DearEvette

The Hilltop House apparently was under the Walking Dead Cloak of Invisibility. Often used by Walkers who magically appear when they were nowhere to be seen just seconds earlier. Probably my biggest peeve with this show sometimes. A person can be smack in the middle of a football field sized clearing and not a single walker in sight and then bam! he's suddenly surrounded on all sides by like 40 of them.

1) I think the stabbing of Gregory is just more theatre to bring home the point just how eeevillll... Negan is. Although I don't get why dude was so quick to stab Gregory. Well, I do, cuz Gregory is a jerk. But it seemed like he had no problem with shanking his leader without a second thought. I mean, if Beth were alive and Negan held her and threatened to kill her unless Maggie stabbed Rick, would she have just rolled on Rick and just stabbed him like that? What does that say about their trust level in each other? Say what you will about CDB, they aren't gonna roll like that. 2) I wonder if they have walkie talkies or something? They have to have some way to communicate over distance for emergencies. Maybe Rick gave them all a call? other thoughts.... I think Gregory's insistence that they shower, the willful misuse of Maggie's name is all a petty way to assert control. I mean he has taken over a plantation and acts like he is some pre-Civil war dandy being all benevolent to the little people. The fact that Negan is bleeding his compound dry shows how very little power he has. I wonder how Negan knows exactly how much output the Hilltoppers have? Is Jesus a spy? i mean the man is great at intel and you have to admit his coming upon Rick and Daryl the way he did was mighty convenient. And finally, I am not sure what the best solution for Rick & Co. WTR to Negan. No matter what, a showdown is inevitable given the glimpse we saw of Negan's people with Daryl, Abe and Sasha. They are willing to kill indiscriminately to just take what they want. -- Do they sit tight and shore up their defenses at Alexandria waiting for the inevitable showdown because it is a certainty that Negan will come for them? home court advantage and all that. Now that the Hilltoppers know where they are and their own self interest can be used as a bargaining chip, no reason to think they won't throw Rick & Co. under the bus. -- Do they take it to Negan & Co? Go on the offensive rather than the Defensive. Get a better sense of what they are up against rather than waiting for the fight to come to them? We all know someone we like is gonna bite it, not just nameless cannon fodder like most of the Alexandrians. I just hope Rick & Co. are not stupid about it all.

Viewing Jessie's character trajectory in the context of Rick and Michonne's romance, it seems pretty clear in hindsight that she was the necessary "relationship" he had to have in order to clarify his mind re: Michonne. And also in hindsight, given the effect Rick's crew seem to have on everyone they interact with, the likelihood of her surviving was really low anyway. Lori was Rick's only other romantic relationship in the show. But when the Z-A happened he was in a coma. And it was left to Shane to be the one to see to the safety of his wife and child. Not Rick. Rick didn't get to see the gradual rise of the pandemic. He woke up in with it in full bore. Up until Alexandria he hadn't come across a community that was so reminiscent of what he remembered. So here you had a pretty woman, who probably strongly reminded him of the the type of woman he would have been attracted to pre-Z-A. In a place that you can close your eyes and almost imagine is just like before and even better.... she has a controlling husband. She needs protecting. It is no wonder Rick's reaction to her felt off and really rather unhealthy. I think he let himself fall into a make-believe love because outside of everything else is harkens back to what used to be normal and that thing that got stolen from him before he could really adjust. But in the end she isn't the right person for him she's too soft. This isn't the same world anymore. The Rick that now exists couldn't thrive with Jessie. I think of Glenn as having a similar trajectory. Glen had been out and about in the Z-A longer than Rick, so I could imagine by the time he got to the relative tranquility of Hershel's farm he felt a little like what Rick probably felt like when he got to Alexandria. He got into a relationship with Maggie rather quickly. But unlike Jessie, Maggie hardened up real nice and quick.

- I loved everybody's face when they realized Rick & Michonne were together. Sure they had their guns all trained on Jesus, but their eyes were on the new couple. - "waiting for your mom and dad to get dressed." - Aww! - Maggie, I mean, Natalie, was kinda gangsta with Gregory. - I was sure Abraham was gonna die by the end of the episode, he was too introspective. - I think it is very cool that Little Asskicker #2 is actually a planned pancake, but it is making me nervous for Glen. I am thinking he's a goner by the finale. - "What?" Rick's response after he killed that guy and the hilltop folk were staring at him was total Rick. - I am loving the Negan's crew are basically the mob, and so Rick's crew are now protection subcontractors basically. - I am loving the PDAs of Rick and Michonne and the fact that it feels like her having his back during the fighting now has higher stakes.

So what are Rick's crew? Post Z-A commando crew, then?

I'd hate Gregory but I am choosing to feel sorry for him. He's met up with Rick's crew. It will not end well for him.

He's like a plantation verison of The Governor

Wow it is like one of those living history museums we used to go to on field trips in school

I am feeling a littler nervoua about Abraham for some reason...

Rick "It's different." Explaining Michonne to Carl. AKA awkwardly telling your son that your hookup with his mother-figure isn't just a booty call.

Yeah I am of the opinion that Abbie isn't quite aware of everything she is doing. I think that last week she shrugged it off as just a small irritant to readjusting. That makes sense, why bug people when all you're doing is readjusting? I am wondering if seeing the symbol kicks off her -- fugue state? or whatever it is? But she's beginning to spiral. What I didn't expect... and thank you show for this... was that she would tie it back to her mother's mental illness. I can almost see Abbie being a little afraid and a little ashamed that she might has some hereditary mental illness. So it plays into the stigma of this, not confiding just yet. She is also an FBI agent and admitting to something like that could get her fired. But I actually believe that she will eventually confide in Ichabod. Either that or he'll catch her in mid prayer and he'll be the one to let her know something isn't right.

Seriously, either they are really setting up the show to go there with an Abbie/Ichabod pairing or they are trolling the shippers hard. Either way, Tom Mison is totally playing Ichabod as someone who is in love with Abbie. That meal, the candles, etc. That goes beyond mere caring. That is grade 'A' wooing right there. I felt bad because Abbie shut him down, but that last scene of her praying to her symbol displays that Abbie is not quite right. I like the curveball they threw with Abbie in this episode. Sure we knew she was having some issues, but this goes beyond that and I am really intrigued. Would have never guessed they were going there. I am sure Abbie's dad is a nice person and all but he bailed. And his two kids were in left in foster care and, at least in Jenny's case, we know she lived with some some pretty shitty "care"givers. Dude you abandoned your wife and kids. Abbie's response of 'I have people' when he offered to help felt right. I am actually liking Sophie's inclusion in the group. They aren't over-selling her. I especially liked her 'I have your back' to Abbie when Abbie was doing her symbol hallucination during Daniel's meeting. Everybody knows Abbie isn't 100% -- now Imma need them really clue in and figure out she's all wrong. Again a sweet 'at home' moment between Abbie and Ichabod to (almost) close the show. I loved her 'That is the Charlie Brown of sandwiches' comment. LOL. The last two episodes felt the closest to the S1 vibe since Tempus Fugit from last season. This one didn't quite get there but it has raised some serious issues now and I am really anxious to see where this all goes.

Yeah,that is my issue. Why must it be specifically be a white guy? Why does a white person have to infiltrate every space? I just found that a bit ironic given the article centers the white male privilege as being the barrier to real diversity. So in a what could be another opportunity to actually increase diversity the space isn't reserved for another marginalized person but rather a white male.

I so agree. The Flash is doing for Tom Cavanaugh what Breaking Bad did for Bryan Cranston in my eyes. Namely, making me reevaluate him as an actor away from previous work and realizing how objectively good an actor he is. I am willing to speculate a bit of this as well. I mean he spent most of his life in love with Iris. Maybe he was willing to put it aside because she wasn't able to reciprocate, but I can only imagine that his time with Iris-2 may have re-awakened those feelings. Also, Iris' 'Our doppelgangers were married to each other?" might be the catalyst to also get her to start looking at him differently. I need to go back and look at the ep last season where they kissed, but I think it was imminent disaster or Barry confessing his feelings finally that got Iris to see Barry in that way.

Yes. Their Earth-2 counterparts were so refreshing. The material given these two really suffers by comparison. Man, but how many times did Diggle throw Amanda Waller under the bus? I get it Arrow-verse she is expendable to you, but that was cold. And I think Joe favoring Barry over Iris is one of those things where the parent gives much more time and attention to the needier child. Iris could have easily resented Barry but I think she mirrored Joe there. Man, yes. That scene got me in the feels. I also loved Iris and Joe calmly cleaning their house after the Shark-in-Pants attack. Ain't no thang! Wally's face, tho. LOL.

This is a fascinating article where actual actors/actresses/directors etc. of color & LGBTQ talk about their experience: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/02/24/arts/hollywood-diversity-inclusion.html?_r=0 Although I am a bit irked by this statement form Eva Longoria I don't get how that is refreshing. White guy inclusion is pervasive, almost a given. It would have been more refreshing, imo, if they had said "We need to cast a non-Latino somewhere in there." Leaving the ethnicity open for other races not just white & not just male.

Ha. At least you got to do 'Whew' and Victory Arms. The whole time my reactions was... Wait. Is this happening? This is happening! Is this happening? My goodness, I think this is happening! They are still kissing. I guess this is really happening. OMG, they are in bed. Naked. It happened!!

If there is going to be a major character death in the finale that is going to be one that really affects the fans then the two most likely characters are Glen and Daryl. I think Glen is a more likely prospect than Daryl. - He's got a pregnant girlfriend. This is ripe for gut-wrenchyness. - He's cheated death this season already twice. Whimsically you can view this as death stalking Glen and things just keep getting it his way, but he will catch up with Glen because Glen is next on his list. - His name is on the Alexandria Remembrance Gate of the Dead (it is greyed out, but it is there) -- and the camera lingered on it suspiciously long in the last episode. I don't think it is Daryl. Not unless Reedus has quit.

According to Danai, it literally was their first time. She said they did not rehearse the kiss. So their first kiss was really on screen.

Ha! I went through this relationship list and the only one that had any emotional resonance was Rick and Lorie. And as much as she got on my nerves, I liked the Rick/Lorie/Shane drama. Sasha/Bob? Sorry for your loss but 'Tainted Meat' is one of my favorite lines. Deanna/Husband? I can't even be bothered to remember his name. Tyreese/Karen? About as interesting as Sasha/Bob and not even a good tag line to remember her by. Rick/Jessie? Did she even go here? I like to think Rick/Michonne will last kinda like Maggie & Glen. At least Michonne is super competent in her own right. I like to think the scene of her and Rick hopping out of bed buck naked on pure instinct to face a threat is the real indicator of how this relationship will proceed. Speaking to Rick/Michonne - I loved the intro scene of their make-out session. He was lying there across the couch all weary and she comes in and just kicks his leg and says 'Move'. And he just does. Talk about easy intimacy...

Oh most definitely. Also, I can;t help but thinking that Crane was losing to Abbie is chess because he was 'so distracted' because he was thinking about what Zoe said to him. I mean, what else could Crane be distracted about at that point? He's ready for a commitment, just not with her. He liked Zoe and thought he was courting her. But the minute Abbie was in need he literally forgets about Zoe's existence. At this point the show has made Abbie and Ichabod's bond so deep that she can bring his soul back to his body just by thought and he forgets the existence of everything else except her. No other woman or man is ever going to be able to compete with that. All that Queen and Knight business... I see you show.

I know.... I loved it. The look on everybody face as they watched The Kindreds fall in love was truly hysterical. As you say, I mean most recently Ichabod projected his astral body to an otherworld where Abbie just spent ten months and both of them are watching this like it is strangest thing they've ever seen. LOL. I don;t know how the FBI works, but how often does a field agent have to check in? Especially one who is working undercover like Sophie was? When Abbie handed in her resignation, Sophie told Daniel that Abbie raided a bunch of weapons. So Danny already knew something was up with Abbie's abrupt resignation. It is obvious he covered for her and as the head of the SH office, he is actually in the best position to do so, so as to not raise any flags to higher ups. He most likely covered for her there and used Sophie to discreetly investigate her just in case.

This was a good episode on so many levels -- - I like how they are using Abbie's time in the otherworld. First as a way to showing her PTSD and her issues with re-adjusting and then as a way to use it as a jumping off point for the back half of the season. You know that symbol she's writing means something and it probably portends some power of her own. Also at the very top of the show when Abbie is playing chess alone, she is writing the symbol on the table there as well. Except not in blood so she doesn't realize she's doing it. Nice bit there. - I like how they used the Kindred as a call back. Thank you for picking that piece of unresolved plot back up. Also for Ichabod taking the blame for his resurrection. I think he called it "thoughtless inelegance." And LOL, nobody contradicted him. Recall, Ichabod's need to go haring off to rescue Katrina's sorry ass if the reason they raised him in the first place. - I dislike Busty Ross and find her useless. But I do admit that if they had introduced her in the first place in a flashback like this one, I would have been less inclined to dismiss her as much. Putting aside my disdain for the way she had been deployed, this was an actually good use of her in a flashback. - I agree with everyone who says that the send off of Zoe was more Ichabod than her. He was 'fond' of her, but that was it. If he could forget about her so completely in a month and half without even bothering to text her then that 'relationship' was nothing. It is creating another brick in the road toward ichabbie frankly. I also don't think this is over. Her mentioning the "I told my brother in law to help you, I talked to my family about you...." tells me that she was waaaay more involved than he was. I would bet that she is the type to cut off that resource. We haven't heard much about Ichabod's citizenship lately but this will probably come back to bite him on that. I mean, she walked into the archive and said "you are literally doing nothing." I don't know about the papers Hawley got him, but Ichabod isn't employed by the SHPD anymore and he's not a citizen and he's not a student so.... he could be in danger of being deported of she's bitter enough or says something to her bro-in-law - I am really liking the way they are incorporating Sophie. She's a good actress and brings the right amount of belief and knowledge of the supernatural plus the right amount of 'holy shit you guys, I am still not quite belieiving some of the stuff you do..." - Like how Abbie and Ichabod deploy their troops. They assign Sophie to stuff and they assign J & J to other stuff... each suited to their strenghts. - This would have been a nice time for Abbie to drop the "You know I met Franklin back when I went to the 1700s? He was quite the sassy one!" We don't know what if any conversation happened between Ichabod and Abbie about her going back in time and her meeting Capt. Crane. - Yup. it is just a matter of time before Pandy turns on her trifling 'True Love'. - I am living for these quiet Ichabbie moments that seem to end each episode this season. Also I love how Tom Mison is making Ichabod look like he is just on fucking cloud nine now that Abbie is back. His demeanour is just so happy cuz she's back! These last two eps have been real home runs.

I think that in the back of Iris' mind she knew that because Killer Frost helped them, Zoom would probably end up Killing her in the end. As an ethical cop Iris wouldn't think to do something like that no matter how much she despised the woman for killing her father. But she knew KF would end up paying for her sins after all. I re-watched and the scene where Barry-2 takes them all up to his lab , I think it was my favorite scene. Not just because of the funny "frisky" line but also it signaled a bit of change in the opinion that Wells and Cisco had about him. Wells was not even trying to hide his impatience and contempt with Barry-2. But when he showed them all his gizmos and what-nots for tracking metahumans, I could see them kinda giving him more speculative looks. And I liked how Iris was like " don't get it twisted, this is why I love this guy." Grant Guston was great in that scene because Barry-2's nerd gun was turned to 100 and he sold it so well. But Candace Patton was also great because each time she looked at him she had this look of just utter pride on her face. You get why WestAllen-2 are together.

For me the problems I think the Joe/Jenny stuff is too far on the opposite side of the Crane/Abby stuff. With Crane and Abby we are getting a looooooong, slow burn full of eye-fucking and hand-fucking and speeches that sounds like solemn vows and stuff (seriously how many times has Ichabod said things to Abbie that sound like he is practicing their marriage vows?). In some ways the slow anticipation is great and sexy but it feels like is so long and slow (kinda like I imagine Ichabod is in bed ... bow chicka bow wow!!). By contrast Joe and Jenny feel super rushed. I think these two do have chemistry. But it hasn't been allowed to percolate enough. They feel undercooked. So when they do go in for the kiss there is no curl of anticipation. They just sorta... mash faces. I actually do like the idea of Jenny and Joe as a couple, but I think even though they got their romance, they are actually getting shortchanged because it doesn't feel like a true relationship, but rather character expediency.