maystone

I'm too tired to do coherent prose in structured paragraphs, so this is going to be by the numbers. 1. They jammed a ton of story into a little more than 53 minutes - and that includes the opening credits. I wish they could have added a seventh episode so they could show rather than tell how Richonne brought down the CRM and saved the US. Michonne's voice-over exposition at the end did a lot of heavy lifting. I'd be up for seeing how that unfolded. 2. Who among us did not figure out in Ep 5 that Jadis's deposition about Alexandria would be found inside one of her cat sculptures? I liked the call back to her and Michonne's appreciation of feline art pieces. 3. Terry O'Quinn was great. As always. I was hoping that there would be more to the Echelon briefing than, "Yup. We're gonna kill 'em all." I know Beale was supposed to be a charismatic madman, but I just don't get wiping out the living population of the continental US while there still exists millions upon millions of zombies to be dealt with. Not to mention the accumulated and sometimes arcane, needed knowledge that would be wiped out indiscriminately. Beale may have had lovely twinkling eyes, but he was really shortsighted. 4. I admit to getting teary-eyed when the big reunion finally happened. AL did a good job of standing awkwardly on the sidelines while mom and the kids had a hug fest. Judith was a toddler when she and her dad last saw each other and here she is a teenager. RJ looks to be 10 or 11? (I don't have kids, so I'm terrible at guessing kids' ages.) How much time was supposed to have passed since the bridge went boom? 5. Now I think that the crackly radio talk Daryl and Carol had back in his spin-off did have Carol referring to Rick and Michonne's return when she told him "they came back." Again, I suck at figuring out the timeline in these shows, but maybe it's plausible. 6. I didn't see a katana when Richonne got out of the helicopter. Is that right? Boy, that's the end of an era right there. 7. Guys! We made it! We few, we happy(ish) few, who have stuck with the mother ship TWD over the years have finally seen it come full circle. Welcome home, Rick and Michonne.

You know, based on the last episode "Bye", I thought the show was going to do a rehash of the time back in the OG when Michonne wanted to fight the Saviors and Rick wanted to appease them because that's what he believed would keep his people safe. It looked like they were setting us up for that with an added dollop of Rick's belief that he, on his own, could start to fundamentally change the CRM ethos now that Thorne has said she no longer believes in everything Okafor wanted them to do. I'm glad that at the end of this ep, they were both in Get the Hell outta Dodge mode. On a purely shallow note, I hope going forward we get to see Rick in jeans again. I've missed those bow legs. And his boots. Michonne was still carrying those around with her, wasn't she? Does CRM have them, and if so why didn't it raise any questions about why she had them? Did Jadis take them? Does she have Michonne's katana? I can't wrap my head around the show ending this series without Michonne reuniting with her kitana, eh.

I loved this episode. I suspect it's going to be divisive because it was mostly a 30-minute therapy session with occasional walker-killing thrown in, but the dialogue was purposeful and revealing and ultimately healing. The last scene with the two of them in the bright yellow hybrid stick shift was perfect and funny and I didn't realize how much I needed that return of the Richonne of old until I saw them laughing together again. The call-back to Carl was beautifully done. The reason why Rick could never give a good description of Carl's face to the cell-phone-etching artist turned out to be heartbreaking; when Michonne handed Rick her portrait of Carl, I teared up. I thought Danai did a masterful job of writing Rick in this ep. So many pieces were filled in and his survival mechanisms inexorably peeled away. I now get why he built those walls and why he couldn't let Michonne try to break them down, why he was indifferent to the news that he and Michonne had a son. I thought that AL did a fantastic acting job with everything that this script threw at him. And Michonne! At last she talks about what leaving her children has done to her; her guilt and her fear. Her anger and despair and finally the self-realization that the scenes she had written in her head about her reunion with Rick were nothing like the reality she was now living. OK, I have to admit that when she stormed out of the apartment, then stopped to see if Rick would follow her as the scene cut back to Rick hesitating to open the door? I was urgently whispering at my laptop screen, "Open it. Go after her. Go after her!" Heh. So, yeah. This is by far my favorite episode of TOWL so far. I have no idea where the hell this is all going to end up after the next two episodes, but I am now fully invested in this story. Congratulations to Danai on an excellent script. Also I knew she was a playwright, but I had no idea until now that she's also an Obie winner. I have to track down a copy of that play.

I just realized what they're doing with the episode titles here. Strung together, the first three episode titles are: Years Gone Bye. And the very first episode of TWD was: Days Gone Bye. I don't know if they're going to carry this forward for the last three eps, but that would be Rest In Peace. Kind of ominous, if so. I admit to being confused by this episode. I found the time jumps to be distracting. I'm not sure if anything concrete happened outside of Thorne's promotion. I was grateful for the better explanation of why Okafer kiled his wife. So the current CRM is comprised at the upper ranks of the soldiers who mutinied against the USM during the early days/months of the ZA. And as far as we know that mutiny started with Okafer and spread throughout the nation. There had to be more than that to lead to the current - and shrinking - Alliance. I hope we get to learn more over the next three episodes. I couldn't tell if Thorne was just testing "Danai" or if she was following what Okafer did with her: bringing her into the conspiracy to change the CRM from within. Did I hear right that after Thorne got the Echelon Briefing from Beale, she no longer agrees with everything Okafer was planning? I did love the ending to Bye, though. Never underestimate Michonne.

A brief one: something about Omaha not being able to sustain that colony. I believe there was also something said about doing the same to Portland, but I could be misremembering.

Yep. They lied. And that's why they want everything kept secret.

TXHORNS79 posted an excellent response above to a question about Omaha. The Beyonders were from a smaller settlement called Campus Colony. I'd recommend reading his post; it has a lot of good info. You know, I agree that Le'Daryl (heh) and TOWL are in the same timeline, but by the time that M&N get to NYC, it really is a dead city with a population in the low hundreds. Although it might have happened - going Dead - while Rick was training in Portland and reuniting with Michonne. Hopefully the show will tell us something definitive.

I can't wait to see his reaction when Michonne tells him he has a son. I'm going to place my bet now that he and Michonne will want to save the world FOR their kids. Besides when did our guys ever walk into a place and not want to change it? CRM's secret would pretty much be doomed anyway if a lot of other citizens keep secrets the way that Estaban did. And good on Estaban!

Well that didn't go the way I expected. I figured the first half was going to Rick and the second half would be Michonne.. I liked it better the way the show played out, and I was actually shocked when she showed up at the end. I recognized the cape and boots and the katana, of course, before they got to the big reveal. I think probably everyone did. I'm hopeless at WD timelines. TOWL takes place before Dead City, right? I thought at first that Rick and Michonne would run into Maggie and Negan in NYC, and they may, but not in this show's current time. I like Rick so it's fun to see his character back in play. I enjoyed seeing really-pissed-off Rick and his anger management issues slaying ALL the walkers, and everyone else standing back with their "Whoa!" faces on. I loved the two dreams of him meeting and immediately falling in love with Michonne. Danai looked gorgeous, and just seeing Michonne being relaxed and laughing was wonderful. It's great that that's the way Rick remembers her. We really didn't see that Michonne much once they hit Alexandria unless she was with Judith. I like Thorne a lot; I liked Okafer, too. I think he was interesting and a good foil for Rick. I'm sorry that he's been killed off. Unless he shows up in flashbacks if they're even going to show any more for Rick. So, yeah, I'm in. It's only one episode, but so far I'd have to say that I like it more than Dead City but less than Daryl Dixon.

Yeah, that first point was confusing,they sure did drop any follow-up about the screaming corpse. My take on the phone call was that it was about an unrelated car accident or something and that the writer(s) threw it in there just to confuse us. Liz is Peter's mentor. I'm still trying to figure out all of the relationships. Small town - everyone's up in everyone else's business so it makes it believable that they've all known each other forever, but it makes it harder for me to suss out who's related to whom by blood or marriage or what have you. Like the relationship between Liz and Leah isn't one of blood, but Liz's young (and deceased?) son has Indigenous heritage. I think Leah's dad might have been the father to Liz's son. Time will tell. I really like Liz. I really like Evangeline. And Leah. I freakin' love Rose. Mostly I love that True Detective, in it's fourth season, is showcasing female characters, and a diverse crew at that. And let me just put my current theory out there: The she in "She's awake"? She's Gaia.

It all has been addressed in almost throw-away one liners. I believe when Anton Strand showed up, he told Madison that people on the rafts were gunned down once they hit shore. Daniel said that his dementia had been caused by his guilt over not being able to ask forgiveness of Ofelia, but when he realized that she wasn't gone but living in his heart, his memory cleared. Except he lost Skidmark during a bad memory moment. All badly paraphrased by me and more than one line, but none of it was given a lot of weight in the scene. Count me in as another viewer who really enjoyed the early seasons of the show, and even during later seasons there were episodes or characters that still made it worth my time to watch. And yes, there are some first-rate actors who've signed up for this; I feel awful for them that the writers have let them down. I'm sad and frustrated that the characters I've followed for so many years are being given such shoddy fare to send them off. Both they and we deserve better. Does anyone have any idea where this episode was supposed to be taking place? Daniel thinks the herd is from Texas - although a cowboy hat and a turquoise belt buckle could just as easily be from AZ or NM, just sayin' - and Troy walked them here? Because local walkers just wouldn't do? I'm so relieved that Alicia didn't turn out to be Tracy's mother. So Troy cut off her mom's arm to make Madison believe that it was actually Alicia? And Tracy was ok with that and with Mom being herded around and then frozen in place in mud? She is one very understanding child. Honestly, I hate that they're making a saint out of Alicia. Almost literally. She's got a freaking hagiography and a band of roving, well-armed acolytes! I don't know; maybe it makes sense that this sort of thing would start up in the apocalypse. France has Laurent; we get Alicia. As much as I hope that she doesn't get a cameo, I admit that I do hope that Madison gets some sort of peace by the end of the series.

Hi, Charlie! . . . . Bye, Charlie.

Well, that was clunky. I suppose I should be grateful that they've (hopefully) taken care of all of the exposition in the first ep of the back half. And I suppose we maybe can think of the writers as being clever in getting ALL of the new characters gathered together in one room at the end there. That was kind of thoughtful, I guess. But mostly, nah. With one big exception, and that's the opening scene. Germans? Strand ended up in Germany? OK. I mean, Daryl made it to France. But then when the older man with the hurt arm showed up and started speaking English I was really confused . . . until Klaus chirped "Oh, we were on a tour from Germany." Ha! I love seeing Madison and Strand back together. Both this show and the mother ship have done a great job of showcasing that a woman and a man can have a deep and enduring friendship. I could really, really, really do without the return of Troy. I didn't like that character the first time around; I doubt that's going to change in the next few weeks. Considering the writing wasn't that good, the actors still did a lot with what they were given. Cheers for Danay Garcia on her directing, too.

Lots to love, so I'll get my one sticking point out of the way first. Laurent followed Daryl - apparently closely - for two days and 1) Daryl never caught on and 2) Isabella and half the Nest weren't right on Laurent's tail to haul him back home? He is a miracle boy! What took my mind off of that glitch in space/time was the fact that Daryl really was going to get on that boat with no hesitation. If anything he seemed to hesitate rather than immediately run back to rescue Laurent. I wonder how this will affect their relationship going forward. The scene in the veterans' cemetery was moving. I thought Norman did a good job with it. The music was beautiful, as most of the music has been throughout the series. I would buy the soundtrack if they ever released it. And finally, the flag (improbably) was still flying. I got some nostalgia mist in my eyes at the sight of the 48 stars, for, yea, I am old. The fights in the arena were really well staged. When the acid walker kind of ate Daryl's axe and then slid his body along the shaft to attack the guys again, I was pretty damned impressed. I'm glad that Quinn got his licks in during the fight, too. You just know he was a street fighter at a younger age. I like how the writers got to let the audience have our cake and eat it, too: Quinn goes badass and lets Daryl chop his hand off and then take on two of Genet's guys so Daryl gets to escape; but he also gets an axe to the head while he's trying to chaw on Isabelle. Nicely done, that, writers. I'm happy that the Nest turned out to be as wonderful as rumor had it. Good people making a good community. Daryl smiling a lot, fitting in. And making a toast in French! I'm shipping him and Isabelle hard. It's obvious they care deeply about each other. One more thing. I know we're supposed to think that the promise Daryl is desperate to keep is the one he made to Carol, and I'm sure that's a big part of it. I truly believe that the one that keeps pulling him to get back is the one he made to Judith. She's lost all four parents tbh, and she's always been afraid that Daryl would leave her, too. He told her he'd be back. So he has to be back. It was great to see Carol looking like Carol again, and I can't wait to see her at the zombie recruitment camp. I have no idea how the whole Book of Carol thing is going to fit into the existing aesthetic, but I'm choosing to have faith that this season wasn't lightning in a bottle. Loved the series. Full stop.

I really enjoyed it. The action sequences were taut. The juiced-up walker that took out Mr. Juno creeped me the hell out. Also kudos to John Ales who did a bang-up job as said Mr Juno. And while I'm handing out kudos, a basketful of them go to David Zabel for insisting on using dancers for the zombies. The ways in which they can move their bodies can look other worldly, and a couple of them have made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It's going to be a long time before I'll be able to lose the images of the All Zombie Orkestra. I think we saw Daryl's dad make an appearance when Daryl lost his shit with Laurent. I'm sure he heard the words "stupid" and "worthless" multiple times a day as a kid, followed by something more violent than he gave to Laurent. That was bad enough, but for a second I worried he was going to raise a hand to the boy before he stopped. Good scene, and it really took me off guard; I don't remember ever seeing Daryl going off on a kid like that before. Did Carol seem off to anyone else? Almost like we she was trying to speak in code? The only person I can think of who would be back would be Morgan. I thought his parting words on FTWD were that he was going back to be with his old friends, and they would be our gang at the Commonwealth. I love that they're letting Isabella have her own plot line; that not all of her actions are solely in service of pointing to Daryl as the main character. I think that Clèmence Poèsy and Adam Nagaitas work fabulously off each other; I fully believe that their two characters had a complex past together. And you know what? Kudos to Norman Reedus, too, for not turning this show into an ego project. He has a lot of say on how these stories go down, and he's not trying to wrest screen time away from his main co-star. I have to admit that I would not be sad if Isabella is part of S2. This episode did leave me with one big question though: Why did Genet hunt for walkers from the US? She said she spent three years getting that ship sea worthy (and let's not think too hard about where the fuel supply came from). Wouldn't it have been easier and faster to get your walker supply locally? There's a whole European continent just to your east there, Genet. Unless European walkers are tainted somehow? I'm really liking this show.