lawless

I loved that Carol sized the Wolves up so quickly, realized that they didn't have guns, and also realized how important it was to protect the armory. And disguised herself so well so fast. Like Walter White from Breaking Bad, I am fascinated with characters who make their way so effectively in violent situations by using their heads instead of relying more on physicality. Regarding Morgan - clearly something transformative happened to him since we last saw him. I don't perceive him as weak or cowardly in any way. He's brave, intelligent, skilled, willing to endanger himself for others, perceptive, and quite the badass in his way. But he seems committed to the belief in giving people a chance to change and embrace their better natures. It's almost like he's a Buddhist monk -- maybe a fictional one, something about this seems to remind me of a movie or something, but I can't place it. Anyway I agree that he's been able to manage this way until now because he's been mobile and alone, and perhaps lucky. Living in a stationary place with vulnerable people is different, and I think he's smart enough to figure this out. The question will be what he does -- adapt and kill and continue to live with others, or maybe hit the road solo again and hold to his beliefs? Who knows, maybe neither. I wish Herschel was still around, I think he and Morgan would get along very well and be of a strange comfort to one another. Anyway, I like that Morgan challenged Carol on her coldness. While in this scenario I think she was right, it seemed to open the way for her to allow herself to feel sadness a little, and that's interesting. I also loved the shot of Carol and Morgan passing each other in the street, walking 180 degrees from one another -- a little on the nose, but I liked it. I did like that Carl was above the teenage love triangle and was willing to protect Ron. His hair is terrible, but he's actually turned into a pretty good kid.

I think the notion was that for our characters, things were building to crisis levels, they were about the flee, and if they had fled, they probably would have landed in the roads in the thick of the start of the "Great Panic" (TM World War Z), and things might have gotten very interesting -- but the military arrived, quarantined the neighborhood, and now they are in a strange holding pattern. Have been for 9 days. No job to get to, no errands to run, can't go for a drive, no where to go really, nothing on TV (I presume), no mail, limited power anyway, etc..... None of the civilians seem to be working on long term survival solutions because they still don't think the world has collapsed, and the military is providing for their basic needs. Travis in particular seems to think this is a temporary calamity and that eventually all will be set right again. He trusts the military, or at least he did until later in the episode, and he can't seem to allow himself to consider the possibility that everything is gone, and what that really means. To think about that is terrifying, and virtually unthinkable. Because the military showed up, right now he doesn't have to think about it. But I bet he's got a lot of free-floating anxiety about their situation nibbling at the edges of his mind. Plus, he's got a house full of strangers, his resentful son, his nice ex-wife who is probably very uncomfortable in the house, his stressed out girlfriend, her junkie son and angry daughter, remnants of blood/brains on the wall, not-so-friendly army guys keeping danger out of the fence but also keeping the people in -- it all makes for a lot of free-floating anxiety and no where for it to go . I am not surprised he feels like running. It's his only outlet at the moment, as he fortunately does not seem to be the kind of person to take his frustrations and anxiety out on his family. It's surreal though, I agree. I have a feeling that if he survives in the long run, he'll one day look back on this time utterly stunned at how naive he was, and how uselessly he spent his time. I don't hate him for it though, I think it's human and it's just where they are right now in coping. As long as he wises up eventually.

Me too. I really hope the show surprises us and either she successfully manipulates him, or they genuinely like each other and that turns out to be helpful, or it just drops away plot wise. Travis is a nice guy, but his trusting nature is scary. I hope Daniel Salazar sticks around. While he seems excessive cynical we're starting to learn why and at least his guard is up.

Maddie's description of her "issues" to Travis was annoying because they were so petty -- but I thought she was spouting the small fry bullshit complaints because she's trying not to voice the big issue she has with Travis -- that they waited to leave until morning to try for the desert, against her instincts to go to the desert the night he came back. Now they're trapped. She doesn't want to say it, I think, because it would mean openly discussing whether they are better or worse off with the military in the quarantine zone, which is very scary, and her feeling that they're worse off isn't rooted in much other than instinct. It superficially seems better, and Travis (at least until later in the episode) seemed to think that civilization is still there and that the military will eventually restore order. But Maddie's instincts, like some other people's, are telling her that's not so. However, there's not much information to work with, so she's just feeling constantly anxious and edgy, and it's coming out over the smaller things. Plus the overall constant anxiety mixed with boredom they all must feel, and the loss of privacy because of all the people in the house, one of whom is Travis's ex and the others who are strangers. It's not a flattering light we saw her in, but I kinda get it. Plus she's worried about her junkie son and feeling increasingly trapped. Maybe she thinks at least in the desert he would be forced to come off the drugs and have no other sources. But on the other hand, who knows what would have happened on the road with Mr. Doesn't Like Guns? And their food and water would probably run out pretty quick even if the travel was miraculously uneventful. Still, their current situation is disquieting and I think she feels it but doesn't feel she can talk about it with Travis, because he's too trusting and optimistic. By the way, I thought she was going to take the gun, but had to hide from the military and then got scared and just went home as fast as she could. Is the military executing non-zombie living people outside the fence because they figure they're all infected and potential zombies? Is our group alive just because the neighborhood is manageable to contain and they are just using the people for blood samples for research, i.e., the daily health checks?

The failure to try TV or the radio, or to frantically discuss what's going on, is bugging me too. But maybe Maddie was avoiding it on purpose to try to shelter Alicia? Cause up until the situation with the dog, Susan's house and so on, she thought they'd slip out to the desert and Alicia would never need to see/know exactly what's going on? That's pretty unrealistic thinking on Maddie's part, yet not an unbelievable human reaction, especially given where they are in the crisis. From a storytelling point of view, that is actually ok with me. I am also ok with the concept of Travis failing to comprehend/acknowledge what we know to be the truth of the situation. The taking out of the trash was a nice touch. I actually got it, he didn't think to bury the bloody stuff, so what else are you gonna do? He's not a mobster, he has no idea, this is all way beyond anything he's experienced, that's true for all of his family, and I guess I would expect them to be floundering at this point. But I think the show is missing the mark somewhat by not showing the characters in more frantic, shocked moments. The absence of that element doesn't ring true. Maybe it's still coming, but I feel like I'm missing out on the "panic" part of the "Great Panic" portion of the zombie apocalypse, and I'm really interested in seeing it, especially in a place as heavily populated as LA.

Almost forgot -- maybe the neighbor rolling out the trash barrel in the morning that Travis saw had to deal with the zombified family who had the birthday party. Didn't the neighbor Patrick bite the mom? Maybe that's how Susan got infected. I also couldn't believe they left the windows open, lights on, and waved the flashlights about knowing that the creepy neighbor zombie was somewhere outside. Those windows could break easily for all they know -- then what! I am very worried about the military, not that the plan to head to the desert with sleeping bags looked much better. I am afraid that either the military will try to conscript the able-bodied in a fruitless attempt to take back the city, or that they are just a rogue unit acting to save themselves, and that they will strip the neighborhood of food and other supplies. Maybe they're legit, but I have a bad feeling. In which case, if they had listened to Maddie, they might have gotten away. On the other hand, god knows what the roads to "the desert" are like at this point. Surely many other people have had the same idea about fleeing, and some are likely bitten and infected. Plus accidents on the road, road rage, looters -- they needed to leave fast, faster than they attempted. Travis was stuck, so it's not his fault, and I understand his reluctance to try the roads at night. Plus, the urge to hunker down in your familiar home must be strong. But it feels like they waited too long to escape LA.

I think Travis is not sure that they are dead, and instead thinks maybe they are alive with some horrible type of Rabies. I am very impatient with this, because of course, I know what's going on, but I try to remind myself that walking vicious corpses would normally be far less logical an explanation than deeply sick rabid people. (Like in 28 Days Later or I am Legend). He's seen Calvin up close, but Calvin was really, really recently dead and didn't look undeniably like a rotting corpse. He should have been dead from the gunshot and getting hit by the car twice, but he was young and involved with drugs, so maybe Travis thinks there's the possibility that he was still alive and sick from the Rabies and hopped up on some kind of drugs, and that's why he kept coming. It defies logic, but I guess not more than zombies as a concept does for people who are uninitiated to the Walker reality. Maybe he thinks he can still reason with the people who are infected, contain them, and hope for a cure. Nick and Maddie, however, have seen other zombies -- Nick's girlfriend looked pretty dead, and Maddie initially went through the same thing with Artie that Travis just did with the neighbor. Maddie came round when she had to, and I think her experience put her a little ahead of where Travis is. Also, as a woman (like myself), she's a bit smaller and more physically vulnerable than Travis. So maybe she's also less inclined to try to subdue the "sick," because she's in less of a physical position to manage it. Travis may believe he can manage it a little more, since he seems fairly tall and fit. You're wrong Travis! But I don't know, maybe that's part of his thought process. The positive thing is that he wants to be a civilized person still, the trick will be managing to survive despite this.It seems ridiculous that Maddie et al sneaked through the maze to get the gun from Susan's house, but I think they felt defenseless to the neighbor without it, and thought it was safer than the street. Leaving the doors open was inexplicably foolish though. As for Susan and the pills, I thought maybe she got bit, got very sick (too sick to respond when Maddie etc... came to her house) Had taken medicine to try to feel better, and then died and rose shortly before the daughter went back to the house.

I also thought this sequence was poorly executed for these reasons too. I guess it's possible Travis/stepdad didn't call the cops because he figured they already knew and had probably removed the bodies themselves -- but then it would be strange that there was no police tape marking off the area as a crime scene, which should have been a further tip that something is amiss to Travis, and he made no comment about this oddity when telling Maddy/mom. Alternatively, maybe he was afraid to get Nick more mixed up in criminal activity, especially since he's 18 and a druggie. But overall, he didn't seem to show quite the mystified horror I would expect a scene like that to instill in someone, and he was far too brief in his description of the scene to Maddy later and too willing to go back, especially without any type of self-defense weapon (even a baseball bat). It also took me out of the story too. Her reaction seemed even worse to me. Even not knowing about zombies, I would imagine that seeing that much gore and visceral (and smelling it) would evoke a more frightened horrified response, especially if your kid was missing and this was the last place you knew he had been. Don't even get me started on their bizarre reaction to zombie Calvin. I can see that they might rationalize that his behavior was the effect of powerful drugs, but still. Just the repeated shocks of your son confessing to murdering a childhood friend, the body being missing, and then appearing in that condition and attacking you -- that alone would cause most people to freak out and panic. I was getting the impression that the authorities do know something strange is going on (and realistically, they would have to), so maybe the cops just removed the bodies without the normal crime scene treatment, because they know there's no one to charge with a crime. However, if the authorities know that the dead are reanimating and attacking the living, I struggle to imagine how that could be kept a secret. Too many disparate groups of people nationwide would have to know (police and hospital workers, the CDC, the feds, etc...) in order to handle the zombies/bodies, and some among them would spread the news (or even just rumors) to their spouses, boy/girlfriends, best friends, whoever, and it would be more than just an internet rumor that Tobias picked up on. The regular news would pick up the story, if for no other reason than it was an internet phenomena. So far there was the video from the traffic incident, but if this were happening in five other cities, I can't imagine that in our day and age, other people would not have gotten footage on their cell phone cameras, and that it would be everywhere. On the other hand, maybe the news did get out, and the regular media "exposed" it as a fake. Hard to say, I guess we'll learn more next episode. Anyway, I want to like the show because I love TWD, and because I loved Deadwood and always want to see Deadwood actors succeed, but this Pilot did not deliver the same scares or emotional jolts that TWD pilot did for me. A slow burn is ok, and part of my impatience is that I know what's going on even though the characters do not, and I have to remind myself to be patient because they have no reason to know. I hope that the show will continue to develop the characters so as to make some of their behaviors make a little more sense. For example, it seems like the show is hinting that Maddie is kind of an enabler of Nick, and that might be why both his sister and Travis's son are frustrated and angry -- it's not that the sister doesn't care, but she needs her mom to stop enabling and stop believing Nick will get his act together in order to protect herself from the pain he's causing the family. Travis's son may be superpissed primarily because his dad is getting himself mixed up with enabling Maddie and her druggie son, and he sagely has no patience for junkies. I don't particularly enjoy them either, however Nick has the potential to be entertaining at least. There is a clownish quality to him that is new and refreshing to the Walking Dead universe. It's that aspect that reminds me most of Johnny Depp -- he has the same coloring and bony cheekbones, and a touch of the clownishness and cowardice of Johnny Depp in Sleepy Hollow and the Pirates movies. I was both very scared and amused as Nick ran from the Church in his girlfriend's shrug while hitching up his pants to keep them from falling off (a la Jesse from Breaking Bad who tripped over his own pants in the Pilot). Then, the stolen grandpa clothes. Hee! That quality is definitely something the show should keep, if it can. Plus, being a homeless junkie, he may adapt better to living rough when the city falls and the electricity goes than the rest of his family, so there's that.

If there was ever a time for the Captain to look the other way, this was it. Yes, people do need to abide by rules and codes, and certainly Chandler can't let his crew think that Rachel has carte Blanche to kill whoever she chooses. But this guy? This one particular sociopathic, still contagious, intentional killer of billions? Who caused the death of more than half the world's population, who not only joined the death cult of the immunes in their conquest of America but who set to work for them by working hard to figure out how to best target innocent children by enticing them with death-laden teddy bears? Who told the foot soldiers delivering said teddy bears to tell the innocent, vulnerable kids in desperate need of the comfort and security such a gift should by all rights represent to make sure they squeezed the teddy bears, in order to release more death-laden virus to better kill their siblings and parents? Fuck this guy. He should have been summarily executed. Military men like Chandler and the crew revere the fighting men of the "Greatest Generation" who won WW2. Anyone who has studied the honest history of that war, and I expect Chandler to have, knows that many of those soliders and their leaders did things in real life that were far more morally questionable than what Rachel did, and this is known, understood and forgiven without much fanfare, out of an understanding that "war is hell" and decent men involved in it are sometimes are driven to do otherwise unacceptable things. Rachel wasn't in combat of course, but Niels was responsible for homicide on a scale unimaginable. She saw the teddy bear and knew what it meant, and she (and everyone) has been under stresses of a magnitude not unlike that of combat. She cracked under the horror of it all. And didn't she recently tell Chandler to kill the men who killed her doctor friend in the lab in Florida, and wasn't his reaction pretty much like "totally, done and done"? Because he was up for revenge then, so it was fine. Was killing Niels the way she did right? No. But the situation doesn't equate to anything mankind has experienced. I feel very confident that if she ever is tried for murder and the whole story is told, a jury would be likely to engage in what is known as juror nullification and set her free. What should Chandler have done? Concocted a credible sounding explanation that Niels's unique body chemistry, the same unique qualities that saved him from the virus, made him react badly to the treatments he was receiving, causing his death. Hell, say Rachel gave him a modified dose of the cure in an innocent effort to keep him from being contagious and accidentally killed him because of his weirdo uniqueness. The crew would probably accept that, and order would be restored. From a storytelling perspective, Rachel and Chandler could still be at odds, but privately. I think that would be more believable dramatically and interesting to me. I really struggle with accepting his treatment of her when compared to the Secretary of HUD who, let's recall, was never actually elected president but fell ass backward into it, and who knowingly joined a death cult of foreigners who were using him to take over America at the expense of the lives of all survivors who weren't immune. In fact, his prior willing complicitly apparently resulted in featuring him in a recruitment video that motivated one of the immune prisoners to join the immunes in the first place. And he still seems shifty, and I think he secretly communicates with Valkrie by computer! Anyway, that asshole gets understanding, privacy, discretion and man-tears from Chandler despite conspiring with murderous foreign invaders, but Rachel gets a formal investigation and hung out to dry for killing the biggest mass killer in the history of mankind-- just this one time! If this were a Joss Whedon show I'd think the show was making an intentional comment about the patriarchy/good old boys network or something, but it's not. So I guess I have to go with Chandler needs someone to remove the hypocritical stick from his ass, pronto. Team Rachel and Tex! And though he's loyal to Chandler, in his heart of hearts, I think Slattery's on Team Rachel and Tex too.

Rollo wears a bear skin cloak, and I think he's supposed to represent berserker -- and he'll be at the ceremony. I think he's the bear. Not sure if the princess is literally a princess though.

Wow, I did not see King Ecbert's betrayal coming. I really thought his son went rogue. Remember how much Ecbert tried to convince Athelstan and Lagertha to stay in Wessex? When I think back on that I am chilled, because now I think he was actually planning to use Lagertha as a hostage as leverage against Ragnar, and possibly Athelstan as well though I think he probably had a much nastier fate in store for him. Ecbert knows about Judith's infidelity (which is treason for her) and though at first he seemed strangely tolerant of it, I wonder if he was encouraging it to compromise her to gain some sort of leverage against King Aelle. I don't know, but he's so conniving I no longer trust him at all. He is a magnificent bastard, but I am sad to see the budding bromance with Ragnar come to an end. It sticks in my craw, and I kinda hate him for it, but I understand why Ragnar didn't fight for Lagertha's Earldom. He owes her hugely, it's doubtful he could have defeated Earl Borg without her help. But in their world a female Earl was probably an aberration, and others would have kept challenging her even once Kalf was dealt with -- it would have been a constant civil war in which many of their own people would have been killed, including possibly Bjorn. If Lagertha were victorious with Ragnar's help, people still wouldn't respect her and would see her as his pet-- it just wouldn't work. I feel bad for her though, she's awesome and a good leader. Loved Ragnar's backflip to get away from Floki.

I don't see Glen siding with the Alexandrians after what just happened, if it comes to picking sides. I think Maggie is trying to make the new situation work, but I think she's being shrewd more than I think she's fallen under Alexandria's spell. She's working directly with Deanna and tries to gently assuage her concerns, and she has tried to smooth over potential conflicts and rough spots between Deanna and her own people. Her decision to just listen while Father Gabriel spewed his Satan stuff was smart and disciplined. I will be very curious to see what she does about that.

I am shocked to say that if Abraham would just shave off the facial hair and tone down the Orange flattop, he'd be attractive in his way. He looked pretty awesome killing zombies at that construction site, and saving Francine just because it was the right thing to do was wonderful and refreshing. Compare that to Rick and Michonne just leaving the hitchhiker by the side of the road back in the day.

The painting toenails thing was interesting -- it was intimate, but not overtly sexual, and he was literally at her feet, but not in a creepy way. She allows intimacies with him, but also keeps him at arms length. Normally behavior like that would bother me about a person, but somehow it doesn't with Kim. Maybe it's because I don't think she's manipulative, just honestly conflicted. And there is legitimate reason to be conflicted about him. Also, he knows she has limits with him. I am very curious about their past and how they met.

Some of the job assignments seem to concern necessary things, but some of the assignments just seem to be busy work, and they all seem to have plenty of leisure time. Rick should be head of security inside and out of the walls, not a wandering constable breaking up fights (that don't seem to exist at this point) and investigating the destruction of sculptures. As you guys have astutely pointed out, a lot more people should be gardening -- in fact, they should be farming, and keeping chickens to provide eggs, and perhaps rabbits, so they don't have to hunt them. Deanna has some smarts, but neither she nor anyone there seem to really understand what the nuts and bolts of long term survival will require of them, both in terms of food production and security. I wonder if part of the reason they need people now is because before, they didn't really have problems maintaining the power or obtaining food, but now, with the passage of time, things are finally starting to break down. Maybe only recently the supplies they laid in with are starting to dwindle or malfunction, and maybe they've only had to venture out on runs lately. That could also explain how inept Aidan and crew are -- they've spent most of the apocalypse inside the walls, and have only recently been forced to venture out. After all, while there is a construction crew, other than the wall/fence itself, it doesn't look like is any construction in town. The estimate for completing the job did seem very long, given that they have nothing else to do. It's like they're mostly been reading a lot of books, watching movies, and playing video games most of the time. Aaron is a recruiter and hunts rabbits, but I wonder how long that has been happening too.

So well put. Odenkirk is amazing, because I badly want these things for him too. I found it absurdly touching in both the scene where he shows Kim the new office, including the corner office, and gently makes his invitation to her to join him, and the scene at the end when he goes back to the office for one more look, alone. So painful. The actress who plays Kim is good too, and I like her unexpectedly low voice. I think Kim genuinely cares for Jimmy, but she just isn't madly in love with him, and maybe she senses the scammer (Slippin' Jimmy) within him, and that aspect of him pushes her away. At any rate, given where they are in their respective careers, she isn't willing to risk hers by publicly acknowledging how close she is or has been with him. And I get it, I don't know if I could risk my career for a man I am fond of, but not in love with, who lives in and runs his law practice out of a closet in a nail salon. It's fascinating that at least so far, he's willing to accept whatever she is willing to allow, and only gently makes overtures to get her to see him. It's his nature, he's not a thug or a heavy. The pitch to her to leave her firm and partner up with him was too much, I knew as soon as she went into the corner office what he was going to suggest, and I cringed because there was no way she was going to accept. But Jimmy made the proposition in a surprisingly low key, chivalrous way, and he was so quietly hopeful but sad. Oh Jimmy. Then the show went back to the Kettleman saga, which I enjoyed, and I was so surprised at the frustration and sadness the Show revealed that Jimmy had at the end. How much of that was about Kim specifically as opposed to everything I don't know, but I realized this ep that Jimmy probably thinks (correctly) that if he had a normal, moderately successful practice, and was not the subject of ridicule by Hamlin, he might really have a future with Kim. On the other hand, would she find him as interesting and charming? I don't know. In any case, he thought that with the Kettleman seed money, he had a shot. It was not realistic to think that he could bring her round, even with the helpful funds from the Kettleman "retainer," because his reputation and status have already been established among their peers, but I found this rare moment of foolish hope on his part very touching. He is a good lawyer, and that's what kills me for him -- something put him on the outs in the legal community (graduating from the University of American Somoa law school can't have helped), and he can't break in to established firms like his brother, and he's struggling as a result. But he's smart, he does work hard, and he's got great insight into people at times, which makes him a very good lawyer. As for his brother, I think he wants him to be happy, but he was dubious about Chuck's new way of building up a "tolerance," because while it could be a good sign, it could also just be another weird way his mental problems are manifesting. Two minutes out of the day is not a long time.

Hmm. I wonder if the abuse storyline is misdirection. Maybe Pete is just a boorish drunk and he and Jessie are just having marital problems like Rick and Lori, and Jessie wasn't flinching in fear last ep, but just pulling away. Maybe Sam wants the gun for Enid, or for his older brother, who knows she climbs the wall and wants the gun so he can try to impress her. Maybe Sam is angry because it's dangerous. Or maybe Pete is a molester and is molesting Enid, who seems to be parentless and perhaps easy to victimize. Maybe that's why she goes over the wall sometimes. His repeated insistence that Rick bring the kids in to be seen is weird, but maybe Enid is the victim and can't tell because she has no where to go. I hope Carol was just jumping to conclusions, because then the story will be a lot more interesting.

Bye Noah. I am surprised how much I lament your death, and how sad I am that you'll never get the chance to learn to build things, or to let creepy Dr. Pete fix your leg. Rest in peace.

Regarding Carol assigning the task of killing Pete to Rick . . . The way Carol's been rolling these days, she may already have planned a full schedule of stealing stuff, intimidating witnesses, and/or murdering people, and she realized she simply doesn't have time to do away with Pete, so she delegated the task to Rick. She's like a mobster now, running kids as petty thieves, cutting them in on a piece of the take, and impersonally plotting the deaths of impediments. But all the while keeping an immaculately clean kitchen, baking delicious, highly sought after cookies, and wearing perfectly laundered and ironed clothes . . . She's like a cross between Martha Stewart and Tony Soprano. God help me, I enjoy watching her, even as she repels me. More seriously, she jumped to the "you'll have to kill Pete" plan pretty quickly, based only on intuition, but maybe she's telling Rick about it now and so bluntly because she realizes he likes Jessie, figures Rick will also eventually pick up on the abuse, and wants to warn him before he does something rash and public in the heat of the moment that could be disastrous for them all. Perhaps she thinks they will obviously look for confirmation before doing anything, but wants Rick to digest the probable truth about what's going on, and where the situation is likely to end (in Carol's mind) while Rick and Carol can talk about it in private, and plan.

I am a viewer who doesn't hate Jessie, nor her possible relationship with Rick, just because she's having a possible relationship with Rick. I don't even hate her at this point. But, meh. Partly that's because she, like all the Alexandrians, have been so sheltered during the apocalypse it's kind of infuriating. None of these people deserve to suffer of course, but I feel like Sasha did at that cocktail party watching these inept fools fuss over the most frivolous, trivial things while our gang has been reduced to eating feral dogs by the side of the road, after being menaced by said dogs, and bracing themselves against the rickety door of a barn that smells like horseshit to keep a herd of Walkers at bay, after which they relaxed by sleeping in the mud and eating acorns. So, I don't begrudge a person an affection for owls, but when these guys are spending time making owl sculptures instead of enhancing their security, farming, shoring up their walls, or something to better ensure their survival, they just rub me the wrong way. All of them, including Jessie. Especially when she says "we've all lost something" -- woman, you have no idea! I get that since she doesn't know what's out there, she can't imagine what they've gone through. But I think if I were in her place, I would perceive that something(s) pretty dramatic happened to these people, more than anything that happened to me, given how shell shocked the whole group seems to be, and how bedraggled and frightening they looked when they arrived. Also, they do not seem to include intact families, while she and most of the Alexandrians seem to have theirs. In that case, I would not be equating my losses with theirs. But it's early, I will take her character a step at a time. Weirdly, I like Olivia more, because at least she occupies herself with practical tasks and seems to have some survival skills, like the ability to cure meat and pickle vegetables, and inventory supplies. It's something, at least. Also, I do like Aaron and Eric, so there's that.

I tend to agree. But I find the looks that he is reacting to . . . moderate. Not ones that I would expect to bring Rick out of the celibacy he's been living in, especially when he's in hyper alert, trust no one mode. Jessie's pretty though, she's definitely not un-pretty, but since she hasn't been presented as more than that looks-wise, I was looking for other qualities to explain the sudden . . . whatever it is that Rick's feeling. Came up dry, except that unthreatening, unquestioning, welcoming softness from a strange women who doesn't know anything about all his experiences and mental baggage is probably very appealing to Rick in the state he's in right now, so there's that. When her sheltered, cookie/Carol-stalking son stamped Rick with that red "A," that immediately sent my mind to Terminus (like some other posters mentioned too -- we've all been out there too long!), so that didn't help my impression of her either. I think you're probably quite right. Plus, there's no privacy and no space in their living situation prior to Alexandria (and they're still all living in one or two houses) and the longevity of Alexandria remains to be seen. That would be difficult, and I'd hate to try a romantic relationship with someone in their circumstances, only to discover that one of us wanted out. How humiliating and painful to have no privacy and no ability to be away from one another. Plus, you don't want there to be any cracks or fissures in the group. Best to just be family the way they are.

I will accept your description of what happened, 8 times is certainly enough to be sure. But it was still weird, and loopy, and the music that accompanied it made the whole thing super strange. I still don't think Rick is all there mentally. Frankly, upon reflection, periodic mental crackups are normal for him. For all we know, he fingered his gun because he imagined he saw Lori and the Governor walking behind Jessie and Pete.

Oh, I actually probably agree with you, I should explain. I actually think several women in the group are very striking, despite the dirt and grime. Sasha for example has beautiful big eyes, an interesting pointed yet delicate chin, nice cheekbones -- I think she's lovely despite the dirt, blood, fugly sweater and oversized army jacket. Maggie is also very pretty and statuesque. Michonne is an amazing character and her body is rockin'. She isn't as pretty on the show (to me, and I am a straight woman by the way), largely because the wig and headband overtake her face and I think sometimes cover too much of her forehead. But she is striking looking, and she's a fantastic character. Rosita is pretty and sexy too. But not only that, she is resourceful, tough, loyal, and decent. Each of the women in the group currently has shown these qualities, and I respect them all. So if Rick were interested in any of them, I would deem them "worthy." Whether they would be good matches for him is another question, but they all stand out to me in a way Jessie doesn't, either in looks or character or both. Jessie's characterization thus far has been really thin, and while she's been nice, welcoming, and nurturing to Rick -- that's it. I haven't found her to be particularly wise, funny, exceptionally compassionate, tough, or so on. So in the absence of a character trait that stood out, what are you left with to elicit Rick's newfound libido/affinity/interest in her? Looks. She is pretty, but not exceptionally so, and I thought the show's attire choices for her worked against her looks rather than enhancing them. The party outfit revealed some skin on her arms, shoulders, back, and chest, so I didn't interpret it as forced modesty, but overall, the outfit was drab and ill fitting, and the skirt looked cheap and forgettable. But I'm not at all saying she should have been all made up, in a mini skirt and heels -- I just thought putting the actress in a simple peasant blouse and jeans would have been more flattering and pretty than what they gave her to wear, without being inappropriate to the occasion. My perceptions of Jessie were also affected by her line to Rick about "we've all lost something, but we've gained something too." I guess I understand where she was coming from, but by grouping her losses in with Rick and the gang's losses by saying "we," she lost me. She came across as another obtuse, oblivious, naïve Alexandrian, which put me off. It was a decidedly unwise, un-insightful thing to say. If she'd said "I know you and your friends must have suffered and struggled terribly before you got here, but try to remember that not all the light has gone out of the world, you still have each other, and I think you can make a good life here," I would have been much more impressed. This is why I think his apparent interest/attraction/affinity for Jessie (such as it is) has to be bound up with his trauma. They all have to have the PTSD to varying degrees, and I think they are all attracted to the safety and comfort that Alexandria seems to offer, even as some of them are suspicious and fearful of it. Just the break from the constant physical deprivations and hyper-vigilance they've had to endure must be incredible, let alone the offer of the life they used to lead before. But they're scared it isn't real or won't last, and Rick in particular has decided that to survive from now on, they must "trust no one." However, he's conflicted too. So I agree that: But then he had some booze, to fit in at the party, but also because the temptation to relax was tempting, and then: Of all the potential comforts and new people, Jessie apparently seems the most genuine, non-threatening and inviting to Rick. So when Jessie purposely leaned into Rick's space a bit, the booze and the feels hit him, and suddenly he found himself leaning in to kiss her cheek, and smell her hair, and get just a hint of what nuzzling with her would be like, and . . . oops! Rick kept things respectable, but that just wasn't a non-interested kiss, and his look afterward made that clear, even if he hadn't ever planned on doing that. It's possible he's playing a long con, like some of you guys posited . . . but then there was his momentary reluctance to take the gun from Carol, his fingering of his hidden gun, and his caressing of the wall on the other side of the Walker. Rick's keeping it together, and yet he's also cracking up. I think even if he's playing a long con, he's also genuinely drawn to Jessie, and would love to just snuggle up and make out with her, and go to sleep, if not have full on sexy times. However, I think he wants the sexy times too, for the first time in a long time. I actually can see why Rick is particularly attracted to this pretty, but bland woman, because again, she's very non-threatening, and Rick is on constant alert for threats -- just like Sasha in that field. But to me, as an audience member, Jessie's underwhelming and seems unworthy of his interest. Her unflattering outfit and lame words of wisdom didn't help. However, maybe nothing will happen between them, and even if it does and Jessie's characterization doesn't improve, the odds are that sooner or later she'll get eaten. So relax Richonne fans -- Michonne and her katana seem to be in this show for the long haul, and there's plenty of time for Rick and Michonne to find each other after they date other people! Let's hook Michonne up with a hottie, she deserves it!

Hey, heh, heh. The caption on that photo isn't nice, but I get the sentiment. Watched the kiss again on YouTube and was struck by a few things. One, it seemed to go by much faster than I thought it did based on memory. Two, I still think Rick just impulsively went for it, and Jessie definitely prompted it by getting very needlessly close to his face during the Judith transfer. That was not the body language of a person merely handing over an infant, I am sure Rick and Tyrese never looked like that when passing Judith between them. Three, Rick's kiss was quick, but his face was that of a man planting a first kiss on the mouth of a date, not a brotherly, perfunctory kiss on a cheek. Four, he seemed to pretty quickly realize that he'd made a pretty clear declaration of his interest in Jessie and looks at her like "well, ah, I kissed you, probably shouldn't have . . . But since I did, what'd ya think? Cause I'm into it!" Five, Rick looks great, very flattering clothes and hairstyle. Jessie in contrast is wearing very unflattering and unstylish clothes, which contributes to the feeling that she is unworthy of Rick's attentions, especially since she is married and his attention is inappropriate. She's pretty, but not particularly striking or dramatic looking, and her skirt looks cheap. They should have dressed the actress a little better. I know she's apparently the SAHM type with a little artsy thrown in, but they could have done a little better. That's probably partly why I feel like Rick's sudden infatuation with her must be partly related to his PTSD and the need for a hug. Good grief, all of our group so badly need a hug. And Valium. And industrial strength therapy.

In further fairness to Rick, he and his family were very nearly butchered like cattle by monstrous hipsters just about 5 or 6 weeks ago, on top of all the other horrors and deprivations of their basic human needs that they have endured since. Shane went crazy and homicidal without suffering nearly so much in horrors and deprivations of basic human needs. Rick appears to covet a strange man's wife, but so far, that's it. He did remind me of Shane much more this episode, but considering all he and the gang have been through, I think he's different. On a side note, his dedication to Judith is wonderful, especially seeing as how I think it's more likely that she is Shane and Lori's baby rather than his. Yet another reason small talk would be so awkward at that cocktail party. Even if he choose to lie/gloss over details, simply being asked about Judith's mom (if anyone did) would bring up painful memories. Actually, maybe that's part of why the Alexandrians made idle chit chat about pasta makers, books, and favorite recipes. Because more substantive conversation topics lead to scary, painful subjects that they don't want to think about. Sort of their mental defense system. I guess I understand the urge to hide your head in the sand, but I feel like sooner or later the dangers are going to reach you, and you're just going to be more vulnerable and unprepared. For what it's worth, I was disappointed in Rick's looks in the beginning of the Show, I thought he was too baby-faced and pale, and the tan Sheriff's uniform and hat didn't do much for him. Little did I imagine the rough, blood soaked Captain Caveman-bearded scary guy we'd get in later seasons. Anyway, I like the stubbly Rick that we had by season 3, and I thought he looked gorgeous all cleaned up for the party, so I've come round. He's a very pretty man, and the American-looking tanned face and simple button down shirt looked great on him. I don't think it's about lower ZA standards, but I guess I can't be sure.