Sighed I

LOL. I only mentioned Heath in that particular sentence as a descriptor, a la, "You know that scene where x and y were talking and a and b happened?" I do love my compound-complex sentences though--coupled with an aside or two along the way--so I'm not surprised you got lost. I have a talent for making a short story long. ;) But yes, I'm glad he's still alive. After the attack on the outpost, I thought for sure he and Tara were on the short list to six feet under, driving off in one of Savior's vehicles and all (a mini RV I think? not the most inconspicuous choice). RE: the whistling, for some reason it reminded me of a bird call of some sort. It had a cadence similar to cuckoo, but not quite that. I wonder if we'll ever find out its origin? I guess I can see why some might not find it scary, at least during the daytime. But at night? Yikes!

I like Francine too. I got the impression she was one of the first of the ASZers to understand knowing how to defend yourself and others was a skill you had to have in this world, probably because of her experience with being abandoned by the others and her subsequent rescue by Abe. If they're not going to give him a lot of lines, it would be nice to at least see Eric in the background more. Even something like walking down the street with Aaron, holding hands, would be a nice reminder that these two are a couple. I'm sorry they killed off David, the guy Michonne, Heath and Sonequa's husband (can't remember his character's name ;) left behind at the fence when they were trying to get back to ASZ (I still can't believe they let him get eaten alive instead of giving him mercy. It's not like they didn't have a freaking katana or knife to do the job, and I don't see how leaving him like that did anything to serve the story.). He was a good everyman too, and if his wife had survived, they might've been another reminder that life goes on even in the ZA. Anyway, once again I am veering into non-episode specific talk. Oops. What would be the appropriate thread for this type of stuff? World Building: Where is it? thread, or is there a minor character thread I missed somewhere?

What a great story! I can just imagine a little Steven in a creepy dragon costume with a clown head. Yikes! Poor baby. LOL I'm glad to hear you'd opt for a one-day pass. I was leaning in that direction myself, mostly because overnight accommodations in the area are so freaking expensive. I'd definitely want to see Josh McDermitt's panel. They don't have the schedule up yet, so I'm going to wait until they do before buying any tickets. If it ends up selling out, no harm no foul. I'll just go camping instead. ;)

I know exactly how you feel. This is why I never got around to post on TWOP. They had that 15-page rule and by the time I got through it, everyone already said what I wanted to say! Then I started doing the same thing here out of habit. It took the finale and the subsequent hand-wringing and teeth-gnashing to finally say, I can't take it anymore; I need to vent, NOW. LOL I'm glad you brought this up. I thought the whistling was terrifying too, particularly at night in that forest. And then they did that pan around from Rick and Co.'s perspective and you see all these men coming into focus and there's more and more and more of them and they're all whistling. That was soooo scary, and beautifully shot. Negan wasn't kidding when he asked if they'd arrived at pee pee city (or whatever it was) yet; I would've been a wreck. Hell, I was a wreck and I was only watching it! I wonder if the Rebel Yell inspired it? Thanks for the link to that recording; I'd never heard of it before (my exposure to the term was limited to Billy Idol ;) but it gave me chills. The stuff of nightmares. It would be nice to get to know some more of them. I know the cast is already pretty big, and I don't want the writers to stretch the character development for our core group too thin. That said, since they're settled in here, it'd be nice to have a few more people like Tobin or Heath, kind of third string characters who weave in and out. We know enough about them to care and they make the community more three dimensional, without automatically turning them into cannon fodder. And perhaps in time as the story develops, some of them grow into more prominent characters. I'd like to see them do more with Aaron myself (assuming he doesn't get the bat of course).

Oh cool, so there are multiple panels then? At the Star Trek cons I attended it was usually just one (sometimes two) big panel with all the guests on stage at once. If there are different ones going on throughout the day, that might actually be worth it to go. Mostly I don't want to spend all that money only to discover it'll cost another couple hundred bucks or whatever in order to do anything other than look at all the stuff I can't afford to buy. :p I wish Scott Wilson were on the roster but he doesn't look to be right now anyway. Hershel's one of my all-time favorite characters and I'd actually consider forking out some dough for his autograph. Josh McDermitt seems really cool and I think he'd been fun to talk to; guess I'll have to wait and see how much it is and whether it's worth spending so much time waiting. If you could go again but had to pay full price, do you feel you got enough out of it to warrant a weekend pass, or would you go for just a day? I noticed all the guests for this one are scheduled for both Sat. and Sun. Did they repeat panels throughout the weekend, or was each day different, say Rick and Daryl only did a panel on Saturday, for example?

Hey nachomama (I love your user name BTW), thanks for sharing your experience. I'm definitely going general admission like you did, so I'm wondering, apart from the panel(s?), what else was there to do if you don't want to stand in line for hours? At the prices you're describing, I don't think I'll be able to afford any pics/autographs at all. :( Is it just vendors, or are there any other activities/displays/demonstrations, etc. going on? RE: parents using their kids to bypass the rules for their own benefit, I totally agree it's very annoying, and unfair to everyone else (and what are these people doing bringing kids, at least young ones, to what's essentially a horror convention anyway?). Not to mention, what kind of a message is it sending those kids? You're entitled to do whatever you want, never mind other people? Ugh. Now, excuse me while I go outside, sit on the porch and shake my fist at passersby. Get off my lawn, dag nabbit. LOL ;)

Amen! Splash was the first thing that came to my mind too. I know LA is a hot spot for creative naming trends, but come on! Based off of popular baby name lists going back decades, Madison didn't appear at all until after Splash was released. With all the Gen Xers and Boomers working on the show, I'm surprised no one caught it, or thought anyone would notice.

Hi everyone! Has anyone attended a Walker Stalker Con? There's one coming up in Chicago Memorial Day weekend that I'm thinking about attending, but it's not cheap ($100 general admission for 2 days, $55/$45 each Saturday and Sunday respectively) and I'm not rich. The last convention I've been to was a Star Trek one at least 10 years ago and I'm not sure how much things have changed. The three Star Trek cons I attended basically amounted to a panel or two with a bunch of actors. Then there were the lines to meet and get a quick pic/autograph with the actors. Other than that there were a lot of vendor booths and not a whole lot else. From a quick look at reviews, it looks like some of these cons also have haunted house-type setups to tour and/or a special effects workshop/demonstrations. It also sounds like you spend A LOT of time, hours even, standing in line after line, only to have to fork out even more cash. Considering the travel expenses and overnight accommodations if we do attend both days, did you find the experience worth the expense? If you only could attend one of the two days, would you opt for the 1st or 2nd day? I noticed Sunday is cheaper; why is that? Shorter hours? The venue doesn't matter; I'm more interested in hearing about the convention experience itself. I probably won't be able to cough up the cash for more than a couple of the actors. Who did you enjoy meeting the most/least? Coral is the only one of the Atlanta 5 on the roster, but Abe/Eugene/Rosita will be there as well, as are a lot of current and former "also starrings". Wish at least one of Rick, Glenn, Carol, Maggie or Daryl would be there too, but alas, no. And yes, I know I'm calling them by their character instead of actor names, but you guys know what I mean. LOL I'd really appreciate any input you folks can provide!

Yeah, I was one of those people who made the "emasculating" comment. Maybe I could've chosen my words more carefully, but it's hard to explain. A big part of the problem for me is I don't feel any chemistry between Travis and Maddie. I have no idea what they see in each other and why they are together. From what we've seen Travis seems to do all the emotional heavy lifting (her bewildering pep talk with Chris about parental assault has me so WTF? it doesn't count for much). I guess I feel like he's contributing a lot more to the relationship than she is and in return he's getting...disdain? Like he's not doing enough or doing the right things. They don't feel like equal partners. And he just keeps plugging along, trying trying trying when I'd really like to see him call her out on her shit now and then. Most of the first season I felt like Travis was showing more concern for Nick than his own son. No wonder the kid's so whiny. I realize Chris hasn't made it easy, but it seemed like Travis kept pushing aside Chris' needs (telling him to suck it up, be strong, we'll talk later, etc.) in favor of constantly putting out fires running after a freaking junkie. It makes it challenging to respect him. I agree they're setting up Madison to be this show's Rick. I am totally, 100% in favor of having a middle-aged woman anchor this show (being one myself certainly contributes to that :). But Rick had me from the very first scene and ever since. After 7 episodes, I still can't stand Maddie. I think they're going for stoic with a dark past roiling below the surface, but she just comes across as either blank or looking down at others with barely concealed disapproval. If they'd cast a better actor, I might feel differently. TWD has shown a strong cast can elevate material even when it's lacking. I've seen Kim Dickens in other, supporting roles and she was competent and believable. From what we've seen so far here, though, she hasn't convinced me she has the chops to carry the show as its lead.

I agree with RedheadZombie, and am actually thinking of doing this one in modified marathon style myself, 2-3 episodes at a time. I'm certain AMC was counting on TWD fans to flow right into FTWD, but starting this one the week after the finale makes it far too easy to compare the two. Even with the finale kerfuffle, I'm finding it challenging to appreciate this show on its own merits, mostly because TWD is still fresh in my mind and I like it much, much more. That said, I'm sure my dissatisfaction with the Season 6 cliffhanger has also made me less tolerant of Fear's flaws. Like Redhead Zombie mentioned, Strand and Nick's relationship is fascinating. Strand is an enigma, and I agree Nick has potential to be an interesting, complex character. Daniel, with his creepy past and moral ambiguity, also has potential. And the change of venue gives it a little twist. Right now, the less appealing/annoying/irritating characters and other aspects of the show are impeding my ability to enjoy the things I do like. TWD's 2nd season gets a lot of criticism for being slow, nothing happens, soap opera, etc., but I liked it a lot, more than the 3rd (when I started watching) in a lot of ways. I also binge watched the first two seasons and that may have contributed to my enjoyment. Anyway, this is my long-winded way of saying I want to see if doing the same with FTWD will provide a similar result. Personally, I think it's worth giving it an episode or two before deciding to bail or DVR it and watch in chunks. Others' MMV, of course.

Excellent point! The others we saw detained appeared to be sick, seriously injured, mentally unstable, etc.--people at risk of dying or losing it, making them a liability in a safe zone when tensions are high and control of the situation is tenuous at best. Strand, however, was amazingly calm, too calm even, given the dire straits he was in. Yes, he was a different kind of threat all together. Verrrry interesting...

You know, I agree with all these observations. The way they are acting, particularly the kids, is (or should be) understandable, at least on paper. I don't want to be annoyed by these characters. I want to root for them despite their flaws like I do on TWD. Even early on in that show plenty of characters had bothersome traits, but somehow it felt more real, like "yeah, this is what happens when you put a bunch of strangers together in a dire situation." I'm really not a critical viewer at heart; I hand wave a lot of stuff on the shows I watch. So why is it so hard for me to cut these people some slack? What's making them so difficult to like?

My pleasure. Reading others' theories and analyses is a lot of fun. Plus it makes me feel better about how much time I think about this stuff. ;) Ah okay, I must have misunderstood. I agree it's very conceivable he could make an example of someone else similar to what he did to Dwight (I think it's safe to assume Dwight didn't trip and fall into a vat of acid or something). Kill one to sear into their hearts, maim another so they never forget it. I really hope so. I think the Saviors have been ruling the roost for so long, they were taken completely unawares that another group would have the balls, and gall, to strike first. That lesson learned, they'll be keeping ASZ on a very short leash. At least for now. I do think at some point the Saviors will get too comfortable, though. Everyone banding together to save ASZ from the horde really solidified the notion, and it's not unreasonable, that they could survive anything. I'm sure they expected and were prepared/preparing (or so they thought) to encounter other threats, living or dead, at any time. Their blind spot was in terms of scale. They had only just learned there were other established communities. I don't think it occurred to them there could be a group as massive as Negan's at this point in the ZA. They tried to get a sense of it from the Hilltop, but it doesn't sound like they put up much resistence. Hence groups of 20-30 men and interaction with a single outpost was more than enough to keep them in line.

LOL! The gift that keeps on giving.

I think the truth lies somewhere in between. From what we saw at the hospital/detention center, I'm sure he has a use for them, especially Nick. But I also feel like he kind of likes Nick on some level beyond his living on the edge of a knife approach to survival. I don't get the sense he is sinister so much as calculating, manipulative and self-serving. Not that those are necessarily the most flattering of traits, but they could be useful in keeping him alive. And really, with this group of idjits taking up valuable space on his boat? Man's practically a saint. In any case, if they keep it up much longer, I won't feel the least bit bad if he does completely screw them over. Eh, who am I kidding? I wouldn't feel bad if he did it right now. LOL

That's what bugs me the most. On Talking Dead, they showed this comment from the woman who plays Ofelia. Something like her character's in a bad place because everything has gone wrong and there's not a silver lining in the sky. And I was thinking, seriously? Does no one appreciate the fact they are alive at all thanks to Strand and his boat?? Bunch of ingrates.

As frustrating as the lack of insight we get from TWD producers when they're on the couch, I feel like we have the opposite problem with Dave Erickson. Some of his responses seemed awfully spoilly, and I noticed that about him last season too. Maybe he feels a greater need to keep people tuned in? Just give us a compelling drama with characters to root for, Dave, and people will stick around.

Not to mention, I don't think he trusts these people any more than they do him. Particularly Daniel. Strand is observant and knows how to read people. I'm pretty sure he's onto them.

One thing he has in his favor is being the most interesting and popular character on the show by far, and the showrunners know it. For a lot of people he's the show's only saving grace. I think Strand will be around for a while.

Hee hee! I actually found myself saying, "Ooo, killing a main character already? Nice choice. While you're at it please take Alicia with you."

Yes. That scene was jarringly out of place. It was like they took a segment from a different episode and plopped it in there.

I'd set the bar so low, Chris' angst and Alicia's dumbassery (Hello, Stranger Danger!) aside, it was better than I expected. Strand and Nick's relationship is interesting; I think Nick is the only one he remotely trusts, which is kind of funny, but I see a certain logic to it. On Talking Dead, Hozier made a good observation. Out in the ocean, you're screwed if someone refuses to help. We see that on TWD, but on land there's more opportunity to get out of tight situations. It's easier to rationalize "maybe they got away". On water, it forces you to confront you are condemning someone to die. Also, on land I'd be more inclined to help someone because supplies are more available. Here, I agreed with Strand and Travis. They can't risk it. Maybe once they get their own bearings and are in a more secure situation they can consider selectively helping others. With everything so uncertain right now? No way. Feels uncomfortably cold blooded, but that's the reality here.

For me the first season was very flawed, but I liked it enough to see it through. I'm not chomping at the bit for this season largely because of those disappointments, but I do think there's some residual fatigue over TWD finale, so I'm willing to give it chance on its own merits. Plus similar to what Sherry67 said, it's kind of a placeholder till October. TWD is my favorite show, and I don't like being mad at it. Hopefully this will provide a reasonable distraction and allow me to shake off some of the negativity. I do appreciate they're trying something different with the boat. I'm not sure I could take the entire series being there, but if they do it right it might work for a season or two.

Aw, that was a good interview. I wasn't familiar with Chris until TTD; I pretty much stopped watching MTV once they stopped focusing on music and went heavy on the reality programming (which I realize dates me ;). As a fellow nerd, I'm glad he's having success celebrating that part of himself. Plus I finally understand why the thread was named what it is. ;)

I watched the 1st season and enjoyed it well enough for the most part, but after the new season of TWD started I realized how meh FTWD was in comparison. Overall I thought the riot episodes delivered most on the whole "fall of society" premise the show was purported to be about. At this point flashbacks are about the only way I can think of to explore it, so that would be something I'd like to see this season. I hope they do something good incorporating Flight 462 as well; that was kind of an interesting webisode-type story. I'd also like to see Tobias again; he and Strand, IMO, are the only characters who demonstrated some decent strategic thinking. Like others, I had a really hard time rooting for the main characters after they intentionally got hundreds of people killed to, ultimately, save one junkie who was only around to be saved because Strand had the means to keep Nick from being put down. I did like Liza and it sucks they killed her off; I hope they better develop the characters they have left. It's funny because the teenage characters are typically the most annoying on TV programs, but for me they're the most tolerable, except for Strand (who's more intriguing than likable at this point). [Edited to add: I've changed my mind. Kill the teenagers. Now.] It stills bugs they chose the name Madison for a >40 year old woman, but that aside her flat affect and resting bitch face irritates me. It'd be nice if she had more of a personality, both in the writing and her performance. And please grow a pair, Travis. I don't want or expect him to be tough like the experienced CDB, but there's something about his relationship with Madison which kind of emasculates him in my eyes. I'd realllly like Nick to change his clothes. LOL I hope they show a lot more actual fear of the walkers. If they're supposed to be kind of clueless and stumbling around, they could at least show them being really frightened. Now that I write all this out, I can't say I'm all that excited about the new season. I'll give a chance for now. If the 2nd season isn't a significant improvement, though, I'll probably bid the show adieu.