S11.E19: Variant

[nodorothyparker]

Airdate 10.16.2022. Streaming on AMC+ so enter at your own risk for spoilers before airdate.

Quote

Eugene goes on the run, and Mercer is tasked to find him; Aaron's group faces a complication on the road.

[OoohMaggie]

Well I’ve watched it three times now, a good episode I have to admit.  I’m liking the Mercer storyline, he’s obviously going to play an important role in what’s coming. They certainly made the most out of the reappearance of the Super Walker, big up FD for that, the look on Aaron’s face was priceless 😆

Too much too soon maybe, but they’ve only a few episodes left to set the scene for all of the spin-offs so it’s understandable. If only they’d have carried it over from the original idea, who knows where we’d be now 😔.

Someone mentioned previously about wasting too much time on characters we really don’t care about, I have to agree, I feel as though the writers believe they’ve got another whole season to wrap things up, it’s getting very near the end and it just seems a tad too sedate for me.

An improvement over last week certainly, I’m just itching to get stuck into what’s going to happen, I hope the upward swing continues until the end 🙏

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, OoohMaggie said:

Someone mentioned previously about wasting too much time on characters we really don’t care about, I have to agree, I feel as though the writers believe they’ve got another whole season to wrap things up, it’s getting very near the end and it just seems a tad too sedate for me.

An improvement over last week certainly, I’m just itching to get stuck into what’s going to happen, I hope the upward swing continues until the end

Hard agree on both points. This was more entertaining than last week, but I really don't care that much about Hornsby's schemes or where they're going with it. I'm assuming this ends with Hornsby being torn apart. 

[heisenberg]

"Look, a walker is opening the door by turning the knob!"😆

By the end of the season some walkers will be more clever than 95% of the characters that went on the show.🙂

On 10/11/2022 at 3:39 PM, OoohMaggie said:

Someone mentioned previously about wasting too much time on characters we really don’t care about, I have to agree, I feel as though the writers believe they’ve got another whole season to wrap things up, it’s getting very near the end and it just seems a tad too sedate for me.

Even with the ones we do care about.  You can't pass a hole episode on one or two people alone.

[maystone]

On 10/11/2022 at 2:39 PM, OoohMaggie said:

Well I’ve watched it three times now, a good episode I have to admit.  I’m liking the Mercer storyline, he’s obviously going to play an important role in what’s coming. They certainly made the most out of the reappearance of the Super Walker, big up FD for that, the look on Aaron’s face was priceless 😆

Too much too soon maybe, but they’ve only a few episodes left to set the scene for all of the spin-offs so it’s understandable. If only they’d have carried it over from the original idea, who knows where we’d be now 😔.

I don't remember seeing the Super Walker before. Is it from World Beyond? It seemed to be thinking and strategizing when it grabbed Aaron's rifle to pull Aaron closer. Or are they going back to Frank Darabont's version of Walkers that could climb stairs, fences, open doors, remember where they'd lived? I have to admit that I was with Aaron in thinking they were Whisperers at first :)

I liked the scene between Eugene and Daryl. "You'd best step aside, Hoss."  What I didn't like was having Eugene return to full-on coward mode. He'd grown past that as a character - why make him go back to it? He doesn't need a redemption mini-arc; he's already done that.

Other than that and the Hornsby/Pamela/dead spawn thing ("Feed my son." WTactualF?) I liked the ep. While I agree with everyone that it's too late in the season to spend so much time on so few characters, it was fun for me to have some Aaron and Jerry time.

[heisenberg]

1 hour ago, maystone said:

I don't remember seeing the Super Walker before. Is it from World Beyond?

No,  this is new.

[OoohMaggie]

15 hours ago, maystone said:

Or are they going back to Frank Darabont's version of Walkers that could climb stairs, fences, open doors, remember where they'd lived?

That’s exactly where they’re going, remember the Walker picking up a rock to break the glass door on the entrance to the department store? If I remember correctly that our people were hiding within. There was also the Walker/s that tried climbing the chain link fence.

I think the writers are finally realising that the stupid, shuffling Walkers we’ve had to endure up until now, just won’t cut it in any of the planned offshoots to the Mother Show. The audience that have been here since the beginning need something new and at least somewhat believable to ensure their allegiance to the new offerings.

Maggie sitting in a bar with apparently enough electricity to light the place up like a Christmas tree is intriguing to say the least, I hope the show can make the most of these changes and give us something special that us long term viewers will appreciate 🙏

[heisenberg]

6 hours ago, OoohMaggie said:

I think the writers are finally realising that the stupid, shuffling Walkers we’ve had to endure up until now, just won’t cut it in any of the planned offshoots to the Mother Show. The audience that have been here since the beginning need something new and at least somewhat believable to ensure their allegiance to the new offerings.

I don't remember any of it but I trust you and it make sense.  From my side I would like to see them stop dressing all of  them alike (Long sleeves and full pants) to save money and be more representative of how they died.  Naked, bathing suit, sleepwear, firefighter outfit, hockey-football-tennis outfit, priest robe, etc... 

Edited October 16, 2022 by heisenberg

[Mr. Sparkle]

20 minutes ago, heisenberg said:

From my side I would like to see them stop dressing all of  them alike (Long sleeves and full pants) to save money and be more representative of how they died.  Naked, bathing suit, sleepwear, firefighter outfit, hockey-football-tennis outfit, priest robe, etc... 

The apocalypse hit on National Flannel Shirt and Jeans Day. The writers can't be blamed for that. 

[OoohMaggie]

9 hours ago, heisenberg said:

Naked, bathing suit, sleepwear, firefighter outfit, hockey-football-tennis outfit, priest robe, etc... 

I wouldn’t. mind seeing a Cheerleading squad, freshly turned obviously, no rotters 😛. You probably don’t remember the first “naked” Walker, from what I can remember it was hard to tell what it was supposed to be.

[KeithJ]

Where have I seen that Kingdom 2.0 location before?  It looks so familiar.

[Boofish]

On 10/15/2022 at 8:19 PM, heisenberg said:

I don't remember any of it but I trust you and it make sense.  From my side I would like to see them stop dressing all of  them alike (Long sleeves and full pants) to save money and be more representative of how they died.  Naked, bathing suit, sleepwear, firefighter outfit, hockey-football-tennis outfit, priest robe, etc... 

In seasons 1, 2 and 3 if you look closely you will see walkers dressed in scrubs, high heels, nightgowns, work uniforms etc. 

I have AMC+ so I have seen all these episodes plus episode 20. 

Eugene trying to square up with Daryl gave me a hardy laugh. I wouldn't say there are any characters I don't care about but I do wish people would stop coming on screen for the sole purpose of remembering they exist (Magda, Dianne.)

I hope Jerry was foreshadowing a happy ending for him and his family.

[Lambie]

The Ren Faire set bothered me. We're, what, 13 (?) years into the ZA? There is a mall near me that close during the pandemic and in 2 years the place has gone to total shit. The exterior looks like it's falling apart, the windows are broken, the signs of the anchor stores are half missing. This fairground hasn't been used in over a decade yet the paint was still nice, the walls were in tact, it wasn't overgrown in weeds, and the sign for the fair was completely legible. That was a heavy suspension of disbelief other than it was a nice callback to Jerry for a Kingdom background.

I did, however, love this new super walker who climbs and it looked like he had a rock with him to bash Jerry in the head. Wouldn't it be inevitable that the zombie virus would mutate over time? Either strengthening or weakening? Look how COVID has evolved as far as manifestations. 

I saw the commercial for TWD universe with Rick and Michonne. I'm pre-pissed off about that. How is Michonne going to justify leaving Judith and Rick Jr? Or is TWD supposed to be concurrent with what we're seeing now? Still, I'lll never get over Michonne just leaving her kids given the character arc they gave her about becoming the mom Judith never had. 

[OoohMaggie]

25 minutes ago, Lambie said:

I did, however, love this new super walker who climbs and it looked like he had a rock with him to bash Jerry in the head. Wouldn't it be inevitable that the zombie virus would mutate over time?

The problem for me is that they’ve gone from shuffling idiot to Spider Man in one simple step, the concept is far from new, but I feel it’s been born more from desperation to ensure the success of the offshoot shows, than any form of realistic natural progression of the Walkers. We already have to suspend belief that any Walker would last more than a few weeks without being consumed by nature as it is.
I can’t be too critical at this late stage of things, having hand waved so much up until now, i have to be prepared to take whatever they come up with, as long as it puts a smile on my face I’ll see the show out happily 🤗

[Boofish]

I decided to handwave it all once I accepted the premise of the show. For me that's the joy of watching shows/movies like this, I don't have a reality to compare it with. I absolutely loathe violence

• My husband  "but you watch the walking dead"
• Me - it's not real sir. None of this will happen. Law & Order SVU could happen to me; I don't like that!

[iMonrey]

Still too much time spent on Commonwealth characters. I don't need to see Pamela talking to her dead son, I don't need conversations between Max and Mercer or Pamela and Hornsby. I'm frustrated that the last season of this show is all about the Commonwealth. Although if they execute Eugene I will be forever grateful.

Now, the group that's taking supplies to Oceanside feels more old-school WD. Out in the middle of nowhere, just trying to survive and get from point A to point B. That's the show I got hooked on. 

I'm also not a fan of the narration device they're using to open all these final episodes with Judith. It's a little too precious and Steven Spielberg for my tastes.

Edited October 17, 2022 by iMonrey

[OoohMaggie]

29 minutes ago, Boofish said:

I absolutely loathe violence

Mmmmmmm 🤔 well that’s a statement I didn’t expect to see  from somebody who’s managed to make it this far.

[OoohMaggie]

19 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I'm frustrated that the last season of this show is all about the Commonwealth. Although if they execute Eugene I will be forever grateful.

I agree to a certain extent, yet they do have to have a somewhat believable run in to the very last episodes. The  end of eleven years of dedication, suffering  and loyalty, should at the very least be rewarded by something special and worthy of those years we’ve stuck by this show, through thick and thin.

[Boofish]

12 minutes ago, OoohMaggie said:

Mmmmmmm 🤔 well that’s a statement I didn’t expect to see  from somebody who’s managed to make it this far.

Yeah my husband don't get it either lol. I just keep telling myself it's not real. The end of the world/survival genre is my favorite. I would say Season 7 was the hardest for me; I almost tapped out. It's the one season I have never and will never re-watch.

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, OoohMaggie said:

The  end of eleven years of dedication, suffering  and loyalty, should at the very least be rewarded by something special and worthy of those years we’ve stuck by this show, through thick and thin.

We aint getting nothing but some awful spin-offs that don't make any sense in the grand scheme of the show. 

ETA: there is no grand scheme of this show. 

[Crashcourse]

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Although if they execute Eugene I will be forever grateful.

Yes!

[rmontro]

On 10/14/2022 at 11:16 PM, maystone said:

I don't remember seeing the Super Walker before. Is it from World Beyond?

I think it was Z Nation.

[Lambie]

Question (not related to the episode):

Who first coined "walker?" It would have had to be Morgan, right? He was the first person Rick met in the ZA. Every group/community had their own term for zombies yet Rick's group always ended up converting them to theirs (because they are a plague). What was Negan's term? I know the Governors was Biters. Herschel and the woman had their own terms too but Rick (because he is a plague) changed theirs as well. 

[SharonH58]

On 10/17/2022 at 2:45 PM, iMonrey said:

 Although if they execute Eugene I will be forever grateful.

I'm also not a fan of the narration device they're using to open all these final episodes with Judith. It's a little too precious and Steven Spielberg for my tastes.

Eugene is way past his expiration date.   I can think of a lot more good characters that should have survived.   I hate seeing him on screen.  And talking.  

The opening IMO is to make us remember the good series but to me it only highlights how bad it's gotten.

[FierceCritter]

On 10/18/2022 at 10:16 AM, Lambie said:

Question (not related to the episode):

Who first coined "walker?" It would have had to be Morgan, right? He was the first person Rick met in the ZA. Every group/community had their own term for zombies yet Rick's group always ended up converting them to theirs (because they are a plague). What was Negan's term? I know the Governors was Biters. Herschel and the woman had their own terms too but Rick (because he is a plague) changed theirs as well. 

We first heard it from Morgan.

A rundown of the rest of the terms can be found here: https://www.amc.com/twdu/news/the-walking-dead/all-the-different-names-for-walkers-in-the-walking-dead-universe

[Iguessnot]

Took me until today to watch and I was not pleased initially. First, as I suspected, Commonwealth was playing Ring around the Rosies in the main square. 

I was surprised that Commonwealth was smart enough to try to round up the new immigrants. The mentioned Hilltop and Alexandria, but who is Riverbend?

Rosita was interrogated by Mercer, but she just smirked and just walked out like she called the meeting. I didn't understand how they had her play that scene. She was acting like she was a long term resident like Hornsby who shouldn't be questioned.

The hiding out in the church was ludicrous. 

It looked like the cart rolled over Jerry's foot. I don't know how it morphed into a vicious knee injury.

I hated Princess' scene with Mercer. Her acting was juvenile along with her arguments for Eugene. Not that I disagree, but it was a deliberate act of sabotage against the Commonwealth but she's telling good guy/bad guy stories. It was feeble dialogue, but ultimately it wasn't about Eugene. It was all about the quirky Princess as we get more of her backstory, which I done hearing about.

I really like the Pamela and Hornsby scene. The cat plays with the mouse.

I also loved Rosita's scene with Eugene. Well acted and they reduced Eugene's verbal gymnastics to a tolerable level. 

[OoohMaggie]

11 hours ago, Iguessnot said:

but who is Riverbend?

It’s the big building once controlled by Ian (Michael Biehn) he played Reese in Terminator, where Negan and his wife were living, the building that the Commonwealth soldiers pushed the inhabitants off the roof, that was later taken back by Maggie and Negan.

11 hours ago, Iguessnot said:

The hiding out in the church was ludicrous. 

😂🤣😂🤣 like seriously they wouldn’t have had a guy watching the place and raiding it regularly 🙄🙄

[Iguessnot]

7 hours ago, OoohMaggie said:

It’s the big building once controlled by Ian (Michael Biehn) he played Reese in Terminator, where Negan and his wife were living, the building that the Commonwealth soldiers pushed the inhabitants off the roof, that was later taken back by Maggie and Negan.

😂🤣😂🤣 like seriously they wouldn’t have had a guy watching the place and raiding it regularly 🙄🙄

Thanks for the reminder.

Rosita went in and out of the church at least two times, and I wondered why she wasn't followed immediately after left her interrogation.

Princess has packed her luggage like she's waiting for Uber to take her to the train depot.
 

[BasilSeal]

On 10/15/2022 at 4:16 AM, maystone said:

I don't remember seeing the Super Walker before. Is it from World Beyond?

Frank Darabont originally intended the walkers to be like the one  that climbs the fence.

Darabont's original vision for the show was very different and involved sentient walkers and episodes about peripheral characters like the dead guy in the tank, there was supposed to be a backstory episode about how he ended up in there apparently. that's why they had quite a well known actor, Sam Witwer, playing such a minor role. when Darabont got sacked and the budget was drastically cut and the show was reworked but there are still elements of Darabont's original vision in the eventual final cut, like the guy in the tank, the walkers that climb the chain-link fence to chase Rick and Glenn and the one that breaks the store window with a rock. also the child zombie that picks up and carries a teddy bear.