S01.E06: Shadow Puppets

[nodorothyparker]

Airdate 2020.11.08

Quote

When an unexpected newcomer reveals information that can help them reach their destination, the group makes a deal that creates divisions.

 

[Gulftastic]

Since Pete Hornberger is still alive, I choose to believe Liz Lemon made it too and will watch on in the fervent hope that she appears.

[OoohMaggie]

Just watched the episode, maybe it’s just that I’m not really getting the show, access to the ‘FF’ button probably isn’t helping with that.

The shadow puppets were good though.

[BasilSeal]

9 hours ago, OoohMaggie said:

Just watched the episode, maybe it’s just that I’m not really getting the show, access to the ‘FF’ button probably isn’t helping with that.

The shadow puppets were good though.

I thought the puppets were good as well. so next week's side mission is to get fuel for the truck by raiding one of the CRM's fuel dumps, but what's the purpose of the new characters? presumably they end up running some kind of scam or sleight of hand trick on the CRM?

I thought the puppet boy was playing them, though my guess was that it wasn't his truck at all, and he was tricking them into helping him steal it from the rightful owner as it were. Looks like the world beyond is a slightly gentler version of the zombie apocalypse though. Magic tony and puppet boy just wanted 'to get what they needed without hurting people'. (because taking peoples supplies in the middle of the apocalypse won't hurt them,) One wonders how they've survived 10 years without hurting people, because in TWD hurting people in order to survive yourself is kind of the point.

[tennisgurl]

At least the new characters have some life in them. Our leads, for the most part, have become pretty dull pretty fast, especially the kids. They just give me flashbacks of the worst aspects of the early seasons of TWD, where people just walk around, occasionally killing a Walker (I am just calling them Walkers because Empties sounds stupid) but mostly going on random "philosophical" rants or angsting about family or romantic drama. Even worse, we have voiceovers, which means we have to listen to their rambling even more than we did on TWD. I feel like the show has wrecked their whole premise after only a few episodes. The whole idea was that it was about kids who grew up during the ZA and that they lived a somewhat normal life in a more civilized part of the ZA, but the kids on this show still very much remember the world before the zombies attacked, so they have the same angst as everyone else, except that, I guess because they haven't been as focused on survival as everyone on TWD, that means they can go on even more boring rants about life in a post zombie world, and they have already left their walled up city away from zombies, and while they are clearly unprepared, they don't really seem shocked or are even struggling very much. This show really needs to figure out their own identity a part from TWD, or else what is even the point? I kind of like the idea of them focusing more on the people trying to bring society back again on a larger scale than Rick and company could, but instead we are just following these kids around doing the same stuff that everyone else does. Maybe have both as plots, like the sketchy people and the less sketchy people who are trying to rebuild the government and society, and the kids wandering around, and they connect at some point? 

The puppet show was cool though, and I did at least like this one a bit better than the last few. 

 

[Mr. Sparkle]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

They just give me flashbacks of the worst aspects of the early seasons of TWD, where people just walk around, occasionally killing a Walker

I had the same feeling. A random, throwaway 3rd-5th season episode that didn't matter in the long run. That's what this whole show has felt like since they left the university. 

[oakville]

I hope Felix teaches Iris how to kill walkers/empties soon. It's becoming ridiculous how many times she almost got bit several times in the dumpster.

[iMonrey]

Is Silas actually walking around with a giant wrench as his weapon of choice?? Holy cow, that's like something you'd see in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. I can't believe how utterly useless this clown is. He's supposed to be watching the truck, and some dude is able to sneak into it while his back is turned. Does Silas have hearing problems too? 

How likely is it that Hope would recognize Elton's mother from that glamour shot photo? It was a long time ago and the poor woman wasn't exactly at her best during that fateful moment. I suppose the circumstances were specific enough to ring a bell but it was years ago and the visual cues seem to suggest Hope recognized the woman from the photo rather than from Elton's story.

It's bad enough that Iris is flailing around in a garbage dump from "empties" that are about as dangerous as gnats, but even the so-called trained Felix is woefully ineffectual at killing them. He stabbed that one in the throat. Do they even know about the whole brain thing?

"Has-beens" is a new one. Still dumb but makes more sense that "empties."

Yeah, Silas, Elton and now Percy. Apparently the zombie apocalypse started a retro-nerd naming trend in baby boys.

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Does Silas have hearing problems too? 

Well, he does have those earphones in all the time. 

2 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

How likely is it that Hope would recognize Elton's mother from that glamour shot photo? It was a long time ago and the poor woman wasn't exactly at her best during that fateful moment.

Luckily she has that flashback to play over and over. 

3 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Yeah, Silas, Elton and now Percy. Apparently the zombie apocalypse started a retro-nerd naming trend in baby boys.

Myron and D'Arby do not appreciate this comment. 

[theredhead77]

I'm still over here at my table for 1 enjoying this show. I like the different take on the ZA and I like how they introduced Tony and Percy. Trust will have to be built after Percy royally fucked them over but on the flip side, they probably have reason to not trust others.

The one thing that really stood out was no one doing an extra brain stab on Tony (Scott Adsit) to make sure he was really dead. It's a good thing, too.

7 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Speaking of Silas, he really doesn't seem like the type of character that likes change.  He doesn't like to expand his horizon or social circle at all.  I get that.  People who are bullied and or social outcasts tend to avoid new experiences because they have had too many past bad experiences.   He seems to be in a constant state of depression.  He has built an emotional wall around that depression and is cutting himself off from anything positive that could possibly happen simply because he has conditioned himself into believing (real or imagined) that all of his life experiences old and new will be negative.  In other words he is spiraling downward.  He isn't living life, he is just existing.

I'd hazard a guess and say anti-depressants aren't readily available during the ZA. It's nice seeing someone have issues or struggling without being a psycho killer. He may become one, but for now, he's a pretty depressed teen just trying to stay alive. 

Edited November 10, 2020 by theredhead77

[GreyBunny]

When Tony and Percy first drove off I was hoping the show would follow them and leave the idiot squad behind. The puppet show was cool.

[Boofish]

Lacefront and her sister even worse lacefront with an attitude can go away at any moment. I'm a die hard fan of the franchise but they are testing my season 4 DAMN NOT THE GOVERNOR AGAIN patience.

[CletusMusashi]

I still say this wouldn't be as bad if they'd just run it during tradtional TWD time slots. Last week's rerun at 8, then, this week's at 9, then an hour of Chris Hardwick being a good dancing monkey for a few AMC bananas, and then this week's episode again. Having to wait until after ten for it to start changes the show from less than a four star to less than a three star.

[theredhead77]

6 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

Why would there be an assumption that Silas needs to be on happy pills?  I don't think we know enough about that character to draw that conclusion.  

I think there is enough evidence to draw the conclusion that Silas' rage has been brought on by a traumatic experience he has witnessed.  Maybe he witnessed a walker kill a loved one or perhaps he witnessed a loved one turn into a walker.  Coping issues.  I don't think "happy pills" are solution for that.  He definitely needs to talk it out, and I think the one person he may feel comfortable enough to talk it out with is Iris.

Anti-depressants aren't always a life-long thing and "talking it out" isn't always a solution. It's obvious that Silas is depressed and it's obvious he has trouble controlling his anger and emotions. There is nothing shameful about needing anti-depressants, or anti-anxiety medications, none of which would be readily available during the ZA. Add to that, the counselor that was at Colony Campus died in the first episode and his friends aren't trained professionals to help him learn how to handle whatever issues he has going on.

Why should Iris be the one that has to help him deal with his issues? She has her own issues to deal with, she doesn't need to allow a co-dependent or unhealthy relationship to form, or be turned into Silas' defacto therapist just because he likes her.

 

[txhorns79]

11 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

Add to that, the counselor that was at Colony Campus died in the first episode and his friends aren't trained professionals to help him learn how to handle whatever issues he has going on.

I could be wrong, but I would guess the Colony Campus had more than one counselor.  There were thousands of people living there.

[theredhead77]

8 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

I could be wrong, but I would guess the Colony Campus had more than one counselor.  There were thousands of people living there.

They may, but this crew isn't living there anymore, and IIRC, the Campus Colony was wiped out at the end of the first episode too.

[ctlady]

Felix:  "Iris - you and Silas stay here and watch our stuff.  I mean it.  For once, listen to me.  Stay.Put"

Iris:  (to Silas after waiting)  "I'm going to help them.  Because, you know, I have this really cool stick with a pointed stone on the end that I'm sure can be an awesome empties killer once I can get over just pushing them out of my way (shrugs off back pack and takes off)

Meanwhile, as Silas is peering around the building, not.dead Tony gets up, grabs their backpacks and stuffs them in the truck. Silas doesn't hear all that commotion nor see any movement out of his peripheral vision.  My God, these kids are TSTL

And please explain to me how Iris and Hope have super clean, shiny hair after days of footing it with no facilities to shampoo and blow dry to fluffy softness (let alone bathe!)?  I would be dirty, sweaty with my hair plastered to my head.  In another word - Daryl!

[Mr. Sparkle]

3 hours ago, ctlady said:

And please explain to me how Iris and Hope have super clean, shiny hair after days of footing it with no facilities to shampoo and blow dry to fluffy softness (let alone bathe!)? 

That's easy. They stop in the same hotel where the men shave their faces and the women shave their legs and underarms. 

[Nashville]

On 11/13/2020 at 9:54 AM, ctlady said:

And please explain to me how Iris and Hope have super clean, shiny hair after days of footing it with no facilities to shampoo and blow dry to fluffy softness (let alone bathe!)?

Hey now, enough with the blatant prejudices; just because their stylists are all zombies now, that doesn’t mean they can’t still do good hair.

[Mr. Sparkle]

I wish the zombie apocalypse would come and get me out of this f***ing zoom meeting. 

[Jack Kerouac]

On 11/13/2020 at 2:18 PM, Superclam said:

That's easy. They stop in the same hotel where the men shave their faces and the women shave their legs and underarms. 

I love that place!

As foot antidepressants; why wouldn't they be available. I would think they would just be sitting there at the pharmacist's.

[Iguessnot]

This episode was unbearable until the adults talked at the end and the puppet show ran again.

I'm surprised how much I generally like Hope. She much more nuanced than the rebel stereotype she was introduced as. I also like the way she's handling the reveal of Elton's mom so far. None of the typical hand wringing angsty guilt where a character starts doing stupid things and causing havoc because they can't emotionally handle an inadvertent mistake.

Unfortunately Iris has not graduated from her original one dimensional characterization. I couldn't believe she bragged about their survival skills. Miss Do Gooder McGee. She's cute but her face is a perfect replica of the Grecian goddess statue and that's all I see.

At least we didn't have to see Huck. that broad channels John Travolta as Danny Zuko in every move, facial expression and dialogue she makes.

 

Edited December 3, 2020 by Iguessnot

[OoohMaggie]

From an entire season’s huge budget of literally hundreds of dollars, the season’s highlight seems to have cost no more than $10 worth of black card and a cheap flashlight, who needs a deserted downtown Atlanta 😋

 

Edited December 4, 2020 by OoohMaggie