Speculation Without Spoilers

[JackONeill]

Cookies in the shape of horseys.

Or, cookies in the shape of buttons.

Or, cookies in the shape of one small child.

Edited March 17, 2015 by JackONeill

[Nashville]

Or - horsies in the shape of cookies.

NOMNOMNOM

[kikismom]

I never heard a of zombie that sounds like ShirleyTemple!

and the walkers sing:

 

                                            

Animal trackers in my soup

Aarons and Daryls loop the loop

Gosh oh gee but I have fun

Swallowing people one by one

 

When I get hold

Of Buttons the Horse

I just push him to the ground

 

Then I bite him

In a million bits

and I gobble him right down

 

When they're inside me

where it's dark

I walk around like Noah's ark

There's enough blood for my whole bunch

With animal trackers for my lunch!

Edited March 17, 2015 by kikismom

[JackONeill]

Man, do we have too much time on our hands, or what?  I could take this time and go build Alexandria or something. Or, at least, an owl sculpture. Or dye my hair an unnatural red.

Edited March 17, 2015 by JackONeill

[lulee]

I think I'd rather be pursued by walkers than have to listen to Shirley Temple's cloyingly cute singing.

 

Other speculation ...current character situations:

• Glenn and Eugene returning without Aiden and with an apparently badly injured Tara and a punched-out Nicholas.
• Aiden's parents' reactions to his death
• Sasha, coming undone last we saw, up in the clocktower,
• In the 2nd preview clip Rosita telling Michonne that Sasha had stayed up in the clocktower.
• More about what's going on Jessie/Sam/Pete and how Rick and Carol will factor in/ what they'll decide to do.
• Maggie with the knowledge of FPP's conversation with Deanna
• Carl and Enid hanging out beyond the walls.
• Darryl on a mission with Aaron.
• Abraham being given more responsibility
• FPP in need of a being left out as walker bait, far enough out where no one can hear his shrill screams this time.

 

I think that accounts for everyone. So ... we know we'll have some of Carl and Enid outside from the preview, plus Sasha at the clocktower (possibly going crazed sniper or on the verge with Michonne attempting prevention/ an intervention), Deanna and Reg finding out about Aiden and reacting, some subset of the CDB folks reacting to Glenn's news about Noah and tending to Tara, possibly with Pete's hopefully non-drunk help.

 

I'm wondering if this might be a less action-oriented episode that puts pieces into place for the Season 5 finale on the 29th. So no action being taken against Pete, no banishments, no declarations or war, etc. Maybe just SniperSasha providing some action.

[chlban]

Just skipped ahead on my Direct TV on screen guide  to the weekend of the 29th. and they are doing a season marathon prior to the season finale. Walking Dead All day long.

 

I don't see why they can't still show the Mad Men re-watch early that morning, but they aren't. Just TWD. 

 

I still so wish they could do a cross over and feed Megan to the Walkers. Sorry, off topic.

[ghoulina]

I always feel like the previews are teasing us. Prior to Aaron and Daryl's scenes, it looked like Aaron was going to shoot Daryl in the back. So I don't know what to make of Sasha in the watch tower. Probably just taking out some walkers. 

[NurseGiGi]

I had a few moments during the new episode where I wondered What if Dale was still with them? Imagine how he'd be dealing with this?

I thought the same thing with the Termites.  Dale's eyes would have popped out of his head at either the trough or, worse still, in the church!

[editorgrrl]

I had a few moments during the new episode where I wondered What if Dale was still with them? Imagine how he'd be dealing with this?

 

In the Aaron thread, I speculated he's the new Hershel (aka the new, new Dale). Aaron's keeping spaghetti Tuesdays alive, and he had some good advice for Daryl. Then iRarelyWatchTV36 mentioned the RV.

 

Maybe Aaron & Daryl'll find an On Golden Pond hat on their recruitment drive.

[JackONeill]

In the Aaron thread, I speculated he's the new Hershel (aka the new, new Dale). Aaron's keeping spaghetti Tuesdays alive, and he had some good advice for Daryl. Then iRarelyWatchTV36 mentioned the RV.

 

Maybe Aaron & Daryl'll find an On Golden Pond hat on their recruitment drive.

 

Hey, and you probably knew this, in On Golden Pond, the Henry Fonda character wore Dale's hat!!!!  An homage even before they'd made TWD.

[editorgrrl]

Will Aaron rebuild his license plate collection, or will he & Daryl choose something new to collect?

Were the plates just a way for the writers to show how well Eric knows Aaron? A preview of how seriously messed up the Alexandrians' priorities are? Or the first example of the "important" things the Alexandrians have lost?

[JackONeill]

I think Aaron and Daryl will go to Italy on a pasta-tasting tour.

 

What strikes me odd, is that of everybody who lives in Alex., Aaron has seen more of the outside world. Certainly he's seen some dire things. But here he is, with Eric, eating pasta and drinking wine and you'd never think that they were at the end of the world. But I guess you can't have everyone as glum and battle-scarred as our group.

 

Then again, he seemed devastated when Buttons bit it. Had he never seen anyone get chomped on before? I find that hard to believe.

 

And did anyone see Daryl's hair when he was motoring out of town on the motorcycle?  Can the boy dye it any darker????  Good thing he and Abraham didn't try to start up a hair salon. No one would go to it. (Especially Rick. He's got his own personal hair trimmer.)

[Nashville]

Will Aaron rebuild his license plate collection, or will he & Daryl choose something new to collect?

Were the plates just a way for the writers to show how well Eric knows Aaron? A preview of how seriously messed up the Alexandrians' priorities are? Or the first example of the "important" things the Alexandrians have lost?

I think the license plates were a device to illustrate the wide gulf between the differing situations of the ASZhats and CDB. Collectibles are definitely a want, not a need. Our folks were so impoverished in the basic needs for survival, they're barbecuing barkers and straining water out of mud. In contrast, the ASZhats' needs are fully met, to the point they have the luxury of indulging in souvenir hunting.

Not a criticism of the ASZhats - but an illustration, and possibly a demonstration of the comprehension gulf on both sides.

[ghoulina]

I think the license plates were a device to illustrate the wide gulf between the differing situations of the ASZhats and CDB. Collectibles are definitely a want, not a need. Our folks were so impoverished in the basic needs for survival, they're barbecuing barkers and straining water out of mud. In contrast, the ASZhats' needs are fully met, to the point they have the luxury of indulging in souvenir hunting.

Not a criticism of the ASZhats - but an illustration, and possibly a demonstration of the comprehension gulf on both sides.

 

Agreed. And, if you will remember, Daryl and Beth once used a license plate to create a tripwire-noise alert defense around their makeshift campsite. So yea, while Aaron and Eric are collecting them for fun, CDB would find a very practical use for them - and pretty much anything they find out there.

[editorgrrl]

Does the 360º tour of Alexandria change in addition adding new locations each week? I could swear Michonne's katana wasn't above the mantelpiece the last time I toured the "main house living room" on "upper street" (just after the tour was introduced).

 

Right now (after "Spend"), the owl sculpture in Jessie & Pete's garage is intact. That location, plus Aaron & Eric's garage, living room, and office, are all new to me. I counted at least 56 license plates on the walls at Aaron & Eric's. (And a bigass trophy on the kitchen counter.)

[maystone]

The katana wasn't there originally, so they must update. Aaron and Eric's house went online after Forget; they've added their garage now, too. I gotta say that the garage has a damn clean floor considering that Daryl just built a bike there :)  I'll have to check out Jessie's owl sculpture.

[ikmccall]

The 360 is updated after each new episode.

[kikismom]

What strikes me odd, is that of everybody who lives in Alex., Aaron has seen more of the outside world. Certainly he's seen some dire things. But here he is, with Eric, eating pasta and drinking wine and you'd never think that they were at the end of the world. But I guess you can't have everyone as glum and battle-scarred as our group.

Interesting, as Deanna is a Congresswoman, and a lot of CIA are embedded in 3rd world countries as NGO personnel, like Heritage International etc., "just there to dig wells and teach agricultural methods and set up irrigation or build schools" etc. Aaron is a good snoop.He's a good shot, too. Huh.

 

Just thinking about the promo shown on TTD, with Enid and Carl hiding in a tree. We'd seen Carl following Enid in a previous episode, running behind her. But suddenly she disappeared. It's probable that she already knew the hollow in the tree was there. A tree hollow is a good place to hide, or hide your offspring, like wildlife do. Like owls.

 

Edited March 19, 2015 by kikismom

[ghoulina]

A hollow tree could be a great place to hide, or it could be a death trap. If a walker stumbled right past there, wouldn't they smell you? What if they walked directly at you, would they see you? So now you're stuck in this small space with teeth chomping at you and hands clawing at you - how do you get out? How do you deal with that, depending on how many of them there were? I'd never want to hide somewhere that only has one way in or out. But I guess it makes for a romantic young adult moment. 

[kikismom]

A hollow tree could be a great place to hide, or it could be a death trap. If a walker stumbled right past there, wouldn't they smell you? What if they walked directly at you, would they see you? So now you're stuck in this small space with teeth chomping at you and hands clawing at you - how do you get out? How do you deal with that, depending on how many of them there were? I'd never want to hide somewhere that only has one way in or out. But I guess it makes for a romantic young adult moment. 

Excellent points.

 

I guess I think of that because as you are familiar, ghoulina, with my posts about strategies to survive in the ZA that I believe in Don't Be Big And Powerful Just Be Hard To FInd.

I have always espoused the opinion that camps should not be visible, people should stop making such a spectacle going in and out of the camp and leading back enemies.

I have come up with various campsite ideas that are camouflaged, and I've talked about horizontal tree travel (Lillet method).

 

But one idea I have played with is how to get in and out of a camp without being seen, and an entrance that is distant from the actual camp itself.

 

For instance, I have thought of a fold-up Garbage dumpster for covering a vehicle, and using a real dumpster with a hole in the bottom for covering a manhole in an urban residential/business center to hide a tunnel.

 

People go by dumpsters and never look twice, and walkers don't care at all. Making a little hinged hatch on the side with a hidden bolt would give you an escape hatch.

 

 

So, what about a camp in a rural/semi rural/ wilderness area?

 

I have had an idea of using either a hollow tree to disguise a tunnel underground with a hatch entrance.

Or building some sort of chimney type structure with all the available wreckage lying around, covering it with tree bark to look as though it was just another tree.

 

Instead of a visible opening however, I would have the bark encircling the tree, nothing to see or suspect, but your people would know a certain place or pattern on the bark where you could open it like a door, and go down a ladder perhaps into a tunnel or cave underground that leads up to the hidden camp somewhere away from the tree.

 

If that was how the entrances were made, not only could it be kept secret to the rest of the world, but it would prevent a full-on assault by an enemy group, i.e. even if they found it, they could only go in single file. not a wide assault.

 

This is drawing from the ancient habit of making doorway very short and narrow so an enemy has to duck one at a time and can't pour in and overwhelm you.

Edited March 19, 2015 by kikismom

[kikismom]

I agree that using Father Gabriel as a nut case is a waste of opportunity. It was be so interesting to see a man of faith who was not crazy, and see him trying to believe in God during such a difficult time and to try to get others to believe in God. I think if anything, more people would be trying to keep or find their faith in the event of a ZA.

It would be interesting for example, to see which if any of the CDB people would be interested in praying or in talking to a minister.

Father PP may not be a wasted opportunity; if he is the vehicle through which Maggie regains her strength, hope, and faith. She has reasons to be like she is now, but just hearing this "they are agents of Satan" crap could get under her skin so bad and make her think of her upbringing and her father.

I would like to see Maggie rally to fight, not just physically as she has been doing, but fight for what she may still believe buried under her grief and depression. I would love it if that developed into Maggie becoming the person people go to for counseling in matters of faith, maybe even starting her own new way of worship or study in a larger meaning to help people.

Herschel kept saying I still believe there's a plan.

Perhaps this is it unfolding. (mysterious ways and etc.)

[mandolin]

Father PP may not be a wasted opportunity; if he is the vehicle through which Maggie regains her strength, hope, and faith. She has reasons to be like she is now, but just hearing this "they are agents of Satan" crap could get under her skin so bad and make her think of her upbringing and her father.

I would like to see Maggie rally to fight, not just physically as she has been doing, but fight for what she may still believe buried under her grief and depression. I would love it if that developed into Maggie becoming the person people go to for counseling in matters of faith, maybe even starting her own new way of worship or study in a larger meaning to help people.

Herschel kept saying I still believe there's a plan.

Perhaps this is it unfolding. (mysterious ways and etc.)

I love that idea. 

 

I think TV often screws that type of stuff up, but maybe not. (You just got me with that Hershel line!)

[morgankobi]

...But one idea I have played with is how to get in and out of a camp without being seen, and an entrance that is distant from the actual camp itself... et al.

 

 

 

Screw Team Rick, Team Deanna, etc. I want to be on kikismom's Team!

Edited March 19, 2015 by morgankobi

[kikismom]

Screw Team Rick, Team Deanna, etc. I want to be on kikismom's Team!

Well of course you are!  :-)

[flutist4fun]

At some point I wonder if we'll see an 'introductory' walker herd come through ASZ. Maybe just a small breach in the wall, so the whole town is not destroyed, but enough for a bunch of walkers to pour through before it's noticed. Then CDB goes into 'save the bullets' mode, like at the church, and they all charge in and take them out with hatchets and machetes, all business as usual. They finish up and stand around panting, giving each other their nods of thanks, covered in blood, gore and sweat, and the aszhats are standing back, all, WTF!! OMG these guys are fierce!! And then they're quietly kind of nervous, not sure now whether to be more afraid of walkers or humans. But really nice to everyone on CDB now, hee.

[lulee]

That would be fun, flutist!

 

I'm having trouble imagining what the cliffhanger will be only two episodes from now. A page or two ago I speculated that the show/network-released blurb that mentioned Darryl being "on the run" might mean that he was banished from ASZ for some act, but that was episodes ago, and now that he's off with Aaron, I'm thinking it was just poor phrasing and he's on a run with Aaron when he ends up in a jam somewhere away from ASZ. 
 

So where does that leave the action for the rest of them back in ASZ? A CDB vs. ASZ? An external threat making them band together?

 

I'm guessing Chekhov's weapons cache will make an appearance one way or another.

And I [ignorant of the comics beyond the early issues] hope they'll stay in ASZ at least until the beginning of next season. I assume they'll be back on the road before long, but the brightness of ASZ is a good change, at least for a while.

[editorgrrl]

I'm having trouble imagining what the cliffhanger will be only two episodes from now.

I hope Daryl & Aaron meet Morgan.

[lulee]

I hope Daryl & Aaron meet Morgan.

Voila! That would solve it! Morgan gets Aaron and Darryl out of a jam!

 

Would be kind of reminiscent of Michonne saving Andrea, but this show is not shy about some forms of recycling, to be sure.

[JackONeill]

I think Daryl and Aaron will hook up with Bob and Bing and off we'll go, on a great road trip, The Road to Alexandria. This shows needs some song and dance.

[morgankobi]

Morgan saves Aaron and Darryl and then they are surrounded by Unfair Wolves! Credits.

 

So, I'm guessing ASZ is done at the end of the this season, or within minutes of the opening of next season. And the sole reason is that ASZ is filmed in an actual neighborhood with real residents. I doubt they would be there filming for too long, and tear down and set-up a few months later would be more work than creating a set they could leave while on break between seasons.

[kikismom]

I think Aaron and Daryl will go to Italy on a pasta-tasting tour.

Great idea! Then Daryl can yell at the food!

 

[ghoulina]

It would be nice if we didn't end on a cliffhanger, but I'm not sure how this season could end "all wrapped up" with just two more episodes. Then again, I didn't think the season 4 mid-season finale would be able to wrap all the Guv stuff as quickly as it did, so....

 

But I wouldn't be surprised if the Unfair Wolves show up at the end and we're left hanging on that. But, then again, if the finale is an hour and a half, maybe it could all be dealt with. 

 

I just am not sure that ASZ could be entirely lost unless it's burned to the ground. It's such a good set up, I think it would be worth it to rebuild following any sort of destruction. And I don't know if I could see CDB getting kicked out, because....really....they're a lot tougher. Who's going to make them go?

[lulee]

Is there a finale pattern?

Season 1 (short season): Group escapes the CDC; no cliffhanger

Season 2: Beginning of the Ricktatorship, not far from the prison; no cliffhanger
Season 3: Surviving Woodburyians arriving at the prison; no cliffhanger

Season 4: Most of CDB in the train car at Terminus; Cliffhanger
Season 5: ?

 

So most seasons have not ended with a real cliffhanger, but I think that ending in the train car last season really generated buzz and they'll be inclined to try to replicate that.

[ghoulina]

While those other ones weren't total cliffhangers, I'd posit that three was the only one where things were all tidied up. At the end of one and two, something major had just happened and we didn't know where our group was going to go or what they were going to do. So yea, I could see it falling in some sort of grey area like that - not a legit cliffhanger like 4, but still some ambiguity about the future of CDB.

[editorgrrl]

Is there a finale pattern?

Season 1 (short season): Group escapes the CDC; no cliffhanger

Season 2: Beginning of the Ricktatorship, not far from the prison; no cliffhanger

Season 3: Surviving Woodburyians arriving at the prison; no cliffhanger

Season 4: Most of CDB in the train car at Terminus; Cliffhanger

Season 5: ?

 

So most seasons have not ended with a real cliffhanger, but I think that ending in the train car last season really generated buzz and they'll be inclined to try to replicate that.

 

Season 4 was Scott Gimple's first as showrunner, so I assume season cliffhanger's his style. To paraphrase somebody in another thread, this ain't no Vince Gilligan & Peter Gould show.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I'm kinda hoping they actually hold off on introducing the 'Wolves' until next season's premiere, or at least make it the very end lead out from the finale.  Kind of like a "well, just got done with all drama and stuff..... oh holy crap, what is gonna happen there with those crazy people/that insane new situation!?"

 

Seems like a lot of stuff to be resolved immediately in a rapidly devolving ASZ, without throwing a few big barrel drums of gasoline on an already raging inferno.

[ikmccall]

Maybe the last scene of the finale will be the Wolves at the gate.

[ghoulina]

Yea, I'm with you too. I don't see there being enough time to dedicate to the Wolves in the finale. From the previews, it looked like a lot of dealing with Crazy Rick Grimes anyhow. And I mean, really, what is Deanna going to do with him? I had to laugh when she was talking about how she makes the call on who stays and goes. I mean, if all of CDB is on his side and they're aware something's in the wind, no way she could kick him out. But maybe not everyone would back Rick up. Then again, how do you cast out a man who has two children? Carl aint going to stay if his dad goes. And what about Judith? 

 

But, back to the Wolves....YNB posited on TD last night that it might not "W" on the walker heads, but "M". For Morgan. I've seen others say the same thing. But I think even if they were Ws, it could still be Morgan. And maybe he wrote the "Wolves Not Far" on the wall, as a warning. Remember his room in Clear. He's known for writing crazy shit all over the place. Not saying that warning would be crazy, but that's kind of his MO. 

 

I just can't see Morgan being the one who is actually dismembering the walkers, not after we saw what happened to that woman on the tree. He's not that far gone, surely. But perhaps he is tracking these "wolves". To what end, I don't know....but maybe the "W"s are his way of marking where they've gone? 

 

All I can say is, I am definitely more interested in this than the Rick's captain save-a-ho routine. 

[editorgrrl]

Maybe [Morgan] wrote the "Wolves Not Far" on the wall, as a warning. Remember his room in Clear. He's known for writing crazy shit all over the place. Not saying that warning would be crazy, but that's kind of his MO.

I just can't see Morgan being the one who is actually dismembering the walkers, not after we saw what happened to that woman on the tree. He's not that far gone, surely. But perhaps he is tracking these "wolves". To what end, I don't know....

That woman wired to the tree was the basic cable version of True Detective. No way in hell was it Morgan's work. To use Z Nation terminology, he gave that woman at the Termite Bob-B-Q mercy.

Writing warnings on walls? Definitely Morgan's style. I doubt he'd graffiti walkers' foreheads, though.

[Evie]

I just can't see Morgan being the one who is actually dismembering the walkers, not after we saw what happened to that woman on the tree. He's not that far gone, surely. But perhaps he is tracking these "wolves". To what end, I don't know....but maybe the "W"s are his way of marking where they've gone?

All I can say is, I am definitely more interested in this than the Rick's captain save-a-ho routine.

I'm right there with you. The only other thing that interests me is what's going on with Glenn. I feel like they've been building up to something since the beginning of 5b. I know some think he's going to die because of the increased focus, but I don't really see it.

[lulee]

I'm not sure that Morgan could have caught up and surpassed CDB to be able to put the warning on the wall at the Shire, but leaving a warning is his style. I also think that Morgan as the carver doesn't make sense as it looks like a group effort and Morgan's a loner.

[ghoulina]

I thought about that too, because Morgan was behind CDB. But maybe the stop at the hospital put him ahead? He didn't know they had gone there....all he knew was that they were headed to DC - from the map he found. So maybe he started heading in that direction immediately. 

[CletusMusashi]

I think it's going to turn out that the zombie virus is a biological weapon, but not an American one. Eventually it will turn out to have been started by North Korea, or perhaps even the old Soviet Union. The only people in the D.C. area who know this are a group of teenagers, who have gone somewhat insane in their attempts to warn everyone about it. What does the "W" stand for, you ask? "Wolverines!"

[ghoulina]

Okay, and what's the deal with Nicholas and the gun in the woods? That was Rick's gun, no? How did he get it? Wasn't he one who met them at the gate when CDB arrived? So he couldn't have been off running around in the woods spying on people, right? Or was there enough time in between? If so, why did he take it and rehide it somewhere else in the woods? Wouldn't it be more likely that he would take it back to  ASZ and tell Deanna? Add it to their stash? I just can't figure out what he's up to. Is HE helping exiles outside the fence?

[lulee]

I think it's going to turn out that the zombie virus is a biological weapon, but not an American one. Eventually it will turn out to have been started by North Korea, or perhaps even the old Soviet Union. The only people in the D.C. area who know this are a group of teenagers, who have gone somewhat insane in their attempts to warn everyone about it. What does the "W" stand for, you ask? "Wolverines!"

Time to start asking the ASZ folks if they know the capital of Texas.

[mandolin]

Okay, and what's the deal with Nicholas and the gun in the woods? That was Rick's gun, no? How did he get it? Wasn't he one who met them at the gate when CDB arrived? So he couldn't have been off running around in the woods spying on people, right? Or was there enough time in between? If so, why did he take it and rehide it somewhere else in the woods? Wouldn't it be more likely that he would take it back to ASZ and tell Deanna? Add it to their stash? I just can't figure out what he's up to. Is HE helping exiles outside the fence?

It really surprised me that it was Nick that had the gun. I just can't imagine the circumstances surrounding that. How he got it, why, etc.

[chlban]

I'm right there with you. The only other thing that interests me is what's going on with Glenn. I feel like they've been building up to something since the beginning of 5b. I know some think he's going to die because of the increased focus, but I don't really see it.

I really, really hope not. Personally I'd much rather see Rick get eaten, but I'm sure I'm in the minority. Although I am certain I have Pete's vote.   

[kikismom]

 captain save-a-ho routine. 

Really?

I was live-posting during the episode so I may have missed a scene where someone whored herself to men.

[maystone]

It really surprised me that it was Nick that had the gun. I just can't imagine the circumstances surrounding that. How he got it, why, etc.

 

Are you sure it's Rick's gun? I didn't get a good look at it, so I couldn't see if it had the big J on it or not. It could be that Carol isn't the only one thinking that it would be easy to grab a gun from Olivia's Not So Secure Gun Locker. 

[mandolin]

Are you sure it's Rick's gun? I didn't get a good look at it, so I couldn't see if it had the big J on it or not. It could be that Carol isn't the only one thinking that it would be easy to grab a gun from Olivia's Not So Secure Gun Locker.

.

Yes, it had the "J."