The Walking Dead- CONTAINS SPOILERS!

[Little_Sticks]

Oh, yeah definitely. That seems to be a common complaint why some of the people I know won't watch it anymore. I'm the only one left.

 

[Totenkindly]

Just saw it (I rewatched the season 4 finale first).

Definitely one of the better episodes and just crazy in a good way, although there were a few moments that were kind of predictable.* Still, I liked the little bit of background we got on the Terminus folks, Tyresse was pretty great, and the last few minutes when the survivors met up were just pretty awesome.

Daryl's reaction to Carol said more than any words could; and I'm glad to see that Rick has moved past what Carol did. It was a little funny when Rick ran to Tyresse just to get Judith and totally blew him off, at least at first; but it was his daughter, so it made sense.

I might have shot that guy in the shed earlier, when he wouldn't shut up. Maybe.

There was a time when I hated Carol the most on the show, but she grew on me starting in season 3 when she acquired more depth; and now she is pretty cool.

And there we have whassisname from the pilot, and then who showed up a season or two ago... still alive, and hopefully a little more sane.

*

Pretty much what this generally positive article said, was my only viable gripe over the episode... aside from making sure the idiot in the shack is tied up well and nowhere near the baby. (Saw that one coming!)

... In one of the worst jokes in TV drama history: 13 heroes walk into a cannibal death camp, and all 13 walk back out alive. Doesn’t it beggar belief (as much as you have any belief left to beggar in a show about zombies) that not a single one of our heroes left Terminus with more than a slight head contusion? That none of our survivors got caught in all those explosions, gleaming abattoirs, and hail of gunfire?

Nowhere is their bulletproof status in this episode more laughably obvious than in the scene where eight bodies are lined up to a trough to be bled and then butchered. Four of them are random faceless characters, the other four are our heroes. Four end up getting their throats slit, four walk away relatively unharmed. I’m surprised the prisoners from Train Car D weren’t wearing red shirts.

Fan favorite Glenn is saved, at the last second, by some tedious cannibal-death-camp bureaucracy. Ugh, paperwork, am I right?

...

http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/10/the-walking-dead-premiere-flaw

 

[Mal12345]

The Walking Dead Intro using drunk people

 

[Totenkindly]

Okay, one thing that I learned that was interesting is that the blonde guy (the first guy out of the eight in the room) was the guy who was with the girl in the episode where Rick sends Carol off for what she did at the prison. I hadn't recognized him. But now that I know that, I feel like what happened in the pilot in that room was less of a cop-out. This was clarified on Talking Dead and also in Episode 2, when Carol gives Rick back his watch that she found (because the Terminus folks stripped everyone of their stuff).

Episode 2 had more character catch-up dev, plus a bizarre turn of events in the last five minutes. Good grief

Also, aside from the Fine Young Cannibals eating Bob's leg, my thought is that he was probably bitten under the water based on how he was behaving and might have been about to kill himself out there in the woods / leaving to die when he was nabbed by the Hunters for dinner. That can't be good for anyone, but the Hunters deserve whatever they get.

And finally we might find out what happened to Beth.

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

Just saw it (I rewatched the season 4 finale first).

Definitely one of the better episodes and just crazy in a good way, although there were a few moments that were kind of predictable.* Still, I liked the little bit of background we got on the Terminus folks, Tyresse was pretty great, and the last few minutes when the survivors met up were just pretty awesome.

Daryl's reaction to Carol said more than any words could; and I'm glad to see that Rick has moved past what Carol did. It was a little funny when Rick ran to Tyresse just to get Judith and totally blew him off, at least at first; but it was his daughter, so it made sense.

I might have shot that guy in the shed earlier, when he wouldn't shut up. Maybe.

There was a time when I hated Carol the most on the show, but she grew on me starting in season 3 when she acquired more depth; and now she is pretty cool.

And there we have whassisname from the pilot, and then who showed up a season or two ago... still alive, and hopefully a little more sane.

*

Pretty much what this generally positive article said, was my only viable gripe over the episode... aside from making sure the idiot in the shack is tied up well and nowhere near the baby. (Saw that one coming!)



http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywood/2014/10/the-walking-dead-premiere-flaw

I have no idea whether we are still supposed to use spoiler tags in this thread, but...

Did you really see Morgan in the season premiere? Where was he? Also, in regard to your suspicion that Bob got bitten in the food bank - I've long suspected that Bob is immune. I think this new Bob-centric twist might reveal or illuminate that.

 

[Totenkindly]

I'm not sure about spoilers either. I think maybe giving people a day or two is good enough? I guess the title does say "spoilers," so...

Yeah, I have no idea about Bob really.... except that regardless it doesn't look too good for him right now. As always, people are more dangerous than zombies.

It's funny seeing Michonne carry a gun rather than having her sword.

Morgan was in a clip at the very end of the episode - it might have run after most/all of the credits.

Oh, and I have to say that watching Bob and Sasha kiss and happily play with each other in the opening minutes of the episode pretty told me that one of them was going to not fare well. Seriously. I sat here like, "Okay, that's the end of THAT relationship."

EDIT:
Decent review of the episode. Here's this part about Father Gabriel (only spoiled cuz it's conjecture, but I thought the same thing when I saw it):

Once everyone gets back to the church, Carl proves that he doesn't entirely trust Father Gabriel either. He's been investigating the church, and shows his dad a couple of troubling things that he found out back — there are deep grooves and scratches around the boarded-up windows, like someone was trying to get into the church. And then someone has also carved "You'll burn for this" on the wall.

I haven't read all the graphic novels or looked up Father Gabriel yet, because I don't want to spoil this for myself, but I have a theory: When the world went to hell, Father Gabriel panicked and locked himself in the church with all of his canned goods, and he barred the doors and windows and didn't let anyone in. The townsfolk and his congregants probably begged and pleaded, but he refused to open the door. That's why he is so terrified of the walkers — because they are his friends and neighbors that he sentenced to death by leaving them outside to starve or be attacked.

Also of value is that conversation where Bob and others are trying to tell Rick to let the Terminus folks go and not worry about them, so as to not become like them. This actually is a fair statement, an idealistic aspiration of who human beings should be, to not become the monster they fight against. Rick resists but mostly succumbs to their joint efforts to subvert his aggression.

However, such ideas have costs... and it looks like the group is starting to pay for them. Just because you don't want to deal harshly with the world doesn't mean the world will respect that, and you're still vulnerable to the exact same dangers as before except now you're stuck fighting a reactive rather than proactive battle. If everyone had listened to RICK about making sure the Termites were dead, much sorrow could have been averted. Just because Rick was being more realistic than idealistic doesn't mean he wasn't right.

 

[SensEye]

Fan favorite Glen...

WTF!?! I hate that guy. He's on top of my "please off this character next list". But yeah that article was bang on about the "red shirt" nature of who got it in the camp.

However, one of the positive things I have to say about this season is, 2 episodes in, and I am not hating on Glen yet. Mainly because he has had no primary focus, but lets hope it stays that way.

I thought the same thing about Bob, that he was bitten and was going outside to kill himself. But now I think maybe the point was just to show him having a bit of a private breakdown vs his sunny disposition schtick. Also, I could have sworn I spotted him in the trailer for next week sans leg, and he'd surely be zombified by now if he was bitten.

 

[Totenkindly]

WTF!?! I hate that guy. He's on top of my "please off this character next list". But yeah that article was bang on about the "red shirt" nature of who got it in the camp.

However, one of the positive things I have to say about this season is, 2 episodes in, and I am not hating on Glen yet. Mainly because he has had no primary focus, but lets hope it stays that way.

I thought the same thing about Bob, that he was bitten and was going outside to kill himself. But now I think maybe the point was just to show him having a bit of a private breakdown vs his sunny disposition schtick. Also, I could have sworn I spotted him in the trailer for next week sans leg, and he'd surely be zombified by now if he was bitten.

awww.... I like Glenn. And yeah, a lot of fans seems to like him for some reason.

But that's okay. I'm sure he could annoy the crap out of some people. I think he's already dead in the comic.

As far as Bob: We'll wait and see. The show doesn't always follow the comic, so it's hard to know; but that was what I immediately got from those scenes, and I saw it repeated by reviewers who thought the same.

If so, it's too bad because I don't feel like they actually did much with Bob over the season he's been on.

 

[Mane]

WTF!?! I hate that guy. He's on top of my "please off this character next list". But yeah that article was bang on about the "red shirt" nature of who got it in the camp.

However, one of the positive things I have to say about this season is, 2 episodes in, and I am not hating on Glen yet. Mainly because he has had no primary focus, but lets hope it stays that way.

I thought the same thing about Bob, that he was bitten and was going outside to kill himself. But now I think maybe the point was just to show him having a bit of a private breakdown vs his sunny disposition schtick. Also, I could have sworn I spotted him in the trailer for next week sans leg, and he'd surely be zombified by now if he was bitten.

Unless the part he got bitten was his leg, and getting cannibalized alive saved his life (That's my theory anyway).

 

[EffEmDoubleyou]

I love Glenn! And I agree with the review Jennifer posted in spoiler tags - that's my take on Father Gabriel as well.

 

[Totenkindly]

[MENTION=22098]Jarlaxle[/MENTION]: "Bob, relax, we're doctors. This was medically necessary, but why not kill two birds with one stone? You couldn't afford our normal rates anyway."

 

[Ivy]

That's exactly what I was thinking about Father Gabriel (your spoilered text).

Re: Bob, I thought he was crying because he'd been drinking the communion wine. Wasn't he a pretty serious alcoholic pre-apocalypse? (And post, IIRC- I think he very nearly sold out some of the group for a backpack full of wine at some point.) I didn't think about the possibility he'd been bitten- or that he's immune- either/both of those would be compelling.

 

[Totenkindly]

An article about five characters that could be speculated to die this season. As always, just speculation... but not entirely unfounded. Spoilers in the article only go through Episode 2 (not the most recent, which aired last night):

5 Walking Dead Characters Who Might Actually Die This Season

I haven't watched the most recent episode, with my laptop out of commission momentarily.

 

[Stigmata]

Is it racist that I interpreted the introduction of a 3rd black male character as a premonition of a main character death?

Also, the wound was still fresh from the loss of T-Dog.

 

[Mane]

I started getting concerned that the angsty cannibals are going to play out as the new governor "arch namesis". I am happy the group moved on.

I am somewhat disappointed that eating zombie flash doesn't seem to have any effect.

It wouldn't be quite as disappointing - at least here the black & white nature of the story wasn't in question. With the governor story I thought they are going towards moral ambiguity, concerning a morally questionable villain who was able to lead a community from the brink of extinction and provide humanity with a starting point to reclaim itself after the apocalypse, and our heroes destroying humanity's greatest hopes. Turned out that side of the story was all in my head, and they just ended up portraying him as a boring old villain.

 

[Totenkindly]

I started getting concerned that the angsty cannibals are going to play out as the new governor "arch namesis". I am happy the group moved on.

I am somewhat disappointed that eating zombie flash doesn't seem to have any effect.

It wouldn't be quite as disappointing - at least here the black & white nature of the story wasn't in question. With the governor story I thought they are going towards moral ambiguity, concerning a morally questionable villain who was able to lead a community form the brink of extinction and provide humanity with a starting point to reclaim itself after the apocalypse, and our heroes destroying humanity's greatest hopes. Turned out that side of the story was all in my head, and they just ended up portraying him as a boring old villain.

I was really disappointed in the first part of Season 4 that way. They did some wonderful backstory about what happened to the Guv'nor after Woodbury fell, it was the first time I actually really felt like I understood the character and even had some pathos for him... and then they kinda wussed out and in the space of 40 minutes made him a one-dimensional creep again to service the plot. Just very disappointing.

 

[Mane]

... and then they kinda wussed out and in the space of 40 minutes made him a one-dimensional creep again to service the plot. Just very disappointing.

Exactly. I don't know if I should take it that this is the writing style behind the show, behind the comic itself, or they just had to make a last minute cut because of some executive decision to loose the actor and accelerate the move from jail. For now I am not putting stock in their ability to portray villains with any depth.

 

[Stigmata]

Winning.

 

[Totenkindly]

Just watched the fourth episode ("What happened to Beth").

Okay, that was just boring and lousy overall. maybe ten minutes was interesting, but I found it extremely boring.... so much that I was on my cell phone while it was running because it just wasn't compelling enough to keep my attention, unlike the first three episodes.

One problem is that it centered around Beth, pretty much the least compelling character currently in the series. As an actor, Beth is one of the weakest of the cast to start with, and in this episode she spends a lot of time either delivering wooden lines or not saying anything while trying to "act dramatic" and she just doesn't have that skill.

Meanwhile the rest of the cast are all secondaries -- new characters, new actors -- and rather uncompelling themselves, delivering lines that seem pretty contrived / behaving in contrived ways. So you've basically just got a whole episode full of extras, with an actor who is little more than an extra. And the dynamics of the group seemed very contrived Because Plot.

And of course it's a fucked-up little community, but after Woodbury and Joe's Gang and Terminus and the Hunters, it's kind of like Fucked-Up Lite, like all the people who weren't quite evil enough got stuck together in this little cluster to wreak some damage on each other in the process of surviving. They just seem so one-dimensional overall that it's hard to believe they didn't even fall apart or change somehow to function better.

Just... argggg. It was a huge letdown after the pretty engrossing episodes preceding it.

 

[SensEye]

I agree the Beth episode was a bit of a snoozer. I was hoping the last half of the episode would have Daryl/Carol break her out but the whole episode was just a set up for what I assume will happen in the next one. Unless they play that old literary trick of skipping back to Rick and the gang (and make us wait 2 weeks), and/or they might spend an episode on the bus crew (Glen/Maggie et. al.).

I hope not though, that technique tends to annoy me rather than build drama (which I think is the intent). I prefer they deal with a plot thread until a logical break/wrap up point.