Talking Dead: Where Chris Hardwick Got His Groove Back

[Muffyn]

That was one of my favorite TD episodes. Doug Benson was ten times more coherent than when he's on @midnight, and I loved his "how Rick would say things" jokes. I found Paget Brewster kinda charming in her weird pauses and moments of excitement. And I laughed at her apparent crushes on the Guv and Abe. That red-headed bastard needs some love! And Michael Rooker - holy crap, that was fantastic. I almost thought he was on something, but when the audience member/tweet (the rare one that was actually interesting) asked about his favorite scene to film, dude was totally coherent and well-spoken. He's just a crazy mofo, and is clearly the Janice from Accounting of the TD world.

Janice from Accounting doesn't give a fuck!

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Get him, Carol.

 

[ghoulina]

Finally got to watch. Sorry, Hardwick. Ten o'clock is my bedtime. LOVED it. Rooker was just as much fun as I knew he would be. I loved that he just said exactly what he thought and didn't care if it made the show look good or not - "Being in a group is stupid", "I'd raid Alexandria!" Or how about when he was all, "Who's Reg? Nah, fuck that, Abe doesn't care about that dude". Pure awesome. 

 

The best part was when Hardwick made fun of him for hanging up on Reedus, as if people still use old fashioned phones. And then the pantomiming. Dead. I was dead. I was actually working out this am while watching, and I fell over and my bed and couldn't breathe. 

 

I really would like to see him on every week. Or maybe more old cast members who still enjoy the show, but are more free to give their opinions. This was a lot more fun than the actual episode. 

 

But um, why do I have to watch this show to figure out that the other chick those double-crossers were talking about was actually the fuel truck? I had no idea. 

[Madding crowd]

I didn't notice the fuel truck name either. You're right that a little too often we have to watch TD to find out thing about the show.

[weightyghost]

I mean, they zoomed in/focussed on the license plate when Daryl uncovered it, which indicated that it was the name they kept saying. It clicked for me right away, but I also didn't care enough about those woods people to remember what they even said about her/the truck. 

 

There are some things like that I agree with you all, that weren't overly clear on the show - like I don't think I realized the girl who Jessie put down last week was actually Betsy (of Betsy and bitten guy with Michonne) until I watched Talking Dead. 

[nodorothyparker]

I often find that something that I either completely guessed at or fanwanked was right by watching TTD.  And sometimes, like last week learning that Betsy was the walker in the house that Jessie put down and that she died by slitting her wrists, it's something that would likely otherwise be completely lost on me if they didn't spell it out in a "look how cool and poignant we made this particular detail even though it really doesn't affect the overall story in any way."  

 

But, you know, AMC put another show on after the TWD credits rolled this week and those of us with school or work in the morning had to let it go.  Sure, I realize I could have watched it on demand any time since then but the break made me realize I just don't care enough to.  I barely cared about this episode as it is. Yhe last thing I'm interested in is investing another hour in being sold on it not being as bad as I thought.  I like Michael Rooker a lot, but not enough for that.

[jay741982]

One of the worst TD episodes, Chuck said nothing of significance.

Breckenridge was quite smug.

I don't think she was.not at all and I loved the episode of TD. I got a feeling AB didn't want to play up a serious future

since its likely Jessie met her comic fate since she hasn't been filming second half of the season.

I'm not speaking for you but she does get irritonal hatred cause how dare Rick not wanna Fuck Michonne

 

Why was "Chuck" there?  CH seems to keep pimping his podcast guests to help shill their new shows.  What the hell is up with Alexandra Breckenridge's teeth?  They looked grey compared to everyone else's.  She was really playing down the kissing scene - I don't feel any chemistry between Jessie and Rick on screen and she almost telegraphs that feeling tonight on TD.

Maybe they don't like each other IRL.  *Shrug*

I think she played it down cause Jessie doesn't last much longer.

Edited November 18, 2015 by HalcyonDays
Added Spoiler tags to Comics Spoilers!!!

[Giselle]

God I miss Merle!

Switched channels after TWD and watched TD on Tivo the next day. One of the best TD's in a long time. This episode of TD was much better than the last two episodes of TWD and TD.

[Nashville]

God I miss Merle!

 

Sorry, but every time I see Rooker in civvies I'm reminded of him

licking the "chocolate" off his fingers

in Mallrats.

[ghoulina]

I mean, they zoomed in/focussed on the license plate when Daryl uncovered it, which indicated that it was the name they kept saying. It clicked for me right away, but I also didn't care enough about those woods people to remember what they even said about her/the truck.

 

Yea, that's the thing. By the time Daryl stumbled upon the truck, I didn't even remember the name they were saying. Am I really supposed to get to know 3 new people, plus the bad guys they're running from, plus some "female" they came back for, plus some random couple in a green house - all in one episode? Especially when all these new characters and stories are presented in a very hapless, clunky manner? Nah, I had no idea who Patty was. Didn't care. 

[morgankobi]

Stink Palm! It's not just me who still associates him with that? Awesome. 

It's odd to see anything about Mallrats in spoiler tags. But I guess people who haven't watched wouldn't want to know beforehand that

William does eventually see the sailboat

.

[Peanut]

So we have to watch Into the Badlands again before TTD.  I think I'll just set the DVR.

[weightyghost]

Looks like Ken Jeong will be on tonight, which could be interesting. I find him hilarious and he is smart but I don't want him and Hardwick riffing all episode.

 

There will also be two mystery guests and I hate that that may interest me enough to stay up late. Though since I've been spoiled because the internet has no chill, I have a feeling of who it will be. 

Edited November 23, 2015 by weightyghost

[raven]

 

So we have to watch Into the Badlands again before TTD.  I think I'll just set the DVR.

Me too, I hope this trend is over soon. 

[lulee]

Did Hardwick say Hurd and Gimple will be on? Curious timing for both of them to be on. I would have thought one might be on next week with it being the Midseason! Finale! <groan>

[weightyghost]

Pretty sure gale, Scott, Steven and Ken will all be on.

Four? How unnecessary

[SnoGirl]

My question is, are they all going to fit on the couch? Is someone going to be switched out? Or did they buy a bigger couch?

Because, if we're doing four people, can we have four actors on next week?

[lulee]

Are we sure Steven's going to be in-studio? Something about how Hardwick phrased it made me think there will just be a pre-taped package with him.

[SnoGirl]

On his special message, he said he was going to be on.

Plus, that would be another actor on who wasn't killed off

(I know Steven's been on before).

Maybe it's Gimple who is the taped message. Can't imagine he doesn't know how ridiculous everyone think's the Dumpstergate has been. I wouldn't want to show my face if I were him.

Edited November 23, 2015 by SnoGirl

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Are we sure Steven's going to be in-studio? Something about how Hardwick phrased it made me think there will just be a pre-taped package with him.

Via satellite from Georgia, with Scott Gimple.

They're currently filming the S6 finale.

[weightyghost]

Greg posted about having done the last shot so they've finished filming last week.

I do wonder how much of the audience had no idea glen was alive. With all this talk about it being top secret, it was immediately spoiled to me that he was still alive so clearly they didn't hide it too well. But I don't know if that's just because I follow the show online, though try to avoid spoilers, or what. I wish I didn't know because the surprise would have been great.

Though the rage would have been greater...

[SnoGirl]

Dude, I'm actually laughing at Hardwicke tonight. His jokes are cracking me up.

The Glenn shout-out Un-Memoriamdum was funny too.

I cannot believe Hardwicke gave-up that he has seen the Mid-Season Finale. He's going to get a million questions about it.

[MichaelaRae]

The UnMemorium made me laugh.

[lulee]

Is Ken Jeong always so Up!WithPeople! or did they pay him to be so enthusiastic about how the Glenn story was done and how it was resolved so quickly!!! ?
... If we ignore the multiple episodes between Glenn being shown, which some of us might like to be able to do, at least in part.

[riverheightsnancy]

Wow, Stephen is very, very cute all cleaned up. Rawr. 

[ParadoxLost]

I got annoyed with all of them, especially Ken Jeong, discussing how the story of Glenn's "death" was revealed and acting as if it came across the way the show wanted it too instead of three incredibly boring, momentum killing episodes.  I had to switch channels.

[BellyLaughter]

I got annoyed with all of them, especially Ken Jeong, discussing how the story of Glenn's "death" was revealed and acting as if it came across the way the show wanted it too instead of three incredibly boring, momentum killing episodes.  I had to switch channels.

That's pretty much The Talking Dead in a nutshell.  It's just an hour of television where people blow smoke up each others a**es purely for the sake of promoting the show.  Fanboys and fangirls going nuts over stuff 80% of the audience wouldn't even notice. 

[shanndee]

I was happy to see MD Ken Jeong laugh derisively about the portrayal of the "psychiatrist". Psychiatrist. A doctor who has completed medical residency.

 

I really wish TPTB had made her a psychologist instead. I got very, very angry whenever they showed this trained doctor needing a cheat sheet to identify an infection.

 

WTF show!!!

[MrsRafaelBarba]

Surprise guest next week....

Probably whomever dies in the MSF.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

I thought Hardwick was pretty short and dickish with both GAH and Alexis (the guest questioner), at times, tonight.  He's always (at least) sorta funny, but he just seemed a bit brisk at times, dealing with the ladies.

 

Ken Jeong brought the funny.  GAH either didn't get the jokes or wasn't a fan, cause she hardly cracked a smile for a couple of them.

 

Steven is a better person than I.  I can't imagine basically 'disappearing' for a month, just to not spoil what happens to my character on TV.  Dedication, that.

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

Also, did my DVR eff up or did the AL interview clip, that Hardwick kept talking up, never happen?

 

I've never watched the "after show" on the internet, so was it aired there??

 

 

ETA:  Am I the only one who gets kinda PO'd when CH tries to get into talk about the comics?  Not every single person reads them - even if the on-screen product doesn't exactly match the comics, the end result(s) might be the same - so stop trying to [possibly] spoil shit for those willfully uninformed, Hardwick!

Edited November 23, 2015 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[lulee]

Also, did my DVR eff up or did the AL interview clip, that Hardwick kept talking up, never happen?

I've never watched the "after show" on the internet, so was it aired there??

ETA: Am I the only one who gets kinda PO'd when CH tries to get into talk about the comics? Not every single person reads them - even if the on-screen product doesn't exactly match the comics, the end result(s) might be the same - so stop trying to [possibly] spoil shit for those willfully uninformed, Hardwick!

You're right about the Lincoln video. Maybe they ran out of time by giving away too many green balloons.

[nodorothyparker]

The combination of Gimple acting like he'd pulled off something really clever with the Glenn noncliffhanger and the Unmemoriam made me finally realize just how much a target audience I'm not for this show and why I don't really miss it if I happen to go to bed instead.

[SimoneS]

I was not happy that we did not get the Andy Lincoln video interview that Hadwick promised.

[lulee]

The combination of Gimple acting like he'd pulled off something really clever with the Glenn noncliffhanger and the Unmemoriam made me finally realize just how much a target audience I'm not for this show and why I don't really miss it if I happen to go to bed instead.

I watched it largely for the bonus sneak-peek clip that's always promised. The one last night was almost identical to what they showed at the end of Heads Up. I want a refund!

[rab01]

I was happy to see MD Ken Jeong laugh derisively about the portrayal of the "psychiatrist". Psychiatrist. A doctor who has completed medical residency.

 

I really wish TPTB had made her a psychologist instead. I got very, very angry whenever they showed this trained doctor needing a cheat sheet to identify an infection.

I missed most of TD but saw that segment and I loved it and loved that the producer was sitting right next to him smiling painfully at it. I think the Show fucked up and didn't realize that a character that they wanted to be sympathetic is actually derisively stupid to anyone aware of what a psychiatrist is. I hope that means that they will modulate that bullshit going forward because the Show course corrects sometimes and Ken Jeong's reaction was too funny and honest to be ignored.

[JulesKikiCobb]

I don't know if I buy Scott Gimple's explanation for having Glenn's fate hang in the balance: "We wanted to show you all what it would be REALLY LIKE to live in this word. When anyone goes outside of the walls, you never know if they'll come back." What's the honest answer? I'm not on board with how everything fell where it was supposed to "in the timeline." Dude, you guys create the timeline. You write the episodes. You produce the series.

 

Also? He said he was so impressed with how much the WD community came together during the three episodes where Glenn was in limbo. I think his Internets are broken. If you're like me, each passing episode pissed me off. I couldn't stop yelling at my TV: "Where tf is Glenn?!!??!" Especially when a bunch of screen time was given to tertiary actors who will probably be toast anyway.

 

On a shallow note, I loved Gale Anne Hurd's hair. The wispy cut, the color, the shape -- it really flattered her.

[nodorothyparker]

To be fair, a lot of the WD online community did come together to bitch about how much they hated the Glenn fakeout, hated the show for doing it, and how time wasting they found at least two of the last three episodes.  So Gimple's not technically incorrect.

[Muffyn]

There was a lot of retconning about the audience reaction.  Suddenly we were all happy to wait three weeks to learn the fate of Schrodinger’s Glenn.  People on the forums had already figured out how he would escape.  People were frustrated as they sat through two episodes in which this wasn’t resolved.  The idea that we would get the experiences of the survivors because we would know what it’s like to wait to learn someone’s fate doesn’t hold up.  One way or another, we were waiting at least a week.  In show time, how long did Maggie wait before she saw the balloons?  Certainly not three weeks.

 

Ken Jeong was pretty funny on the couch.  His calling out the portrayal of a psychiatrist was great.  Making her so incompetent doesn’t make sense.  I cannot imagine a competent adult having to ask how to tell if a wound is infected.  Morgan should have been able to tell.  Certainly a trained psychiatrist would not need to look it up.  Somebody give her some psych meds to prescribe.  But otherwise he drank the kool-aid.  I wish someone would have acknowledged fan frustration.   

 

I felt bad for Steven Yuen having to hide out while this played out.  He was enjoyable on TTD.

Edited November 23, 2015 by Muffyn

[Samsnee]

Look, I know this show is basically a cheerleader for the series. In no way do I expect anyone to bitch even 10% of the amount of the time we do about a series we all love. But Hardwick has become such a fanboy and blind to anything else, it's hard to watch this show anymore. Every writing decision is either interesting or awesome.

[GreyBunny]

That interview with Gimple and Yeun was weird.  Yeun looked tense and dead-eyed and Gimple was almost sitting on top of him like he was monitoring Yeun so he wouldn't drop any spoilers for the rest of the season. 

 

Just my spec on what happens with Glenn in the season finale next spring:

 

I think Glenn dies by the end of the season, probably in the last episode.  Yeun hearing all of the "Yay, Glenn is alive! Glad you're still with us!" fanboying while knowing Glenn is toast made his interview with Gimple awkward.  Oh, and Hardwick is a lying liar who lies with the Cousin Oliver "I don't know anything" crap.  He's spoiled, he knows.  The teaser at the very end of the Glenn Un-Memorium hinted that his fate could still be at risk beyond the usual, "everyone dies" theme.

[shanndee]

That interview with Gimple and Yeun was weird.  Yeun looked tense and dead-eyed and Gimple was almost sitting on top of him like he was monitoring Yeun so he wouldn't drop any spoilers for the rest of the season. 

 

Just my spec on what happens with Glenn in the season finale next spring:

 

I think Glenn dies by the end of the season, probably in the last episode.  Yeun hearing all of the "Yay, Glenn is alive! Glad you're still with us!" fanboying while knowing Glenn is toast made his interview with Gimple awkward.  Oh, and Hardwick is a lying liar who lies with the Cousin Oliver "I don't know anything" crap.  He's spoiled, he knows.  The teaser at the very end of the Glenn Un-Memorium hinted that his fate could still be at risk beyond the usual, "everyone dies" theme.

 

I thought the same thing! It really looked like Yeun was doing his best not to have an "I'm alive...for now" vibe. He looked a little sad, almost like he was thinking "you think that was bad...just wait until you see what they do to me in the finale".

 

I don't think I'll "celebrate" yet.

[ParadoxLost]

That interview with Gimple and Yeun was weird.  Yeun looked tense and dead-eyed and Gimple was almost sitting on top of him like he was monitoring Yeun so he wouldn't drop any spoilers for the rest of the season. 

 

There was an interview Yeun did during all this that sounded very bitter or disappointed about post / parallel acting opportunities coming his way because he's on TWD and it sounded like there were none to speak of or at least a lot less that his fellow actors.  It was literally the only thing that shook my confidence about Glenn's survival. 

[Soobs]

We all know that Talking Dead exists to support TWD and not as a critical show. That being said, it was SO annoying to hear them say how amazing the big fake out was. It reminded me of an interview I heard with Vince Gilligan where he said he never read any of the internet criticism when writing the final 2 or 3 seasons of the X-files. It showed big time because those seasons sucked. Seems like Gimple et al. really like the smell of their own farts too.

Edited November 24, 2015 by Soobs

[mandolin]

I just finally forced myself to watch the show that I used to enjoy but now dread. If Scott Gimple thinks that the way the story played out puts us in Maggie's shoes, he's wrong. Maggie did not have to see Nicholas shoot himself and watch Glenn fall. Maggie did not see Steven's name taken out of the opening credits. Maggie did not have to sit through three boring episodes wondering why the show was screwing her over. I don't think I have ever been more disappointed in The Walking Dead, and I'm frustrated that Chris's show now solely exists to convince me every decision the show makes is a good one. Scott Gimple needs to shave his beard because it apparently is making him make really bad choices.

And Chris said he thought Glenn was really dead? The Nerdist thought that? Has he never seen the internet?

[ghoulina]

I watched it largely for the bonus sneak-peek clip that's always promised. The one last night was almost identical to what they showed at the end of Heads Up. I want a refund!

 

It seems, to me, that it's like that every week. It's the same as the preview with about 3 extra seconds tacked on. 

 

I don't know if I buy Scott Gimple's explanation for having Glenn's fate hang in the balance: "We wanted to show you all what it would be REALLY LIKE to live in this word. When anyone goes outside of the walls, you never know if they'll come back." What's the honest answer?

 

I actually understand the idea of putting the viewers in the characters' shoes - having us just as in the dark as Maggie, Rick, etc. were. But they could have handled it much differently. I will never be convinced that they didn't intentionally make it LOOK like Glenn was getting eaten, so we would immediately think he was dead, but then with time we'd start speculating on whether he was really dead or not. Honestly, if there was no TTD and no internet, I'd have thought he was dead. 

 

Remember when Carol went missing in season 3? Or even the whole Sophia thing. I honestly didn't know what to think about any of that. Sophia I was more leaning towards dead, but I wasn't convinced. We didn't SEE anything happen to them, so we just didn't know. If they had handled it more ambiguously and then made us wait, while Maggie had to wait as well, I think it would have gone over better. But the way they did it felt intentionally manipulative and cheap. I did not care for it at all. 

[Disraeli Ears]

 

Ken Jeong brought the funny.  GAH either didn't get the jokes or wasn't a fan, cause she hardly cracked a smile for a couple of them.

 

 

GAH looks like she has recently been on the receiving end of some needles full o' Botox. I mean, I can't blame her (and more power to her if it makes her happy), but it definitely affects your facial expressions in a negative way. [Full disclosure: I've considered Botox myself, but I'm afraid of that very problem. The price of vanity. *sigh*]

 

And YAAAAAS to those of you who have pointed out how yummy Steven is looking lately. And not in the "eat his intestines" way, of course. ;)

[GreyBunny]

We all know that Talking Dead exists to support TWD and not as a critical show. That being said, it was SO annoying to hear them say how amazing the big fake out was. It reminded me of an interview I heard with Vince Gilligan where he said he never read any of the internet criticism when writing the final 2 or 3 seasons of the X-files. It showed big time because those seasons sucked. Seems like Gimple et al. really like the smell of their own farts too.

 

Other than a few clever memes including some that had crossovers with Jon Snow, the Glenn death fakeout was useless.  It would have worked for a commercial break, not 3 episodes.   It grates that Hardwick keeps trying to hype the spinoff show, Fear TWD.  That show stinks in every possible way and if I were a guest on TD I'd flat out say so.  Lucky for them I'll probably never be a guest/question asker. 

[Anela]

The combination of Gimple acting like he'd pulled off something really clever with the Glenn noncliffhanger and the Unmemoriam made me finally realize just how much a target audience I'm not for this show and why I don't really miss it if I happen to go to bed instead.

It bothered me when they said that they wanted to put us in Maggie's shoes - Maggie wasn't waiting three weeks (as someone else pointed out), or posting pictures on facebook of people searching dumpsters for Glenn. Most people had already guessed where he'd been, and that he would come home.

 

I will be really annoyed if they pulled this fake-out, only to actually kill him off later on this season. 

[CletusMusashi]

They had me at Jason Alexander.