Pete Martell

Thanks (both of you). Maybe this will be his sign to reign it in. He's gotten so OTT this season to the point where I'm afraid his head will literally explode. I also wish they wouldn't ask so many questions to the actors that they have no real way of answering, as it isn't part of their story, like asking Steven to talk about Carol when Glenn and Carol rarely speak. Sometimes I think they are terrified fans will go apeshit if certain characters aren't mentioned every week. Maybe they will, but when you have to strain to ask, then it may not be worth it.

It's fanservice (and probably Reedus-service), but it's the kind i don't mind. The other bits of fanservice (like the weeping and the self-harm) are what I can do without. I will say I would have been happier if Aaron or Carol or Michonne had been on the back. (not in a shippy way, just in a fun way)

I tend to wonder how much Aaron even knows about it. His job keeps him isolated from most of Alexandria, and he doesn't seem to have any relationships with anyone there but Eric. I don't get the impression Aaron feels the way they do about leaving people behind.

It's nice to see Steven Yeun as the elder statesman as he gives Tyler James Williams some well-earned praise. Gets me a little emotional.

It was grotesque. TJW looked very uncomfortable with it, and the screen split with it and him was in poor taste. What did Hardwick say that made the audience groan/react and he said he shouldn't have said it?

I could maybe buy that Tobin would wake up to his mistakes, it's just that the scene was so clumsily written, like Maggie was about to walk over to the camera and give the viewers a quiz on what they've learned.

That was such an odd scene. He was like something out of an educational film from 1950. I had a hard time believing he'd be so pro-Abraham, instead of being a petty little shit, like Aidan's d-bag friend.

Even the scenes where we found out she was being abused were about Carol and about Sam, with Jessie being discussed as some part of the whole package. Everything about Jessie is about other people, and it always seems to lead back to Rick. If they'd never teased this "connection," and just had Carol learn about her through Sam, I think I'd be more accepting. Having it be about Rick and his hormones and his Shane-breakdown sends some sort of offputting ambiguous message for me - are we only supposed to care that she's being abused because Rick has the hots for her?

That's what gets me. That line where he basically said HE was good and THEY were bad. Is he now projecting all of his own sins onto them? Does he have to do that to live with himself? Otherwise, he just decided to sell them out for no apparent reason. I've defended this character and the writing for him, but it's become a big eyesore. They should have built this up instead of having him take a powder for two episodes.

I guess they aren't even trying to write Jessie as a character beyond the battered wife in need of saving? One scene in the entire episode - all about Rick (once again) - as she just stands there awkwardly prattling on. Three episodes now where her story is a focal point and she's barely an afterthought. The owl statue gets more prominence.

What a hugely uneven show this is becoming. Everything with Rick, Jessie (who for the third straight episode still has no identity outside of Rick) and her creepy husband, who comes right out of bad USA Network TV movies from 20 years ago - it just sucks. Rick's motivation are as vague to me as ever, I find it more than a little insulting that Jessie is truly just an object for Rick to "save" - a breathing version of those damn owl statues). And it feels like Carol's involvement in this story is a cover, in some sense, for Rick's obsessiveness. Rick has to get involved - Pete's abusive! It's just a waste of Melissa McBride to have Carol stuck doing this for an episode, and I almost dread watching Rick scenes at this point, which is sad, as he was one of my favorite characters. And Andrew Lincoln continues to have no chemistry that I could see with the woman who plays Jessie, in spite of this being such a huge life-altering connection that makes him feel for the first time since Lori, blah blah blah. Everything else, other than the rushed, forced scene of Gabriel going on and on and on about evil heathens (which was overwritten and felt endless), worked for me. I was more involved in Abraham's drama than I ever thought I would be. Are they finally getting a handle on this character? I also liked Francine a lot. Eugene's believable heroics, the glimpses of Tara's humor and heart before her injury, Glenn trying his best to lead only to be horribly betrayed, and poor poor Noah (I will never get over that) - this worked beautifully. And while it's lazy writing to say that Alexandria can't survive without the group, it also makes an odd sort of sense, given how pampered they've been. Glenn watching Noah die - one of the best acting moments in 5 seasons of this show. Bravo, Steven Yeun! I also have to praise Tovah Feldshuh for doing so much with a look or a line reading. I don't really like Deanna very much - I think she's deluded and sheltered and a poor leader - but I can understand her, which I rarely do with "leader" figures on this show. If we get another episode like this I'm going to start hoping Rick just wanders off my screen for a good long while.

I'm so glad Maggie overheard that prattle. I'm so annoyed with Gabriel saying I AM GOOD and THEY ARE BAD! He's just a child. A silly child.

They're both mostly focused on their own problems, which I get (with Carol more than him), but it really isn't leadership.

I wish Glenn had beaten him to death.

He's so pathetic at this point, spending day and night sniffing around a married woman, I doubt he'd be any better.

I had no real opinion of most of the Woodbury group, and I didn't really mind most of Terminus (you know, aside from eating people), but I HATE most of Alexandria. Hate.

Oh God this is so awful. I want to cry. Steven Yeun sold that moment - he was me. I'm so angry about Noah and I'm so angry that so many viewers will be too busy joking about "another black man dead" and "the walkers hated Chris" to even care about him.

It looks like that one walker is taunting Glenn...

Sam and Carol make me sad :(

This scene where Punched Guy goes on about the righteousness of Abraham and how he now sees the truth...would not happen in real life.

I really like Francine a lot. That means she's going to die soon, doesn't it?

I got the impression he was pretty close to taking it off and this was supposed to be some moment. Maybe I'm wrong and he was reminded to keep it in his pants.

I guess that's why they made that guy such an asshole - so they could get a cool gore shot and we wouldn't care. It's sweet that Eugene had such a hard time shooting walkers in the head while getting Tara out - an unintentional (presumably) callback to Tara not knowing you had to shoot walkers in the head.

So this weird, creepy-ass encounter with "the new Mrs. Rick Grimes" husband causes Rick to take off his ring? Why? So he can "save" her? Is this his idea of a marriage? This story just pushes all my buttons, and not in a good way.

Does anyone else think that woman with the gun (Francine?) is Abraham's dream woman? Any way he could go out with her and maybe Rosita could find love with Tara?