S05.E12: Remember

[diebartdie]

I think Michonne has already made her case. She's worried about Judith, she, being a mother in particular realizes Judith could dehydrate or starve to death much more quickly than anyone else in the group (as the audience we all have to sort of imagine Judith is actually quite skinny because the "actor" is really a rolly polly little thing). Michonne is freekin tired of sleeping in dirt, being filthy, eating acorns, she has articulated what pretty much every one else has been feeling, living out there was killing them all in a million different ways, it was time for resting, time for comfort however fleeting, time to TRY to make things better. The life they were leading, aimless wandering with all the danger that entails was getting OLD. She had been saying this to Rick for a while, most notably at Noah's so I don't think she's acting pregnant at all, she's just expressing her feelings in a very direct way because she (unlike Daryl) is able to do that with herself and with the group and especially with Rick. Michonne is not afraid of Rick, she's afraid that the life on the road was a sure death sentence for all of them, not least of whom is Judith.

[Pacodakat]

I agree with you: Timetoread, this is all B.S.

 

I think that the writers are continuing to make Alexandria look suspicious because no one including our group is being themselves. It’s hard to believe that these people lived this long out of pure luck. They are probably a very well-oiled machine and the new “Mayor” is only showing what she wants the new comers to see.

They single Rick out from the start.
They show him the houses.
She sends over a pretty lady with supplies and she offers to cut his hair. She says she can take care of herself. No one is as helpless as they seem.

(Did anyone else think of Samson and Delilah.)

The husband doesn't like his wife's "role" in this play.
They introduce Carl to some kids his age.
Everyone is telling them to “take your time” “It’s ok if you just want to talk”
The teenagers aren’t asking questions that teenagers living in the ZA would ask.
She is giving (jobs and home) and withholding (jobs for Michonne and Rick)
She makes him “second in command” keeping him close to wield him as a tool, as constable.
She is placing everyone on the chess board. and the whole town seems to be playing along.
They want to get rid of Daryl. He doesn’t fit in. She can’t control him. But Rick can..maybe.
Michonne is not herself.
No one wants to know why the others were banished?
They talk about the town being soft but they are the ones who are soft and falling for the façade.
I don’t know if their home is bugged but it would make since. We know they are being watched.
This is all part of the audition process.
They mentioned no very young kids. Maybe they want to create more children and need more people to do that. Rick seems like a viable option. It’s not unreasonable to want that but they should be up front.
The group is so desperate for something…anything to hang on to… I think they can all be turned into killers if this place turns sour. Maybe not terminus level but pretty close.
IT’s obvious these last four episodes are leading up to a "big reveal" but I wish they would just get on with it. The whole thing felt Claustrophobic and frustrating.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Pacodakat

[BrokenRemote]

I guess if you see Rick and Michonne as BFFs, Captain and Number One. I don't and I don't see where the show has established that in any way.

They wound up being on the road together a while, and they bonded, although Carl and Michonne more than Rick and Michonne. I've never seen where they're more than friends or that she's second in command. He's far closer with Daryl, from what they've showed us.

So maybe it's awkward, even if they were all that to each other, to say "Hey, I think you suck at raising and protecting your kids and you should do XYZ." She knows he's been increasingly unstable, and that might just send him off the deep end.

Or maybe she hasn't even articulated it to herself. But she feels maternal toward Judith and has a kind of nesting urge without even realizing that's what it is.

I also think it's a leap to say Danai is acting pregnant and she'd only do that if Michonne were pregnant. That is a possible interpretation, but not the only one. It's not as if she's having morning sickness and craving pickles and there's 100% no other explanation. I was actually saying your explanation of her acting pregnant makes sense if she's feeling that way about Judith, but I guess only time will tell.

Edited March 2, 2015 by BrokenRemote

[Constantinople]

I was also surprised that Alexandria had the 'no guns' rule.  It seems shortsighted.  If walkers (or other enemies) break into the community, the residents are going to lose valuable time getting the weapons out of storage.

To be fair, not all ZA communities are far sighted enough to leave their guns outside in uncovered garbage cans, exposed to any passing thunderstorm and all of the other elements.

[chlban]

Never trust a politician! Especially one who says they're an awesome poker player. I guess it may not matter as the Alexandrians are living in a Ricktocracy, they just don't know it yet.

This. A week ago I was saying I thought this was a safe place. Maybe it will be in the end, but the head honcho is a Congressperson?

I do not trust her. No way. And those kids of hers are too stupid to live pre ZA, much less after.

 

I'm betting the pretty lady's jerk husband is zombie bait before the end of the season. She is clearly going to be Ricks new love interest, IMO.

[bosawks]

Did anyone else notice that Jessie had an owl tattoo on her right arm? It was visible when she handed Rick the mirror after giving him a haircut. Then she mentioned again that she was creating an owl sculpture with her kids. Significance?

 

Who?

 

Sorry, sometimes I just can't help myself.......

[Puffaroo]

 

They have better walls than the prison but a herd the size of the one that Abraham et al ran into when Eugene revealed himself would probably take it down.

 

Especially since, unless I missed something, the buttresses seemed to be on the *outside* of the wall.

[Samx]

I totally love Carol but I have to agree with Daryl's parting comment to her after she left to start her "job".  She did look kinda ridiculous.  Not that I want to see her wearing the usual dirty grunge rags, but that look just doesn't really work for her.

 

I giggled at that too. Cardigan Carol does seem so far fetched considering what we know of her. For some reason, it also called me back to that moment in S2 (?) when they're raiding the cars on the highway and she finds a red dress and says something like "Ed would never let me have nice things like this." Can't imagine what he'd say about her Mr. Rogers garb. That silly man.

[Boofish]

I love Daryl even more knowing the only reason he even considers staying in Mayberry is because "the boy and the baby" He didn't say much but him and Carol completely owned this episode.

 

During the first commercial I text my daughter and said "I give it a week before Rick takes over" then at the end when he said "we can just take it" Looking forward to all the death and destruction that follows this group everywhere. I bet if they showed up at Disneyland Mickey Mouse would go "OH SHIT" toss his ears and surrender.

[ghoulina]

I was surprised by how few people appear to live in that Alexandria community.  Are they all hiding in their houses?  I was also surprised that Alexandria had the 'no guns' rule.  It seems shortsighted.  If walkers (or other enemies) break into the community, the residents are going to lose valuable time getting the weapons out of storage.

 

It looked like they were still allowed to carry their knives. But yes, I think it's utterly stupid. I'm glad they've manage to survive this far with nothing getting over their walls. But are they really so ignorant as to think that will last forever? Forget walkers, what about people? If Enid can scale the wall unnoticed, could not some menacing characters do the same thing to get in? Sorry, but I'd want my weapons on me at all time, no matter what. In the ZA, the gun/sword/etc. just becomes part of your outfit. 

[Haleth]

I'm wondering if the writers are trying to make us think Deanna + Aiden = Mary + Gareth.  Just coincidence we have 2 mom/son combos?  It's nice to see Tovah Feldshuh again.  Haven't seen her in anything in a long time.

 

Interesting that while everyone had to turn in their guns, no other weapons were taken.  We know everyone is equipped with a variety of weapons and they all have knives. (Great minds, Ghoulina.) 

 

Since Glenn wasn't included in the episode ending convo I'd like to think he and Maggie were upstairs taking advantage of those fresh smelling sheets.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Haleth

[90PercentGravity]

Oh! I forgot about the girl leaving the camp. There was something weird on closed-captioning when Carl was following her. It said "Metal Clanging", which I didn't really notice, and she immediately changed directions and took off running. I was thinking it was maybe a signal, and I thought maybe she still had a group on the outside and she's smuggling out food to them. She had a really full backpack on.

The "metal clanging" caption was also in the next scene when Rick approached the metal barn. I think it was the barn making the noise.

 

I really hope whatever threat there is is from the outside and the group has to learn to get along with the Alexandrians to take on the bigger threat.

 

I'm really sick of the whole group is all together, group finds safe place, safe place is not what it seems, group destroys safe place, group gets split up, groups spends 5 episodes finding each other, group is all together, group finds safe place, etc cycle. It's time for some new plots.

Edited March 2, 2015 by 90PercentGravity

[JackONeill]

Not that it's germane to anything, but did anyone, when hearing Rick's last line, have a flashback to the original Planet of the Apes?  After they'd crash landed on the planet, they had to hike miles through inhospitable terrain. Then they spotted a bunch of humans acting like children, playing in a tree. Charlton Heston looks at his fellow astronauts and says, "Hell, we'll be running this planet in two weeks."

[Timetoread]

I guess if you see Rick and Michonne as BFFs, Captain and Number One. I don't and I don't see where the show has established that in any way.

They wound up being on the road together a while, and they bonded, although Carl and Michonne more than Rick and Michonne. I've never seen where they're more than friends or that she's second in command. He's far closer with Daryl, from what they've showed us.

So maybe it's awkward, even if they were all that to each other, to say "Hey, I think you suck at raising and protecting your kids and you should do XYZ." She knows he's been increasingly unstable, and that might just send him off the deep end.

Or maybe she hasn't even articulated it to herself. But she feels maternal toward Judith and has a kind of nesting urge without even realizing that's what it is.

I also think it's a leap to say Danai is acting pregnant and she'd only do that if Michonne were pregnant. That is a possible interpretation, but not the only one. It's not as if she's having morning sickness and craving pickles and there's 100% no other explanation. I was actually saying your explanation of her acting pregnant makes sense if she's feeling that way about Judith, but I guess only time will tell.

 

I guess we're watching two different shows.  I think it's been pretty clear that Rick and Michonne are joined at the hip - not romantically but like comrades in arms.  They do everything together and make decisions together and last episode was a surprise because Michonne went rogue.  Other than the ONE SCENE where Rick called Daryl his brother, those two men don't really spend that much time together and I just never see what others are seeing about this great bond that Rick and Daryl have.

 

As for her maternal instinct toward Judith, I find it a tad insulting.  Michonne hasn't touched that baby since Rick got back (and has barely uttered two words to Carl, tbh).  Concern for the children in general doesn't equate willing to fight their father over their upbringing.  Rick could have let the whole group go and kept his kids with him.  Also, Carol is also a childless mother and this isn't being foisted on her, even though she and Tyrese had Judith after they left the prison and would therefore have a tighter bond with Judith.  

 

As for there being no other explanation for Michonne's behavior, I thought I made it pretty clear from my flippant speculation (Carl, Herschel) that almost ALL other explanations are more probable than Michonne being pregnant. I said that her squirrely behavior simply LOOKS like pregnant and given Danai's acting chops it makes me wonder.  What I said ultimately is that I feel that there is SOMETHING that Michonne is not telling us and I feel that way because she is not acting like herself at all.  I have no idea what the problem is.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Timetoread

[Puffaroo]

 

Didn't that kid said that the girl teenager had only been there for 3 weeks?

 

I heard three weeks, too.

 

It took three weeks before she spoke.

[Timetoread]

The "metal clanging" caption was also in the next scene when Rick approached the metal barn. I think it was the barn making the noise.

 

I really hope whatever threat there is is from the outside and the group has to learn to get along with the Alexandrians to take on the bigger threat.

 

I'm really sick of the whole group is all together, group finds safe place, safe place is not what it seems, group destroys safe place, group gets split up, groups spends 5 episodes finding each other, group is all together, group finds safe place, etc cycle. It's time for some new plots.

 

Did that happen more than once? I think it was only once - it just felt like a lot of seasons.

[Samx]

I guess we're watching two different shows.  I think it's been pretty clear that Rick and Michonne are joined at the hip - not romantically but like comrades in arms.  They do everything together and make decisions together and last episode was a surprise because Michonne went rogue.  Other than the ONE SCENE where Rick called Daryl his brother, those two men don't really spend that much time together and I just never see what others are seeing about this great bond that Rick and Daryl have.

 

If anyone has watched Sons of Anarchy, I see it this way: Rick is the President, Michonne is his VP, and Daryl is the Sgt-at-Arms - he's basically Rick's go-to enforcer/bodyguard/trigger man. Not a perfect description but that is the gist I get from the dynamic.

[Bannon]

I don't like how they run into groups that are hyper-competent and then incompetent.  Mapping a 53 mile radius semi-circle is a lot of ground to cover, and those two Alexandrians who tracked Rick's group for weeks is no small accomplishment.  Plus, they have had to make frequent runs to provide food for all in that community, including elderly members they have not left to die.  Yet, when they arrive we find Laurel and Hardy out making runs.  They better explain that inconsistency at some point.

I'll grant them some leeway here. Think of the real life Easy Company, portrayed in "Band of Brothers". A pretty large group of hyper-competent paratroopers who have some members occasionally get stupidly killed when an incompetent boob with political or bureaucratic connections, like Norman Dike, gets placed in command. In this situation, we have very predictable Congressional nepotism resulting in a overconfident halfwit having a leadership position, putting people under his command stupidly at risk, which does not preclude some of those people under his command being extremely competent.

 

This story arc has te potential to be the best yet; no absolute villains in the Alexandria community, just a bunch of complicated people sometimes being brilliant and brave, sometimes being dumb and cowardly, or brilliant and cowardly, and dumb and brave. 

[morgankobi]

I have to call bullshit on Alexandria having not seen anyone living or dead for a while. There was a walker at the gate when they arrived, one right outside the gate again when Rick walked out, and a group at the barn not too far away. They just showed up now after not being around for weeks? Not buying it.

 

It does't matter that the area was evacuated by this time. Walkers have been traveling for over a year, and we've seen at least three large herds. I don't trust people in such heavy denial of what the world is.

 

I laughed loudly at the comic Coral picked up. In the future, this will definitely be referred to as the Unfair Wolves season in my house.

Edited March 2, 2015 by morgankobi

[BrokenRemote]

Did that happen more than once? I think it was only once - it just felt like a lot of seasons.

Well, I can think of : the Greene farm, the prison, and to a lesser extent, Terminus.

[mandolin]

I'm happy for the second week in a row. This is my show! Most all the thought I had have already been shared, but things I loved: 

Carol: her face as she gave the gun over made me wonder, but when I saw where she was going with it, I liked it. Some of MMB's better acting, IMO.

Daryl: had great lines, like early Daryl. I hope he can find a way to exist at Alexandria, assuming they stay.

Enjoyed Rick's haircut/shave and everyone's reactions, and I squealed when he came out in the uniform. Not that I loved it, but how much the original CDB's have felt to see him in that? And Carl? Such an awesome call back to the early days. 

I so enjoy the episodes where all the characters are in it, and not split up. I enjoyed this one so much, it almost made up for that ambivalence I felt at most of season 4b.

Loved Glenn. He'll have that job in no time.

 

I do like something that is similar to the early seasons; especially season 2. Having so many different storylines to keep track of with different characters Instead of 4 episodes of one character dragging out their mope to no point.

Yep, that is what I mean!

 

Well, we know Jesse had 2 kids, and that one couple had 12 grandkids. The one boy told Carl that the little kids go to school in the morning and the older kids go in the afternoon. The way people were looking at Rick's crew when they came in, they could well have pulled the kids inside.

 

I think the show implied that the couple HAD 12 grandkids, but that they were dead.

I'm going to say almost the same thing I said last week

 

There's only 4 more episodes in this season, when are they going to start the big story?

Someone else already commented on this, but this is the big story. Finding the apparently most established community we've seen so far. Assimilating our people (or not?). Adapting. 

 

I thought the same thing when I saw Rick through the shower door. 

Like we saw Andrea naked thinking about stabbing the Guv. 

[BrokenRemote]

I have to call bullshit on Alexandria having not seen anyone living or dead for a while. There was a walker at the gate when they arrived, one right outside the gate again when Rick walked out, and a group at the barn not too far away. They just showed up now after not being around for weeks? Not buying it.

It does't matter that the area was evacuated by this time. Walkers have been traveling for over a year, and we've seen at least three large herds. I don't trust people in such heavy denial of what the world is.

I laughed loudly at the comic Coral picked up. In the future, this will definitely be referred to as the Unfair Wolves season in my house.

I think it's less denial and more ignorance. They've been behind these walls all along. They may have seen a few people or a few walkers, but obviously no huge herds yet. Yes, walkers are on the move, but this is a huge country. The odds of more than strays wandering past don't absolutely have to be 100%. I think they have some very drastic awakenings ahead, but I can buy their story.

[Boofish]

This was the same way they found the farm initially. Pretty peaceful and running seemingly well oblivious to the dangers lurking beyond their pastures. Hershel was in the same denial. It took that herd some weeks to find the farm and if not for that gunshot they would have migrated elsewhere. Not implausible to me that they get a few wandering walkers but not many people or a heard. 

[Constantinople]

I have to call bullshit on Alexandria having not seen anyone living or dead for a while. There was a walker at the gate when they arrived, one right outside the gate again when Rick walked out, and a group at the barn not too far away. They just showed up now after not being around for weeks? Not buying it.

 

It does't matter that the area was evacuated by this time. Walkers have been traveling for over a year, and we've seen at least three large herds.

I also doubt that Eugene is the only person who had the idea of going to D.C. (even if Eugene had the idea for false reasons). A lot of those people would travel by or through Alexandria.

[Boofish]

Will someone please clean up Daryl?  I mean, I'm happy to volunteer if no one else wants to. 

I too would offer myself as tribute

[BrokenRemote]

I also doubt that Eugene is the only person who had the idea of going to D.C. (even if Eugene had the idea for false reasons). A lot of those people would travel by or through Alexandria.

Yeah, but think of how big an area that is-- by maybe, but near always? This place is basically one little neighborhood. And it's off the main path (Deanna established they were taking a back road when they got sent here). What are the odds that most of them would wander off the hundreds of miles of main roads, through the miles and miles of neighborhoods, and happen on this group? I mean, some of them, probably, but not hundreds or thousands.

[eejm]

Yeah, but if she's telling the truth, the whole area, millions, were evacuated right as things started going down. Not many left behind, just a few stragglers. She said they hadn't seen anyone, living or dead, in quite a while. So it's up to whether you believe her, but they did cover those details.

 

I remember this line and it didn't make any sense to me.  First of all, Sasha killed the walker just as the gate was closing.  So that's the first walker that has been around the walls in a long time?  And did Deanna only mean around the walls?  Because Aaron talked about "clearing" the route that Rick decided against taking back to Alexandria.  I get that that's far away from the actual compound, but it's as though Deanna was saying that seeing a walker anywhere now was some rare occurrence.  That didn't make any sense to me.

[RustbeltWriter]

This episode set up all kinds of interesting ideas:

 

• Mall Cop Rick is more frightening than Grizzly Rick. When he's dirty and unshaven you'd know he's dangerous. All cleaned up you'll forget that.
• Deanna clearly understands that as innovative as her group has been, they have also been lucky. They need to incorporate some people who have lived through the worst and survived. The friction that generates will be interesting to watch. I expect many conversations along the lines of "we were just fine without you" "Yeah, then why invite us in?"
• If they think the Alexandrians are weak, they should work to make them strong, not conquer them.
• I think Glenn and Maggie will have the easiest time fitting in. Glenn seems to have an innate ability to react to each situation as needed. Rick and Darryl are always on.
• Michonne wants this too much
• Carl is turning into a great character

[kj4ever]

This was the same way they found the farm initially. Pretty peaceful and running seemingly well oblivious to the dangers lurking beyond their pastures. Hershel was in the same denial. It took that herd some weeks to find the farm and if not for that gunshot they would have migrated elsewhere. Not implausible to me that they get a few wandering walkers but not many people or a heard. 

This is my biggest pet peave.  They. Do. Not. Learn.  I know you have to have a gun, but shooting them off all the time is what draws the big groups of walkers.

 

I give it 2 weeks before they have been shooting off tons of guns and a big old herd descends on Alexandria...

 

It took three weeks before she spoke.

Ahh so that's where I heard the three weeks.  If she's been there 8 months it makes the whole she's a spy seem a bit less feasible.  Any group half as good as Rick's could take that place with a week's worth of recon.

[Bannon]

Also, if written intelligently, the Alexandira story arc has the potential to replicate the central theme of my favorite television show ever, "Deadwood", which is how do complicated people create civilization, with all that doing so entails socially, politically, culturally, and economically, in a harsh state of (in this case ZA) nature. I think it would have been a little better to not make this subdivision so easily self sustainable, but that is a minor quibble at this point. I've almost given up on this show a couple of times, so I hope the writers execute this arc well. 

[ghoulina]

(Did anyone else think of Samson and Delilah.)

 

No. But now I am!

 

The teenagers aren’t asking questions that teenagers living in the ZA would ask.

 

Good point. As nice as they've been instructed to be, you'd think they'd be just dying to know what it's like out there. 

[Bannon]

This is my biggest pet peave.  They. Do. Not. Learn.  I know you have to have a gun, but shooting them off all the time is what draws the big groups of walkers.

 

I give it 2 weeks before they have been shooting off tons of guns and a big old herd descends on Alexandria...

 

Ahh so that's where I heard the three weeks.  If she's been there 8 months it makes the whole she's a spy seem a bit less feasible.  Any group half as good as Rick's could take that place with a week's worth of recon.

It seems as if the writers are also really inconsistent about the characters understanding the reality of not having an inexhaustible supply of bullets, thus making it stupid to waste one on single zombie shambling about at a distance. 

Edited March 2, 2015 by Bannon

[RustbeltWriter]

Also, nice to see the PTSD setting in. There's no way to go from what our group has endured to this place o seeming safety without breaking down.

[AndySmith]

Watch out, Jesssie! That sound you're hearing is the key board strokes of Rick and Michone shippers, typing away furiously while wishing your death...

Wow, a self-sustaining gated community with working utilities? Thank God Dues Ex Machina Properties was able to complete the project before the ZA.

Carol, if anybody saw the guns you were carrying, they really shouldn't believe your wallflower story...

Yes Rick, you're a baddass, we get it. And, yay! You've become what you despised.

Now that our merry group of protagonists has joined the Dharma Foundation, when can we expect the war with the Others?

 

Also, Carl, you really should point possible ways for people to scale the walls now that dad and Michone are in charge of security...

Edited March 2, 2015 by AndySmith

[ghoulina]

If they think the Alexandrians are weak, they should work to make them strong, not conquer them.

 

Agreed. But it will depend on how willing the Alexandrians are to adapt. We've already seen that the douchey frat boys think their way of doing things is awesome and don't take kindly to criticism. Deanna is being very friendly and open....for now. But we shall see. 

Edited March 2, 2015 by ghoulina

[HalcyonDays]

What's up with Rick shaving the chest as well?  That was weird to me.

 

It's an easy way to get rid of all of that caked on dirt and grime?? Honestly, I wonder if Andrew Lincoln is filming a movie or something, because he really was the only one who shaved, cut his hair and shaved his chest. Must be for something else he's doing. Everyone else looked the same, just cleaner. Kinda.

 

Let's see.  We've had Woodbury with the dictatorial, nutso small-town mayor.  We've had Terminus and Gareth with his notebook and his mid-level micromanager bullshit.  Then we got the hospital with the "You must respect my authoritah!" cops.  And now we've got a Congresswoman.  This show is just leaping from one leadership asshole to another.  It's like real-life, but with zombies.

 

Exactly it, that's why Rick and co are being so suspect. Good for them. I would be too. You cannot trust anyone in this zombie world because they always have ulterior motives. I did think it a show of faith that they let Daryl keep his crossbow and Michonne her katana. That katana can so some serious damage to the living too. Hopefully she can sharpen it somewhere.

 

I said that her squirrely behavior simply LOOKS like pregnant and given Danai's acting chops it makes me wonder.

 

I am not even sure what that means, that she acts "pregnant.", but a lot of you have said that. I just think Michonne is just tired of running, tired of the constant threats and wants to go somewhree and take a break from it all. They all are, but Michonne is close to Rick, so we see Michonne telling Rick the group needs to stop the incessant running and fighting, etc. I totally get that. Many of the men think that same way too - want to go somewhere and just stop the running and righting and constant fear of being killed, having no food, shelter, etc. I don't think it has nothing to do with a pregnancy, and I really really hope I turn out to be RIGHT. Last thing I want is Michonne hauling a large belly around. No thanks.

 

Deana's a politician, she's an expert in manipulating the truth.

Politicians are also great at taking lies and spinning them to sound like the absolute truth. They are also really good at making sure that they themselves get what they want, along with their own preferred group of constituents, with little regards for everyone else. Just saying.

[Bannon]

Watch out, Jesssie! That sound you're hearing is the key board strokes of Rick and Michone shippers, typing away furiously while wishing your death...

Wow, a self-sustaining gated community with working utilities? Thank God Dues Ex Machina Properties was able to complete the project before the ZA.

Carol, if anybody saw the guns you were carrying, they really shouldn't believe your wallflower story...

Yes Rick, your a baddass, we get it. And, yay! You've become what you despised.

Now that our merry group of protagonists has joined the Dharma Foundation, when can we expect the war with the Others?

 

Also, Carl, you really should point possible ways for people to scale the walls now that dad and Michone are in charge of security...

Yeah, while it is believable that a planned community could have some large solar panel arrays, it wouldn't have anything substantial for energy storage, which means they really only should have electricity during the day, and even then it would be difficult to manage.

Edited March 2, 2015 by Bannon

[Constantinople]

Yeah, but think of how big an area that is-- by maybe, but near always? This place is basically one little neighborhood. And it's off the main path (Deanna established they were taking a back road when they got sent here). What are the odds that most of them would wander off the hundreds of miles of main roads, through the miles and miles of neighborhoods, and happen on this group? I mean, some of them, probably, but not hundreds or thousands.

I'd expect it to happen more often then they claim it does, given they're living in a suburb of DC, how often everyone in the ZA world goes on long supply runs, and given how often we see people entering houses looking for supplies or temporary shelter. When he was introduced, even Father Pee Pants had intel about which local buildings near his church were out and which would still have supplies.

So I'm not finding the explanation particularly credible, which isn't to say that I think Deanna & Co. are lying, just that the writers don't always put out the most convincing stories.

After all, the story of a disease epidemic that largely took place in and around Atlanta was first thought up by someone who didn't know that the CDC was based in Atlanta, and apparently didn't bother to look it up.

[TigerLynx]

I was wondering if giving them two houses, having Carl interact with the children, sending Glenn, Tara, and Noah out with the frat boys, etc., was the Alexandrians way of testing Rick's group.  When Glen was threatened, he didn't back down, he can defend himself, Darryl immediately jumped in to help Glenn when it looked like it would be two against one, etc.  Just as Rick's group is sizing up Alexandria, the Alexandrians are studying them.

[ghoulina]

I was wondering if giving them two houses, having Carl interact with the children, sending Glenn, Tara, and Noah out with the frat boys, etc., was the Alexandrians way of testing Rick's group.  When Glen was threatened, he didn't back down, he can defend himself, Darryl immediately jumped in to help Glenn when it looked like it would be two against one, etc.  Just as Rick's group is sizing up Alexandria, the Alexandrians are studying them.

 

I thought it was interesting that they chose Tara and Noah to go with Glenn. They're no use useless as Eugene and FPP, but not necessarily first choice run material either. I wondered what that was about. I am a highly cynical person, so I'm probably way off base, but I almost wondered if they weren't trying to thin Rick's herd. 

[Anela]

I know that she is supposed to be an asexual robot creature who is all kill and no cuddle, but Michonne's behavior screams pregnant to me.  It's like she's forcing her husband to build the damn crib because it will be needed soon.  She didn't hook up with Rick - maybe Carl?  Nah, I'm kidding but I am trying to put my finger on her level of desperation.  I, unlike everybody else, am NOT trusting her instincts on this - and neither is Rick.

I thought the same thing re: pregnancy, but I could see her just wanting a safe place for her extended family. Maybe she allowed herself a tiny bit of hope that she could have another child. 

[kj4ever]

I thought it was interesting that they chose Tara and Noah to go with Glenn. They're no use useless as Eugene and FPP, but not necessarily first choice run material either. I wondered what that was about. I am a highly cynical person, so I'm probably way off base, but I almost wondered if they weren't trying to thin Rick's herd. 

That very well could be, or it's because those two douche bags didn't want people like Abraham and Daryl who from looks alone could dominate them in a heart beat.  Tara, Glen, and Noah seem pretty pedestrian from looks alone, but I guess they have found out different!

[Spartan Girl]

Thank God almighty Rick FINALLY SHAVED THE BEARD!  I loved how Michonne was giving him the old eyeball at his new clean face.  My God, these two are worse than Daryl and Carol.

 

Speaking of Carol, I loved her lying about her past and Daryl making fun of her new clothes.  And yes, I do think Daryl needs to shower badly.

 

I hope for morality's sake that Rick and the others don't end up taking over, but they're right: these people are morons.  And in the case of Lori, Andrea, Beth, Milton, and many others, stupidity and the zombie apocalypse don't mix.

[Pete Martell]

I guess we're watching two different shows.  I think it's been pretty clear that Rick and Michonne are joined at the hip - not romantically but like comrades in arms.  They do everything together and make decisions together and last episode was a surprise because Michonne went rogue.  Other than the ONE SCENE where Rick called Daryl his brother, those two men don't really spend that much time together and I just never see what others are seeing about this great bond that Rick and Daryl have.

 

I think Rick and Daryl have an intrinsic bond built from the days on the farm, when Daryl was rock-solid support at a time when Rick was losing all the people he thought he could count on, in one way or another. 

 

It's not something that tends to pop up on a frequent basis, but more when the chips are down. Rick has never let Daryl down, and Daryl won't forget it. That's one of the reasons why he seemed stung when Rick took the constable job, until he realized that Rick was running a con.

 

Rick and Michonne also have a very close bond. I'm never sure where the show is going with it, as there are romantic/sexual aspects that are played up at times (like her reaction to him sans beard), but if I try to put that away (which isn't easy for me), I take their relationship at the moment to be what Shane and Rick might have been if Shane hadn't been obsessed with Lori and the perfect family, and taken his anger out on Rick. 

 

Shane, at his best, wanted what was best for the group and for Rick, and cared deeply about Rick. He wasn't afraid of voicing his opinion, whatever anyone else might have said. His instincts guided him.

 

Seeing Michonne named a constable alongside Rick brought it back to me, because that's the role Shane would have had if they'd found Alexandria in season 1. 

 

Michonne now having that role tells you how much Rick's life has changed and just how much the show itself has changed. 

[Anela]

I'm happy for the second week in a row. This is my show! Most all the thought I had have already been shared, but things I loved: 

Carol: her face as she gave the gun over made me wonder, but when I saw where she was going with it, I liked it. Some of MMB's better acting, IMO.

Daryl: had great lines, like early Daryl. I hope he can find a way to exist at Alexandria, assuming they stay.

Enjoyed Rick's haircut/shave and everyone's reactions, and I squealed when he came out in the uniform. Not that I loved it, but how much the original CDB's have felt to see him in that? And Carl? Such an awesome call back to the early days. 

I so enjoy the episodes where all the characters are in it, and not split up. I enjoyed this one so much, it almost made up for that ambivalence I felt at most of season 4b.

Loved Glenn. He'll have that job in no time.

 

Yep, that is what I mean!

 

 

 

Like we saw Andrea naked thinking about stabbing the Guv. 

 

Yep. I remembered that, and her getting out of bed and pulling jeans on over a thong.

[StatMom]

Gotta love an episode where the scariest thing is a cardigan and a button down.

Yep, that was super creepy!

 

I loved Glenn in his confrontation with Aiden. He was trying so hard to hold himself back. It was nice to see Glenn so self-possessed. He knew he could murder this man and he held back, until the idiot took a swing. But even then, Glenn just knocked Aiden on his ass, making it clear that he didn't even consider it a fight. Loved it. I also loved how all the crew came out and were ready to throw down, without even knowing what was going on.

I always enjoy how they depict this. For example, when Rick first reacted at Terminus, everyone else instantly backed him up, even though they had no idea what the problem was. They knew and trusted Rick, and their first instincts are to back up any of their people in any situation.

[Mu Shu]

Never trust a politician! Especially one who says they're an awesome poker player. I guess it may not matter as the Alexandrians are living in a Ricktocracy, they just don't know it yet.

She's automatically a shitty poker player who gave her hand away. She needs the group, but she needs to give them a reason to keep her old ass around. Congresswomen are useless in this world. So she tells them how smart and awesome she is. Uh huh. That's not going to work.

Speaking if poker, what card game was Eugene leading in the RV?

I think the members only d bags deliberately get people killed on runs. It's obvious you need a job to stay relevant. Why else take the weakest female, the third weakest make ( I say even with a gimpy leg Noah is stronger than FPP and Eugene) on a run? Clearly, Michonne, Maggie, Sasha and Rosita are the obvious choices if you want the mission to succeed from a female strength perspective, and Daryll and Big Red are better choices than Noah.

[Luckylyn]

I like the theory that Alexandria is playing possum and trying to purposely appear weak as a test to see if Rick's group will try to take advantage,  but the way the run was handled by ROTC Douche shows there are serious weaknesses.   Enid is able to get in and out of the community without detection.  That means dangerous strangers could find a way in too. They have too much faith in the wall on its own and that sort of complacency is a problem.  I think Rick and Carol trying to fit in and play along while maintaining their suspicions is the right way to go. I'm very curious how exiling is handled.  That story might be the best way to know Alexandria's weaknesses and strengths. Was it really an exile or and execution?  Information in this situation is a necessity.

 

Rick had a nervous breakdown after Lori died.  I'm shocked the others haven't also broken down too.  It makes sense that Michonne has her breaking point as well.  She's tired and needs a break to stop from losing it. I also think she's thinking of the group as a whole and not just her own comfort.  The Michonne who was suspicious of Woodbury is different for who she is now because she has more to lose. She and Daryl both expressed concern for the kids being out there in danger.   I feel like Rich's paranoia and Michonne's willingness to try to trust come from the same protective instincts for their group.   Trusting Alexandria is a risk but staying out there is also a risk.  

 

I think Rick believes they were too complacent at the prison.  I think the traumas of losing the prison community they built, the Claimers, and Teriminus has changed Rick.    His trust in people has been eroded, and he understands just how ruthless the world can be even when things appear safe.  He did offer to take people at the hospital with him so he still has in him the man who let the Woodbury people join them at the prison, but he's more fierce about protecting those he considers his people.   After all that has happened,  Rick, Carol, and Daryl can't help seeing a wolf in sheep's clothing.  Meanwhile I think Michonne is the same and trying not to be because she wants something to hope for not just for herself but the others too.  Survival alone isn't enough to sustain them indefinitely. 

 

What if they truly exiled people and didn't kill them  to protect their location and the exiled joined up with the Unfair Wolves?  I think the Unfair Wolves are on their way, and Alexandria will fall if they don't listen to Rick and the others about how to strengthen up.

[Evie]

I thought it was interesting that they chose Tara and Noah to go with Glenn. They're no use useless as Eugene and FPP, but not necessarily first choice run material either. I wondered what that was about. I am a highly cynical person, so I'm probably way off base, but I almost wondered if they weren't trying to thin Rick's herd.

I thought that was odd too. It makes sense to give Glenn that job, but Noah still has a bum leg and Tara isn't the most athletic person. I get not choosing Daryl. He'd have probably shot Deanna's son with the crossbow. But why not someone like Rosita or Sasha? Maybe Aaron told Deanna about Sasha's recklessness? It's odd that she doesn't have a job yet. I wonder what Deanna has planned for her.

Glenn's going to have to watch his back. Aiden is totally the type that holds a grudge and would have no qualms about setting Glenn and Co. up to be killed.

[morgankobi]

So how does Enid normally get back in? Do the walls on the outside have the same exposed beams? (I don't think they do.)