017


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