S11.E12: The Lucky Ones

[nodorothyparker]

Streaming on AMC+. Proceed at your own risk for spoilers before the scheduled airdate.

Airdate 03.13.22

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Aaron and Maggie meet Governor Pamela Milton as she tours Alexandria, Oceanside and Hilltop. Ezekiel finds himself lucky during a routine checkup as Eugene processes Max's story.

 

[OoohMaggie]

Yayyyyyyy, finally watched a whole episode, just 9, 10 & 11 to catch up on.  I enjoyed the first one and I enjoyed this as well, could I be expecting too much from the season now? 🤔

Eugene’s really getting it on with the girls now, can’t wait to find out the deal with the imposter, Dianne is jumping ship, that’s gotta hurt, she doesn’t seem to be struggling with the food situation though 🙄, it’s a shame Maggie didn’t feel quite so attached to Hillside when she fkd off for 6 years but hey-ho, why she doesn’t move into Alex is beyond me.

Why do our people still not have guns?  C’mon people it’s just silly, West Point had to provide an excuse as to why Dirty D wasn’t in uniform, that was rather lame, what about the hair General? 🧔‍.

The new people in the trailer look interesting but haven’t we said that before.

What did Carol do to secure the operation? A slow but decent episode though it’s just nice to be back on the train 😁

Edited March 6, 2022 by OoohMaggie

[Iguessnot]

Although the story is interesting, this Ohio to Virginia distance is complete farce. All those states in between are just a void? 

[Dodginblue]

On 3/6/2022 at 7:25 AM, OoohMaggie said:

What did Carol do to secure the operation? A slow but decent episode though it’s just nice to be back on the train 😁

She procured some better wine for the party (see earlier episode, New Haunts).  Found a well stocked wine cellar in a mansion nearby and there ya go, Elijah moves way up the list.

[theredhead77]

From @gutbusterin the live chat thread

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I think Mercer is starting to realize that he and Daryl are more alike than he thought. 

Agreed. After seeing the flashback with Max and Mercer about the radio it is starting to seem Mercer isn't in his role as head stormtrooper by choice. 

[iMonrey]

I think it would be a lot easier to get on board with this whole Commonwealth story if it weren't for those patently absurd Stormtrooper costumes. Let us forget, for a moment, the unlikelihood that even the Commonwealth has the resources to produce such things. What are they made out of anyway, plastic? And wouldn't they have to be custom made for every individual's body type? But they aren't even practical anyway. They make loud clacking sounds when you walk around wearing one of them. Not exactly stealth. I don't understand why the guards or whatever they're calling them aren't just outfitted in standard combat gear like you would find at an army surplus store. These guys look like Star Wars cosplayers and it's ridiculous.

Also ridiculous: Eugene. Still. I'm increasingly annoyed and disturbed by the show's insistence in focusing on this cartoon character so much. It's like he's the main character now, and why? I think the show takes its cue from Chris Hardwick and thinks everyone loves Eugene. I don't. I'm not interested in watching The Eugene Story. I don't care how often Josh McDermitt goes on Talking Dead or how much Chris Hardwick loves this guy, Eugene is annoying as hell and I'm sick to death of him.

And why on earth didn't he tell Rosita the truth about Stephanie? Just because she said she was happy at the Commonwealth? Great, leave her ignorant with her false sense of security. Great friend there.

Edited March 14, 2022 by iMonrey

[OoohMaggie]

9 hours ago, Dodginblue said:

She procured some better wine for the party (see earlier episode,

Thanks, I haven’t seen that episode yet.

[Nashville]

15 hours ago, Iguessnot said:

Although the story is interesting, this Ohio to Virginia distance is complete farce. All those states in between are just a void? 

Well… you’re primarily talking about West Virginia, so - yeah.  😁

[nodorothyparker]

The faux Stormtrooper costumes definitely aren't helping to make the Commonwealth story feel like it has any real stakes to it. I guess once you've gone theater/art/dance troupe in the trash people, nothing seems that silly anymore, but seriously. Even assuming they raided a Party City warehouse somewhere, nothing about those costumes feels practical or whatever passes for realistic enough in this universe to suspend disbelief for the rest of it.

I've said before in the live viewing thread that the entire issue with the Stephanie Not Stephanie story is that it required someone to say "Hey, you know the character who drives a whole lot of people bugshit with all his tics and just general oddness? Let's dial him up to 11 and build this entire thing around his relationship with reality and an unknown ham radio tinder hookup we have no investment in as a character." I didn't even mind Eugene back when he was putting one over all the supposed badasses in getting them to carry him or considering who actually appreciated his particular skill set in the Savior war vs. his "friends" barely able to bother to listen to him or fail to make any attempt to rescue him. But he's not a leading man no matter how much Hardwick may like the actor and forcing him into that role leaves me mostly just bored and irritated every time everything grinds to a halt yet again so Eugene can emote some more about his supposed "twu luv." 

It feels like the join the Commonwealth or no story is trying to say something about safety and stability in numbers (Ice cream! Capitalism! Medical care that isn't just whoever saw someone else bandage something once!) vs. the relative freedom to live on your own terms at the end of the world with four other people at Hilltop even if you can't much feed yourself or keep yourself safe. But it's all so muddled with the Commonwealth leadership all acting so shady in apocalypse formalwear that it feels like more work than I'm willing to invest 11 seasons in to really suss out.

[rmontro]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

These guys look like Star Wars cosplayers and it's ridiculous.

You're right, of course.  But they look like the outfits from the comic books.  I'm not usually going to complain about someone going with the source material.

[SharonH58]

19 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Also ridiculous: Eugene. Still. I'm increasingly annoyed and disturbed by the show's insistence in focusing on this cartoon character so much. It's like he's the main character now, and why? I think the show takes its cue from Chris Hardwick and thinks everyone loves Eugene. I don't. I'm not interested in watching The Eugene Story. I don't care how often Josh McDermitt goes on Talking Dead or how much Chris Hardwick loves this guy, Eugene is annoying as hell and I'm sick to death of him.

And why on earth didn't he tell Rosita the truth about Stephanie? Just because she said she was happy at the Commonwealth? Great, leave her ignorant with her false sense of security. Great friend there.

Not a good idea to bring up when you were a liar at the beginning of the show and how you still are.  And still an idiot.  Sure don't tell your people that you were tricked into getting them to come there because you thought you had a girlfriend.   And I don't understand why Commonwealth is going to the trouble of trying to get these groups to 'join'.  Are they a fancier group of Saviors?    

[Iguessnot]

On 3/14/2022 at 2:25 PM, Nashville said:

Well… you’re primarily talking about West Virginia, so - yeah.  😁

Ok Ok, I should have looked at a map first😳

[iMonrey]

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Although the story is interesting, this Ohio to Virginia distance is complete farce. 

Unless I missed something I don't think it's ever been explicitly stated that the Commonwealth is in Ohio. I think viewers are making that assumption based on the label on the wine box which said the wine was from Ohio. That doesn't mean Carol went there to get it or that they are in Ohio anymore than having a bottle of Champagne means you must be in France.

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But they look like the outfits from the comic books.  I'm not usually going to complain about someone going with the source material.

There are lots of things in comic books that look too silly in live action. That was my primary objection to the whole Whisperers arc. Once upon a time this show aspired to rise above the level of a cartoon. Now, not so much. 

[nodorothyparker]

They found Princess in Pittsburgh as they were heading west chasing after Eugene's ham radio hookup. About the only thing west of Pittsburgh is Ohio. So it's probably a fair assumption unless/until the show specifically tells us otherwise. Which, yeah, is a very long haul to Alexandria, which I think is supposed to be about where the real Alexandria is near D.C.