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S05.E04: Slabtown


halgia
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It is really sad. I just recently got my mom and sister into the show and I'm getting all nostalgic for how head-over-heels I was for this show in the beginning. Now I'm stuck with this crap? It's depressing me. I try to remind myself there have been lousy episodes in other seasons. Maybe they didn't bug as much because I was binge-watching and another one would be along soon? But hell, I live-watched last season and I loved it. I didn't even mind the Guv-centric episodes or Still. They weren't great, but they had a point and I understood why they were done. With this mess I just feel lost. Like I woke up one morning and my husband was a stranger. 

 

I might force myself to rewatch here in a minute, see if I can gleam anything good from it. But I'm afraid I'll just fall asleep again.

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I Liked this ep- First of all, it was gratifying to see Beth find her inner badass, and even more so not seeing it as some instant catharsis-- she had to crawl shivering and frail to badassdom. 

"Oh, Joan was looking for you."  NOT MISSING A BEAT. DAMN.

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I was unaware there are so many TP enthusiasts (besides my friend's Maltese).  Now I know who I'm adding to my ZA survival team.  You guys can source Charmin like bloodhounds.

Edited by GreyBunny
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The writers like to move things slowly.That's why we get filler episodes like "Carl Loses his Shoe," or "Just in case you Missed Season 3, The Governor Loves the Idea of a Family but is Nevertheless a Crazy Dick." Or even, to use an example that I liked, "Rick Plays Hide and Seek with a Bunch of Killer Rapists While Michonne Waits for Laundry to Dry."

I also think this was an enjoyable filler episode. They couldn't have done it with an alpha character, though. It had to be somebody that nobody in power would remotely consider a threat. We were looking outside the group, at other ways people were making mistakes, and Beth was simply a way to get the lens there.

Otherwise, if they just randomly decided to do an episode about Dawn and Gordon, we'd be sitting around wondering "Um, which one is going to join the group and replace Bob?"

Plus, the answer to that question appears to be Noah. I like that trade. Not missing Bob at all.

Of course, if Dawn wants to team up with Abraham and start smacking Eugene around, that might be an interesting redemption arc...

Edited by CletusMusashi
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This last episode makes me less pre-bored for this coming one even if I don't care all that much about the story or anyone on the bus.  There will be more than one person I recognize so better chances that something interesting might happen to at least one of them and reasonable odds of seeing more than two facial expressions over the course of an hour.  How's that for a positive?

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I'm about to start up the rewatch before I get snow tires put on the car. Something tells me I'll be skedaddlin' over to Canadian Tire before the episode has ended. I can't believe we haven't done a rewatch yet! Usually do a few times before the next one. We even watched the Gov ones a couple times.

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I did rewatch once, and it went better because I knew what to expect. It was still very blah. At least with the Governor, I felt it was going to culminate in something. All I see for this is Carol getting Beth out of there, and possibly having Noah added to the cast, which could've been done without this whole angle.

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I usually keep it on AMC all night and catch a rerun or two that same night, but this time I changed it after the first run of Talking Dead.  I couldn't stomach watching this episode again.

Edited by GreyBunny
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So the rapist lolly cop explained why they were so far south of Atlanta when they "rescued" Beth; they had a lead on some guns. Say what? From whom? Does this have any significance whatsoever?

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I am pre-bored with an episode featuring Abraham's backstory.

Wait, we’re getting Abe’s backstory as in flashbacks and not just the current status of Team DC next ep?  I’d be very interested to see if it includes his first meeting with Eugene. If he’s in a lab coat at some military bioweapons facility then his story gains a bit more credibility. If he’s just some random hiding out or wandering the street somewhere when Abe runs into him, then…

... ... ...

 

As to the purpose of the whole hospital arc that many, including myself, thought wasn’t needed or could have been only half as long, there is a tiny, tiny possibility that they took the opportunity of "what happend to Beth?" to introduce us to someone from Rick’s past.  As to whom that might be, I’ll postulate in the speculation thread.

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Can someone refresh my memory on timeline? How much time has passed between the fall of the prison to present day (i.e. the church massacre)? A week or two, right? I'm just trying to wrap my brain around how much time has passed since Rick banished Carol to the fall of the prison (a few days, maybe a week, I think) to where they are today (another week or so?). 

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On runs, whenever anyone runs into a store to get the last pack of stale crackers, Abraham calls out, "Hey, could you see if they have any Clubman Mustache Wax?  In chestnut?  Thanks.  I'll kill this Walker for you."

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So the rapist lolly cop explained why they were so far south of Atlanta when they "rescued" Beth; they had a lead on some guns. Say what? From whom? Does this have any significance whatsoever?

 

Yes! That was the only thing that stood out to me the 2nd time around (before I fell asleep). But it made me think of Rick's bag of guns from season 1. I wanted to tell Lolly Cop - "Oh, buddy, you are so 4 seasons ago". 

 

Can someone refresh my memory on timeline? How much time has passed between the fall of the prison to present day (i.e. the church massacre)? A week or two, right? I'm just trying to wrap my brain around how much time has passed since Rick banished Carol to the fall of the prison (a few days, maybe a week, I think) to where they are today (another week or so?).

 

I'm pretty sure it's been just over a week since they all left the prison.

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Maybe I missed something, but how was the hosiptal any worse than most every place else we have seen in the ZA? They had a semblance of a society. The leader, a woman, seemed more or less normal with her own post-ZA perspective. Did I miss an anvil? Was it that they recued young women and made them into sex slaves for the uniformed cops, who in turn kept everyone safe? I thought it was going that way, and I kept waiting for the big reveal of why the hospital was bad, but either I missed it or it never came. The fact the existing doc killed a potential rival to protect himself in a ZA ... that was "bad" but not very unique for the circumstance, I would wager.

Edited by Ottis
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Can someone refresh my memory on timeline? How much time has passed between the fall of the prison to present day (i.e. the church massacre)? A week or two, right? I'm just trying to wrap my brain around how much time has passed since Rick banished Carol to the fall of the prison (a few days, maybe a week, I think) to where they are today (another week or so?). 

I haven't sat down and done a timeline, but off the cuff IIRC they groups wandered for about 2 weeks post prison, maybe another 2 -3 days in Terminus and then wandered for a few weeks (maybe 2) post Terminus. So I'm guessing we're a month, maybe a month and a half from the fall of the prison. Maybe someone else has a better timeline.

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Can someone refresh my memory on timeline? How much time has passed between the fall of the prison to present day (i.e. the church massacre)? A week or two, right? I'm just trying to wrap my brain around how much time has passed since Rick banished Carol to the fall of the prison (a few days, maybe a week, I think) to where they are today (another week or so?). 

 

According to The Walking Dead Wiki, Rick banished Carol on day 503, the prison fell on day 504, and Michonne heard the bustle in the hedgerow on day 513.

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Maybe I missed something, but how was the hosiptal any worse than most every place else we have seen in the ZA? They had a semblance of a society. The leader, a woman, seemed more or less normal with her own post-ZA perspective. Did I miss an anvil? Was it that they recued young women and made them into sex slaves for the uniformed cops, who in turn kept everyone safe? I thought it was going that way, and I kept waiting for the big reveal of why the hospital was bad, but either I missed it or it never came.

Given that Joan preferred suicide to whatever the cops were doing to her, I think "safe" is questionable. And she wasn't resigned-to-hoplessness type suicidal like Jaqui, or Beth herself in Season 2; she was angry, kick and scream at her "rescuers" suicidal.

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So the rapist lolly cop explained why they were so far south of Atlanta when they "rescued" Beth; they had a lead on some guns. Say what? From whom? Does this have any significance whatsoever?

 

Along those lines then, why was a second car in the same general area? Beth couldn't have been taken that far from where Daryl saw the second car. Did the cops skip the gun run because they tripped over Beth and so they made a second trip??

 

Can anyone tell me what the hell the men were all moving into a room when Beth went to get the key from Dawn's desk?

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Appropos of nothing, I just need to comment on Beth turning her nose up at eating guinea pig. I don't know what else besides snakes she's eaten, but I'm sure less savoury things have been on the menu.

 

She grew up on a farm where killing and eating animals was the norm, so what's the deal? DId she have a pet GP as a child?  And yeah, this is one of the few things from this ep that interested me.

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  I’d be very interested to see if it includes his first meeting with Eugene. If he’s in a lab coat at some military bioweapons facility then his story gains a bit more credibility. If he’s just some random hiding out or wandering the street somewhere when Abe runs into him

... ... ..

I'm sure he was in his mom's basement. Not hiding from the apocalypse. Just because that's where the Eugenes live.

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Appropos of nothing, I just need to comment on Beth turning her nose up at eating guinea pig. I don't know what else besides snakes she's eaten, but I'm sure less savoury things have been on the menu.

 

She grew up on a farm where killing and eating animals was the norm, so what's the deal? DId she have a pet GP as a child?  And yeah, this is one of the few things from this ep that interested me.

Okay, maybe I need to watch the episode again but I really did not pick up on any reaction negative or otherwise from Beth on the GP. Just acknowledgment and then she put it in her mouth. Another example of unmemorable acting. But then again, maybe I missed it ?

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Appropos of nothing, I just need to comment on Beth turning her nose up at eating guinea pig. I don't know what else besides snakes she's eaten, but I'm sure less savoury things have been on the menu.

 

 

Maybe it was Tuesday and she was hankering for some spaghetti?

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According to The Walking Dead Wiki, Rick banished Carol on day 503, the prison fell on day 504, and Michonne heard the bustle in the hedgerow on day 513.

 

Wow so not even 2 weeks. I guess I misunderstood when I assumed they wandered around for a bit after Terminus. 

 

 

Appropos of nothing, I just need to comment on Beth turning her nose up at eating guinea pig. I don't know what else besides snakes she's eaten, but I'm sure less savoury things have been on the menu.

 

She grew up on a farm where killing and eating animals was the norm, so what's the deal? DId she have a pet GP as a child?  And yeah, this is one of the few things from this ep that interested me.

You now what? I was gonna comment on that as being stupid, but I think Beth's had it pretty good for the most part. She ate well on the farm and they didn't seem to do too bad in the prison, especially once they started farming. She may have had a bit of snae and squirrel with Darryl, but even then they found that stash of food at the mortuary house.

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Maybe I missed something, but how was the hosiptal any worse than most every place else we have seen in the ZA? They had a semblance of a society. The leader, a woman, seemed more or less normal with her own post-ZA perspective. Did I miss an anvil? Was it that they recued young women and made them into sex slaves for the uniformed cops, who in turn kept everyone safe? I thought it was going that way, and I kept waiting for the big reveal of why the hospital was bad, but either I missed it or it never came. The fact the existing doc killed a potential rival to protect himself in a ZA ... that was "bad" but not very unique for the circumstance, I would wager.

That's what i liked about it. Bad is still bad. You don't need to keep on "topping" the last villain, as long as the story and setting are reasonably different.

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This is my big problem with the hospital, they've already done this with Woodbury & Terminus, why are we seeing the same plot again? Is there going to be a new location run by crazies every season? I'm bored with the whole wash, rinse, repeat they're giving us.

But if they let other people get some screen time as crazy leaders, then maybe the writers won't insist on giving Rick a personality overhaul three times a season.

I like that most attempts to rebuild civilization result in something much worse than what we live in today. As many issues as I have with too much American government, anarchy is worse, especially since anarchy has no inherent resistance to real, non-metaphorical, fascism.

I like seeing this as drive-by scenery. Hopefully it'll free up some of the main characters to be more consistent.

 

Plus, ultimately, I've got to ask myself what story did this episode detract from? The writers knew before this episode was even written what Episode Number the group would head for DC, when they would get there, yadda yadda yadda. My guess is we've had way more fun ragging on Rapey McLollycop than we would have had watching Fauxther Gabe crying and overacting, or Eugene mumbling and under acting, or Yosemite Sideboob making any speech whatsoever...

 

You know what I love about zany side episodes? Everything there that doesn't work will be gone soon! Try to explain that notion to the rest of the show...

Edited by CletusMusashi
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Yeah, she made what I think she intended to be an "ew, that's icky" face. 

 

Carl drinking the wine in S01 was more believable, unfortunately.

Yeah, I think the doctor have said something afterwards to clue us into what she meant to portray.

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I thought Anthony was in the bath.  What does he have to do with spaghetti day?

For those of us of a "certain age" our childhood included a long-running commercial for Prince spaghetti. A mother leaned out of a tenement window yelling "Anthonyyy! Annnthonnnyyyyyy!" and we were treated to a long tracking shot of a little boy running through crowded streets while the narrator intoned "This is Boston's North End, an Italian neighborhood!" like it was Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom and we were going to see the natives dance or something.

It was supposed to convince us that canned spaghetti was what "authentic Eyetalians" would rather feed their kids than homemade.

Edited by kikismom
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For those of us of a "certain age" our childhood included a long-running commercial for Prince spaghetti. A mother leaned out of a tenement window yelling "Anthonyyy! Annnthonnnyyyyyy!" and we were treated to a long tracking shot of a little boy running through crowded streets while the narrator intoned "This is Boston's North End, an Italian neighborhood!" like it was Mutual of Omaha's Wild KIngdom and we were going to see the natives dance or something.

It was supposed to convince us that canned spaghetti was what "authentic Eyetalians" would rather feed their kids than homemade.

Yes, and now I know that Kikismom and I grew up in the same era!

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She may have had a bit of snae and squirrel with Darryl, but even then they found that stash of food at the mortuary house.

 

 Between the farm and the prison, CDB spent the Georgia winter constantly on the run (but just running around in circles).   When season 3 opened, Daryl taking down an owl was dinner for all of them,

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