S02.E04: Feisty Friendly

[Mr. Sparkle]

Airs Sunday, May 25th. 

Maggie uncovers surprising information; Negan attempts to outmaneuver a slippery foe.

[Samwise979]

So, I’m guessing the cage fighting is supposed to be between two walkers? And that guy was cheating using his still alive old bodyguard? (Death was probably a relief for him). Maybe this was made clear at one point and I wasn’t paying attention. But why give walkers weapons? They know how to use swords and stuff now? Also, do walkers normally fight each other? Usually they’re in hoards and don’t seem bothered with each other and even share their food. #confused. 

Gotta say, not loving this season so far. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

Hard to say which is worse - the acting or the writing. It's reminding me, unsurprisingly, of the last seasons of the Walking Dead, or worse, Fear the Walking Dead. 

[gutbuster]

20 hours ago, Samwise979 said:

So, I’m guessing the cage fighting is supposed to be between two walkers? And that guy was cheating using his still alive old bodyguard? (Death was probably a relief for him). Maybe this was made clear at one point and I wasn’t paying attention. But why give walkers weapons? They know how to use swords and stuff now? Also, do walkers normally fight each other? Usually they’re in hoards and don’t seem bothered with each other and even share their food. #confused. 

Gotta say, not loving this season so far. 

Yeah, it was supposed to be walker cock fighting basically. They would slather each walker's head with fresh guts or something so they'd go after each other. When one would get the upper hand, the knives strapped to their faces would kill the other one when the winner went to chow down. 

They were using the walker battles to trade and win resources from the other groups I guess. So Negan clearly threatened to out that that guy was cheating using a live person instead of a walker in order to win all of the fight and apparently a lot of resources from the other groups.

Is there supposed to be something deeper going on with Herschel and the old lady other than Herschel lusting after the city for whatever reason? Why would he be okay with essentially getting all of those people on the boat killed, including his mom, by signaling the NY people? Maybe the old lady threatened his mom? I'm trying not to forget that she did cut off his toe.

Hershel wondering why people want to bring back the old world since it seemed like all people did was hurt each other. Um, isn't that exactly what people are (still) doing now? At least before there were also jelly donuts and Kit Kats.

Ten years ago, the staging of the dinner party to look like the last supper would've had us all looking correlating the position of the people at the table to the people in the painting to see if we could glean any clues about character or what each person might do in the future. Now it just comes across as undeserved pretentious nonsense because who gives a shit about any of these characters. But still, it didn't make sense to me why the old lady was sitting at the end of the table in the dark if she's supposed to be in charge.

All I could see was dollar store Joaquin Phoenix Napoleon and it distracted me every time that dude was on screen.

I'm somehow enjoying what Lauren is doing with this crap. 

My favorite moments were Negan of all people complaining about not fighting fair in the cage match, and the visual of how the walker Negan chose as his champion managing to keep his cute ballcap on all that time after death.  

I actually liked the use of the Savior whistling to summon Negan, but I was distracted by the Croat being right there. He was close enough to Negan that he should've heard and recognized it too, but didn't, at least it seemed like he didn't. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

11 minutes ago, gutbuster said:

All I could see was dollar store Joaquin Phoenix Napoleon and it distracted me every time that dude was on screen.

If this show had the money or pull, Ian McShane would be playing that role instead of this clown. 

That said, I think Željko Ivanek is head and shoulders, acting-wise, above everyone else in the cast. 

[nodorothyparker]

The show seems to want us to be impressed that they got Kim Coates to play Edgar Allen Faux, but I continue to be just flummoxed that this franchise has continued to draw the talent it has especially a good decade and half in.

Not sure how Negan knew Edgar Allen Faux's champion was a real boy because I was frankly only half paying attention. I get that they needed some distraction from the sad roasted rat and Bugs Bunny-style carrot dinner but really still? This far in walker fights are the best entertainment they could come up with? 

Did like Maggie and Armstrong this episode talking about random things they miss and wondering if their kids will even want or could even appreciate the remnants of the old world they're trying to hang onto. It's actually a good tell where Herschel's head is at that he doesn't see anything about the old world worth all the death and destruction that have resulted from people fighting over it. It goes with what he said last episode about preferring the ZA world because it's not like he has any memories of anything else or basis for comparison.

Telling us the old lady was some unhinged art? theater? critic in the before time does absolutely nothing to make all her power now make any sense. The entire NYC crew seems to be entirely made up of asshole theater kids.

[gutbuster]

3 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

Not sure how Negan knew Edgar Allen Faux's champion was a real boy because I was frankly only half paying attention. 

I am ashamed to say I was fully paying attention at this moment. When Negan jumped back out of the ring and attracted the champion to him, Negan was up close and personal with him. He and we could hear the champion's panicky breathing and very human eyes staring at him in fear while Negan's champion closed in on them. 

[Mr. Sparkle]

9 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

they got Kim Coates to play Edgar Allen Faux

I'm not familiar with his work, but I looked him up and he has an impressive resume. That must put the blame on the writing. 

[iarwain]

19 hours ago, gutbuster said:

Hershel wondering why people want to bring back the old world since it seemed like all people did was hurt each other. Um, isn't that exactly what people are (still) doing now? At least before there were also jelly donuts and Kit Kats.

That part really bugged me, because it was such obvious nonsense.  This entire franchise has been nothing but one group of humans attacking another group of humans or trying to enslave them.  But Hershel wants to criticize the old world?  I bet in the old world he probably wouldn't have been imprisoned and had his toe cut off by some maniac.

I guess I'll just handwave it as Hershel being brainwashed, but that's not a satisfying answer.

Since Negan didn't figure out "Frankenstein" was human until nearly the end of the fight, I kind of wonder how he expected his oily walker to end up the winner.

[millennium]

Oh c'mon, you guys.   Kim Coates crushed the role of Breughel!  I thought he was hilarious.   Just this side of over the top.  I loved his needling of the Croat by mimicking his accent.  Does no one recognize him as Tig from Sons of Anarchy?

I like Negan better in this show than I ever did in TWD.  He just talked and talked and talked in TWD.   Here, he watches and listens, then utters something droll like, "I don't know much about art.  I'm more of a movie poster kind of guy."  Then a little later he lets the mask down and shows his desperation in a tense conversation with Maggie, trying to explain that his hands are tied as long as he's with Damarama and Croat.

They're definitely dragging out the "what did Dama do to Herschel?" big reveal.   Lisa Emery was funny in this episode too, probably unintentionally.  That nerve twitch in her cheek as historian guy revealed who she used to be ... lol.

YMMV, but I find this show far more watchable than entire seasons of TWD, including any season with The Governor.

Edited May 28 by millennium

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 hours ago, millennium said:

YMMV, but I find this show far more watchable than entire seasons of TWD, including any season with The Governor.

I thought last season was surprisingly decent, but this season has yet to do anything for me. Some of those last seasons of TWD were a chore. 

The only arc I find remotely intriguing is Hershel's, because I don't see where they're going to go with it. The rest seems obvious. 

So, MM definitely Vs! 

[iarwain]

15 hours ago, millennium said:

YMMV, but I find this show far more watchable than entire seasons of TWD, including any season with The Governor.

I wouldn't go that far, but I have found this season to be surprisingly watchable.  I've been over the whole Walking Dead thing for a good while, but I've been enjoying this.  And I do like the Negan character these days.  

[Obnoxio]

On 5/28/2025 at 1:31 AM, millennium said:

Oh c'mon, you guys.   Kim Coates crushed the role of Breughel!  I thought he was hilarious.   Just this side of over the top.  I loved his needling of the Croat by mimicking his accent.  Does no one recognize him as Tig from Sons of Anarchy?

I like Negan better in this show than I ever did in TWD.  He just talked and talked and talked in TWD.   Here, he watches and listens, then utters something droll like, "I don't know much about art.  I'm more of a movie poster kind of guy."  Then a little later he lets the mask down and shows his desperation in a tense conversation with Maggie, trying to explain that his hands are tied as long as he's with Damarama and Croat.

They're definitely dragging out the "what did Dama do to Herschel?" big reveal.   Lisa Emery was funny in this episode too, probably unintentionally.  That nerve twitch in her cheek as historian guy revealed who she used to be ... lol.

YMMV, but I find this show far more watchable than entire seasons of TWD, including any season with The Governor.

Before I had ever watched an episode of TWD, my wife and I went to a costume party.

There was a couple dressed as Michone and the Governor.  We guessed she was from TWD based on seeing commercials.  But, I swore he was dressed as Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.  (Pre Samuel Jackson).  I thought it was a great costume.

[Starchild]

On 5/26/2025 at 9:09 PM, gutbuster said:

Yeah, it was supposed to be walker cock fighting basically. They would slather each walker's head with fresh guts or something so they'd go after each other. When one would get the upper hand, the knives strapped to their faces would kill the other one when the winner went to chow down.

That's the confusing part. Is it not established fact that slathering yourself with fresh guts makes the walkers ignore you?

[gutbuster]

4 hours ago, Starchild said:

That's the confusing part. Is it not established fact that slathering yourself with fresh guts makes the walkers ignore you?

I think it was slathering with walker guts that gets them to ignore you.

[Starchild]

Exactly. So what's the point of slathering the dead with walker guts? It's like they think the other walker will be attracted to the guts ("fresh meat") but that's never been the way it works.

[Obnoxio]

I think it was rat guts.