maplebrew

Happy New Year. Spent the day inside. Could not bear to go out. There's almost no snow on the ground but the wind has been howling. A braver member of my household went for a walk, returned and confirmed that it is frigid outside. It's amazing to look outside and see squirrels going about their business without regard to weather. I gotta get me a squirrel jacket. Either that or fatten up on acorns.

Maybe I'm channelling a different ZA type show but didn't the CDC guy tell Rick and crew that early in the ZA they were in contact with a French or other European CDC but then lost contact? It was a fleeting reference but if I'm remembering right, we were left with the impression that the ZA was happening in Europe too. It is interesting to think about how the ZA would go over in other countries. I figure that any low tech culture that was living close to the land would do fine. Remote Amazonian tribes people would carry on as usual. Densely populated developed places like NYC would be a zombie convention where the few survivors go to war over the last can opener. Not picking on New Yorkers here, but every second disaster movie is set there. In some parts of the world, the ZA would create certain political freedoms. Restrictive borders would collapse. Repressive national governments would collapse. New fiefdoms would start up in many places, but the ZA is an opportunity to socially start over again. A new, possibly more libertarian social contract would emerge. You know, make zombie-ade out of zombies.

Irishmaple, I read the Tarot too. And we both have "maple" in our names. Cue the twilight zone music. Into the Woods is a movie I'm curious about but after years of not going to the movies, it would take the film of the century to lure me into a theater. I saw a play two years ago and the experience was undermined by endless bright smart phone screens in the audience. This is the era of short attention spans. It's hard for people to sit still. Do so many people have to tweet their every movement, experience and passing thought? Okay, middle aged grumping over. Continue with your day.

What I like about For Rent is that it offers cheap-ish redecoration ideas for both tenants and home owners. While some landlords won't tolerate anything other than eggshell white walls, some landlords are perfectly fine about tenants paying to spruce up an apartment. Agree with the above posts saying that there is a dire need for low cost decoration/renovation shows. True DIY shows are a thing of the past too sadly. Bryan berating a homeowner for being hapless at tiling doesn't teach us how to tile, ya know. Gardening shows are much needed given the increasing interest in areas such as: organic gardening, veg growing, perennial landscaping, drought tolerant landscaping, gardening for kids and/or limited mobility seniors, etc. Even a gardening show that rotated between climates would be helpful.

Since we're left to think that Rose could have been connected to Charlie's death, it creeps me out a little that she's befriended Waldon and is spending time at Charlie's former house. Since Alan is Walden's husband I've assumed that both of them would be adopting Lewis. They'd then, either stay married, or divorce but Walden gets custody since he's the one wanting to parent full time. Being in a social services related field, my experience is that different foster children make different choices about what they call their foster parents. The truly child focused foster parents let the children call them whatever is comfortable for the kids. Since Lewis sounds like he's been passed around, it makes sense that Lewis wouldn't want to commit to anything other than first names at the moment.

I noticed that but it's too bad Claire couldn't flip the script and embrace the tattoo. There's a great story behind it. "My daughter Hayley and me got drunk on her 21st b-day. We were supposed to get tattoos together but as she started to sober up, she chickened out and ran out when her dad drove up in her new car..." Okay, the story doesn't sound so good but it's still a story.

The astroturf sports fields would have fine zombie sight lines. So for short term breath catching like you say, good idea. The down side is humans with rifle scopes.

It's amazing to me that they don't have any 'how to' books easily obtainable from libraries and any store with a book collection. I know they can't tote around books but some of those wilderness survival books are portable and would be helpful to the Atlanta urbanites within their group. For my part though, if I survived, I'd be the crazy hermit Morgan type rather than deal with the two legged pack animals like Joe, etc.

As someone with no strong feelings regarding Beth either way, I still hope TWD does a future call back to Daryl/Beth episode. The next time Daryl has a gulp of moonshine he could first make a quick toast to Beth - and then pee in a corner.

Did we know that Chestnut's 'stable' had a roof?

I don't think we got a good look at it, but Claire's tattoo sounded nice. She's a mom so a having a Sanskrit mom tattooed to her ankle is one she can proudly show off, even someday as a little old lady.

Funny thing is that Alan mostly acted pretty natural around the moms. Forcing himself to dial back the horn dog qualities to fit the gay husband role, forces Alan to be a person rather than a guy on the prowl for sex. Alan, now the husband of a wealthy man, had no reason to mooch anything off the moms either allowing him to dial back that other negative quality too. So it makes sense to me that gay, financially comfortable Alan is more attractive to women.

Exactly what I was thinking when he said in the car that he wanted to teach her a lesson, then in the mall saying in almost the same breath that he loved her and that he wanted to make her miserable. Since the gifts actually exchanged were nice and they were both happy, that took the edge off this. Sentimental as the moment was, it doesn't change the fact that Sheldon is disturbingly controlling in all his relationships. Since he is ostensibly Amy's boyfriend this takes on a whole other creepy dynamic. That he's like a pouty child rather than a big bruiser boyfriend doesn't make it okay.

Bob Sr summed up the kids perfectly, weird and happy. Bob Jr needed to "express" himself through burgers? I knew it. Bob has more of an unconventional, artistic side than he lets on. It completely explains his attraction to Linda and why he's so tolerant of his weird and happy kids.

Nimoy DNA. How the elevator got broken. Wil Wheaton manipulating Sheldon's mee maw love.

Tyreese has potential to last longer than Dale. Since Ty has lived longer in the ZA than Dale, he's experienced and survived the deterioration of human society long enough to get used to it. He therefore has a chance to learn how to reverse it, in a way that long deceased Dale isn't getting a chance to. Also, Ty has a pre-ZA family member still alive. Coda Tyreese probably wouldn't have killed Bob2 if he were there when Sasha got smashed into the window, but I wouldn't be surprised if a season 6 Ty did so to protect his sister. There's only so many times a one episode gf, baby or a beloved sibling can be endangered before ya lose it.

This cleared up why Tyreese and Sasha's ethical struggles don't resonate. During their rooftop discussion, Tyreese seems to reaffirm the value of compassion, non-violence and one's sense of self. That should have been encouraging for the audience to hear. But it kind of fell flat because the fur was flying all around them. During this discussion, Sasha would have had a helluva headache from having her head smashed against a window during her act of compassion to Bob2. One didn't need spoilers to know that the hostage exchange plan would go sideways. While maybe it is true that the hostage exchange led to fewer deaths than guns blazing Rick's plan, it is simply hard dramatize a pacifist during an action show. Maybe war time pacifists are at their most important during the fighting but it is difficult to do that dramatically. Within the context of the show, this important introspection makes Tyreese and Sasha seem weak rather than the strong people they actually are. That they were a passing note in Coda didn't help.

30 minutes seemed like a long time to cook a burger, even from scratch since the ingredients were all lined up and ready to go (except for the garlic). I like that Jimmy Pesto's burger was no competition. Am tired of Bob always losing to him. Bob losing wasn't so bad since the winning burger sounded delicious too. No shame in losing to the big name, visiting chef. It is more important in the long run that Bob pick up more business so that part was good. His regular's cholesterol, as we've learned, can't pick up the business slack forever.

I hope you are right Pete Martell because it would be annoying if I were right. Rick & Co face enough stupid, meaningless death without having Gabriel accidently pushing people backwards into it as his sole purpose.

Carl gets shot in the gut and it up and about fast. Rick looked like a steamroller hit him after the prison fell. A couple days later, he's fresh as a daisy, ready for more. Hershel's leg is amputated in primitive conditions and there isn't a trace of infection. Abe keeps ripping open the same gash on his hand, a gash bound by some filthy rag or another, with no ill effect (yet). Carol is hit hard by a car and she's up and about quickly. So yes, it is strange that she is seemly okay but there's plenty of precedent on this show.

"Coda" suggests that he's the character who's blundering puts other people at risk.

Somebody wash Rick! I could smell him though the TV. Rick hitting Bob2 and then shooting him seemed like a Shane thing to do. Rick found it necessary to hit Bob2 and probably thought it practical/merciful to shoot him. While it might not have been a good idea, Rick should have given at least some consideration to taking over the hospital. Since everyone is reunited, it was worth thinking about staying put and enjoying the beds, food, medicine and light. Meanwhile, poor Sasha and Tyreese. They are good people who ethically struggle in this world. Wonder if Sasha is going to abandon that like she says. I have my doubts but as the song goes, 'all in all it's just another brick in the wall.'

I would not wish this on anyone in real life, but since this is a tv show, it would be cool if Beth's facial cuts became scars. On a show where Carl can get shot in the gut and be up and around in no time, that Beth's cuts haven't healed by now is interesting. Scars would make her look tough. You know, don't mess with the blonde chick. She looks stringy, but she'll cut ya.

I agree. It also works as a season finale because it does feel like the beginning of the end for the show and Cullen's journey. Chinese railroad labor. Mountain scenery. Working for a different railroad. The 'Welcome to the great state of California' greeting. The Pacific Coast is in the offing. For my part, this being a TV show and not real life, I don't have much of a concern about whether Eva and Mickey should answer for their crimes. I honestly can't remember who Mickey killed off hand. His brother? As for Eva, I remember her killing her rapist - something I have no problem with at all. Can't remember if she killed anyone else. There's so much killing on this show, I've lost track of who murdered who in many cases.

"A Bag of Weed" was good but, honestly, I find their musical numbers self-indulgent and dull for the most part.