S05.E16: Conquer

[poppy-]

Morgan = Zatoichi, am I right?

[Captain Asshat]

Most seem to agree they were the same two wolves that Morgan let live, yes. I wasn't completely sure what the thought process was when they brought poncho guy to the trap. It didn't seem to be consistent with their handling of Morgan. But it seemed that things changed when they realized the trap had already been triggered by someone else, so they killed the guy.

Actually, I think it was the same as what they planned with Morgan. Talking Wolf told Morgan, they were going to take his stuff, but "We're going to take you too." The only reason that plan changed was that Morgan fought back, "disarmed" them, and won the fight.

 

This is totally my guess, but I think the usual plan is to take the person inside the gates to the empty loading dock area and kill the person there. After the person turns, they open the trucks, start the rave, and the new walker just load himself into one of the trucks. In this case, they got to the gates and saw the trap was sprung. Red Pancho panicked, so they killed him there, reloaded the trucks before he turned, and then -- with the yard cleared of walkers -- just rolled Red Pancho into the yard. Eventually, he'll be herded into the truck.

I think you guys mean Spencer, right?

Oops, yes. Corrected in my OP. This is how useless I find them. I don't much care what his name is.

[morgankobi]

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I guess what I don't get is -- what's the point?  They capture someone as living/dead bait. They then load the walkers into the trucks just to capture one or two more people.  That seems to be an awful lot of work to capture people, plus you're having to kill a fresh one to capture 1 or 2 other fresh ones.  That's like reaching around your ass to scratch your elbow.  There are easier ways to capture people. (And scratch your elbow.)

 

Or, did I miss something?

 

If so, I missed it too. I don't understand their actions at all. Maybe I missed something in the wolf's speech to Morgan--the whole time I was just muttering to myself that this better not be The Shining where the caretaker goes through all this trouble (and time) to get back to the hotel just to be killed the moment he walks in the door!

 

So FPP's natural enemy is the door. He shuts them and looses his parishioners and his faith, he forgets to close them and walkers get in. 

[nachomama]

There's also no way Aaron and Darryl couldn't hear 50 walkers banging around in those trucks. It's not like they take a nap, when they run into the wall at Alexandria, they bang on it.

 

There is essentially no reason, other than pure cray cray, for the wolves to be capturing people like this, they aren't getting supplies from the meager rations any of these people have, they still have to go out and forage. Clearly maintaining their traps, which I guess are just for amusement, is a pain. And what is their gameplan? kill everyone else that's alive? At least the termites were eating people, their crazy supported them. 

[AndySmith]

I hope we find out how Morgan got to that point

 

I'm sure we'll probably be getting a flashback episode focusing on him within the first 4 episodes next season (if not, they'll have it as a mid-season finale). Maybe a scene or 2 showing his sensei teaching grasshopper how to be a bad-ass martial artist?

[poppy-]

There's also no way Aaron and Darryl couldn't hear 50 walkers banging around in those trucks. It's not like they take a nap, when they run into the wall at Alexandria, they bang on it.

 

There is essentially no reason, other than pure cray cray, for the wolves to be capturing people like this, they aren't getting supplies from the meager rations any of these people have, they still have to go out and forage. Clearly maintaining their traps, which I guess are just for amusement, is a pain. And what is their gameplan? kill everyone else that's alive? At least the termites were eating people, their crazy supported them. 

The trucks surround a canary, right? They are protecting their food source in the most aggressive way possible, was my guess.

[Evie]

I hope they do too. Honestly, I'm not loving that aspect of Morgan right now. And he's one of my favorite characters, I was so excited to see him back. I just really don't get that mentality. A bit of middle ground is fine. While I would have leaped for joy had FPP met his demise, I get what Maggie did and I am okay with it. The Wolves are an entirely different story, though. From Morgan's brief talk with that guy, he knows their group is about taking people's shit and taking PEOPLE - and doing God knows what to them. How on earth can you be okay just knocking dirtbags like that out and leaving them to prey on someone else the next time? He knows Rick and his family are out there. What if the Wolves killed Carl? I just don't get it. It makes no fucking sense. Some humanity is great, but when you're living in the ZA, it's kind of on you to do the other survivors a favor and take out human garbage if you can.

I agree. Out of Glenn, Maggie and Morgan, Morgan sparing the Wolves is the only decision that really bothered me. I have no use for Gabriel or Nicholas and while their cowardice has gotten people killed, deep down I don't think they are evil. The Wolves are evil.

[Pete Martell]

Alexandria could take a hint from those guys and start their own zombie rave. Those walkers were so dutiful in going back in the truck, even with fresh meat just a few feet away through the fence. Deanna even already has the perfect mix CD to use.

 

All I kept thinking was that Aiden would have been so proud of them.

 

According to the Talking Dead trivia the Wolves were using a Brian Wilson song to lure the walkers into the traps.

 

I guess James Watt was right to banish The Beach Boys from DC after all!

Edited March 30, 2015 by Pete Martell

[thuganomics85]

It just occurred to me assuming Gabriel wasn't stupid/suicidal/etc., had he closed and locked the gate like a normal human being, they still were just going to leave it unguarded like that?  So, basically, that would have meant Aaron/Daryl/Morgan would have had no way in.  I could just see them standing outside that gate for however long the meeting took; poor Aaron yelling "Guys!  Guys!!  Anyone?!", Daryl cussing up a storm, while Morgan's like "Not a great first impression, guys!" about it.

 

Seriously, Alexandra.  Even if you want to believe you are secluded from the real world, have a permanent gatekeeper. That's just common sense, guys.

[Spartan Girl]

Damn it, I SO wanted Nicholas and Father Gabriel to be killed: I was literally screaming at my TV screen for it!  But I guess Glenn and Maggie are better people than I am.

 

At least Pete is finally gone, though I felt bad that Deanna's poor husband had to die for it to happen.  Too bad Carol didn't just shove Rick aside and put the bullets in him herself.  Her confrontation with Pete -- "Come at me!"  "I want my dish back clean" was beautiful.

 

I loved Michonne telling Rick she only knocked him out to protect him and that she was always on his side.  Why Rick is wasting his time with Bland Blonde Plot Contrivance is beyond me.

 

Carol, Daryl, and Morgon "Jedi Master" Jones are definitely the MVPS of this season.  Honorable mention goes to Aaron who was willing to go down in glory with Daryl instead of saving his own ass...with Reg gone, he's officially the only Alexandrian I like.

[nachomama]

The trucks surround a canary, right? They are protecting their food source in the most aggressive way possible, was my guess.

I know Aaron was thinking jackpot, but now that we see it's just bait, I don't think they are protecting a food source. I imagine it's all gone, either by the wolves themselves or looted just after ZA. It's just a trap, I think.

[Pete Martell]

Yeah. Before last night, I thought he was the more sensible brother of the two. But, no. After asking FPP if they could talk about Aiden's death, Spencer basically says, "I am guarding the gate now, but I have this meeting to get to, so I'm going to leave it unguarded. Since you're a foot closer to the gate we secure to keep us all safe, why don't you close the gate? I, as the guard, trust you completely to do my job."

 

To be fair to Spencer, everyone on the show has to suffer from idiot plotting. It's like an initiation. Some of our group thought having a huge roaring fire in the middle of the woods and having a good old loud, noisy storytime around it was perfectly logical. 

[AndySmith]

and Morgon "Jedi Master" Jones are definitely the MVPS of this season.

 

Considering how he was only in 1 episode and had a cameo or 2 throughout the rest of the season...that doesn't say anything good about the rest of the characters.

 

I loved Michonne telling Rick she only knocked him out to protect him and that she was always on his side

 

it's almost like the showrunners are purposely taunting the shippers...

Edited March 30, 2015 by AndySmith

[morgankobi]

The trucks surround a canary, right? They are protecting their food source in the most aggressive way possible, was my guess.

But, really, how many people can a single canary feed?  ;)

[cambridgeguy]

Morgan is Donatello and Michonne is Leonardo.  Rick's the ball of rage so he can be Raphael.  Does this make Glenn Michelangelo?  That's actually not the worst foursome to have although it's missing Daryl.

 

Of course in the most recent TMNT comic

Donatello had his shell smashed in

.

[Dewey Decimate]

Its a good thing Spencer is 'eye candy' for the ladies - and guys who swing that way - 'cause he brings nothing else to the table. 

 

• It worked out great for me, because I wanted FPP to go die, but you let not only any person go off on their own, weapon-less, but a pastor; who is most likely a pacifist, by nature?!  And then his answer for not needing a gun is "God's love is all I need to protect myself"??!!

 

• Easiest physical task in the whole compound, and he can't take a minute to make sure the gate is shut and secured.  "Get the gate, (spaced out & off your rocker) dude!  Thanks preach, your a real peach.".  WTF, is this guy serious!?

 

Aidan was a weak douche.  Spencer's just a straight up witless dumbass.

 

That was the only thing that joltingly stopped me in my tracks this episode. "Hey dude, glad to see you had a nice walk! Just in time, too, gotta get to this super-important meeting. Could you do me a solid and close the door behind ya? It should only take about half the amount of time I just spent asking you. K, thx!" Talk about idiot ex machina.

 

Not looking for any spoilers, but does anyone know if that scene with Sasha laying in the walker pit was from the graphic novels? It was so visually stunning, I could totally see it making a beautiful full-page panel.

[Ohwell]

I just didn't understand the whole Alexandria scenario.   All CDB had to do when they first got there is call a meeting and explain why defenses were necessary.  It wasn't even necessary for CDB to go all of the gory details of what happened to them, maybe just give some examples.  I think Deanna and the others would have agreed with CDB and they would have worked together.  But Rick and Carol went in thinking "oh these people are so stupid we're gonna have to kill them and take over," which is why I can't stand either of them now. 

[AndySmith]

Ohwell you pretty much summed up one of the major problems with the whole ASZ story. Stop just saying "stuff happened OUT THERE!!!" without saying what the "stuff" actually is.

 

Also, it's annoying when people from Rick's crew keep saying "Rick knows" and "Rick experienced" and "Rick suffered"...pretty much most of the people in Rick's crew have suffered or lost just as much as he has.

Edited March 30, 2015 by AndySmith

[Primetimer]

Things shake out in surprisingly cool ways in The Walking Dead's ninety-minute season finale.

Read the story

[JackONeill]

I know Jessie isn't the favorite character of many out there, but I did like that she "spoke up" to Deanna.  Actually, of everything said, her comment was pretty ballsy. She was inferring that maybe Deanna was lying (without actually saying it).

[AndySmith]

Maggie gets a little choked up, and you have to wonder if this elder, incredibly kind and fair man doesn't remind her of her dad an awful lot.

 

By the end of the episode, he'll be reminding her of Hershell in more ways than one...

[Blinkoshuman]

Wow...that scene with Rick exploding the walker's head?  Made me gag.  For real.  I had to take a little break after that.

 

I was on the FPP Hate Train after what he said to Deanna, but seeing his and Sasha's breakdowns colliding and their prayer circle with Maggie, makes me hope for some redemption for him.  I realize he'll probably be exiled, unless Deanna/Rick/ruler du jour change some of the rules about that.  I'd love to see Seth Gilliam stay on.

 

Carol sure is playing fast and loose with that nice Corning Ware.  Made me laugh when she told Pete he better return it....clean!

 

I had the "Indiana Jones" theme in mind when Morgan rescued Aaron and Daryl.

 

I definitely felt some kind of way when Morgan showed them the map.  I was grinning like an idiot.

 

Glad that Sasha is finding her way back from the brink.  

 

All in all, a satisfying finale, and they didn't burn the place down.  See, they can have nice things!

[Lakebum]

How did Glenn escape those Walkers?  He looked like a dead man.  TPTB could have at least shown that fight scene.

 

I'm not sure that Glenn DID escape from those walkers, at least not unscathed. Someone is going to have to convince me that the first episode of next season is NOT going to include scenes of Glenn succumbing to the wounds inflicted by those walkers as he was battling his way through them.

[JackONeill]

People keep complaining that CDB doesn't string some cans on a string as a way to tell if walkers are coming. But don't you see?? -- that's the attraction Rick has for Jessie. He wants her to make about a hundred of those mobile owl sculptures, then he'll string them up outside the walls. Problem solved. (And if a walker happens to want to buy one as a piece of art, well, that's money in the bank!)

[callmebetty]

I thought to myself as omega unfair wolf was flipping through the pictures, when he looked at the one of Rick and Carl." yeah them? You best keep walking nothing but a fine grain shit storm can come to you from messing with them. Let me provide you references. Here's from the Governor and Woodbury. Here's another from Terminus. Need more? "

[Ronin Jackson]

This was a decent finale considering the last two were duds. I like Morgan and hope he's a regular next season. I did find myself weary of how cartoonish Nicholas, Pete and Gabriel are as villains... every decision they make, all the choices the actors make in portraying them are designed to make us hate them, instead of being choices those characters would make because of where they've been. Gabriel might be an exception since we know he's tormented by his past, but why would he leave the gate open when he apparently believes the community is too good for CDB? Well because the plot required someone to of course. These aren't very interesting villains.

[Pete Martell]

Ohwell you pretty much summed up one of the major problems with the whole ASZ story. Stop just saying "stuff happened OUT THERE!!!" without saying what the "stuff" actually is.

 

Also, it's annoying when people from Rick's crew keep saying "Rick knows" and "Rick experienced" and "Rick suffered"...pretty much most of the people in Rick's crew have suffered or lost just as much as he has.

 

They have suffered as much as Rick, but when Maggie broached the group's suffering with Deanna, she was cold. I guess it made more sense to just focus on Rick, since that way it seemed like less a suffering competition between the group and Alexandria.

 

I can give them a pass on not mentioning what they've seen, because it's so absurd. 

 

- We met cannibals who had their own town and radio station (Spencer: Did they play mixtapes too? Deanna: Be quiet, Spencer.) They ate one of our group's legs! (Deanna: Did it or did it not taste like chicken?)

 

- We went to the CDC and the only living scientist told us to kill ourselves and we got out because of a grenade in Carol's bag! (Carol: I found it while I was looking for my concealer...)

 

- We lived on a farm where the farmer kept his entire family locked in the barn because he was sure he could bring them back! (Maggie: It's a long story...)

 

- A man with an eyepatch had his own town, kept heads in a jar, had his daughter locked up as a walker (Maggie: No, we weren't related...) and tore down our prison with a tank!

 

- We met a kindly Latino gang who held Glenn hostage but took care of their elders. They may have been horribly killed by another group...(Rick: They weren't! Those were deleted scenes! Eugene: Actually, deleted scenes are still canon... Carol: Cram it, nerd!)

 

- We met a rapey, creepy hospital group! Sasha let one of them get the drop on her because he seemed nice and had the same name as her boyfriend who lost a leg! They let us go, but one of our group got her head blown off when she stabbed the leader with tiny scissors! (Maggie: Well, the scissors WERE very sharp...)

 

I think even toned-down versions of these stories would have made Deanna banish them without much sweat. It's better to play to the delusions of those in charge. 

 

The main problem for me is that the writing seemed unsure of what side to take. Carol and Rick were unhinged, yet apparently this was OK because the group turned out to just be stupid? Or the group weren't so bad, really, and that's why Rick and the group are staying to try to help them, instead of burning the place down?

 

Too much ambiguity, as always.

This was a decent finale considering the last two were duds. I like Morgan and hope he's a regular next season. I did find myself weary of how cartoonish Nicholas, Pete and Gabriel are as villains... every decision they make, all the choices the actors make in portraying them are designed to make us hate them, instead of being choices those characters would make because of where they've been. Gabriel might be an exception since we know he's tormented by his past, but why would he leave the gate open when he apparently believes the community is too good for CDB? Well because the plot required someone to of course. These aren't very interesting villains.

 

I don't think Gabriel has ever been intended as a villain. I think he's supposed to be drowning in self-loathing, PTSD, and trauma, and only began swimming the tide at the end of the finale. It's just that he's so, so clumsily written.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Pete Martell

[AndySmith]

As ridiculous as all of that sounds written the way you wrote (and actually much more entertaining than the show is sometimes), they do need to kind of know the specifics of what type of people are out there. Cannibals, claimers, rapists, murderers...it would probably also let the Alexandrians be more aware also of why Rick and his group are the way they are.

[ghoulina]

I really do worship at the altar of Danai Gurira. She always kills it but that post-credits scene...man. It was so simple yet so BIG. I don't know any other way to describe it. I am thankful the writers trust Danai to get the point across with her acting and don't make her say stupid things. As much as I enjoyed Carol from an entertainment perspective, Carol is starting to feel a little hammy (not MMB's fault either).

 

I agree with you. Carol is my current favorite on the show and I generally am loving the direction they've taken her. But some of the actual dialogue they've given her lately has been really stupid. Now, some of it has been awesome ("these people are children and children like stories") but sometimes it feels really really cheesy, and unnatural. 

 

I do like it when they give them less to SAY, and more to SHOW. I need to rewatch Danai's final scene, because I was so confused as to what was going on I wasn't giving it my full attention. I thought they were showing an older episode or something. Then I thought it was going to be some big, cliffhanging teaser - I thought she saw something/someone in the reflection of her katana. LOL! But yea, Dania is capable of expressing so much with her face alone, she can totally kill a short scene like that. 

 

I agree. Out of Glenn, Maggie and Morgan, Morgan sparing the Wolves is the only decision that really bothered me. I have no use for Gabriel or Nicholas and while their cowardice has gotten people killed, deep down I don't think they are evil. The Wolves are evil.

 

Exactly. I WANTED FPP and Nicholas to die, but I can understand keeping them alive so Glenn and Maggie don't lose a part of who they are. And they at least have a chance of being "fixed". Those Unfair Wolves? They've gone off the deep end. Aint no saving them. So just kill them and do the world a favor. 

 

I know Jessie isn't the favorite character of many out there, but I did like that she "spoke up" to Deanna.  Actually, of everything said, her comment was pretty ballsy. She was inferring that maybe Deanna was lying (without actually saying it).

 

I appreciated that as well. And I wonder if Jessie harbors a lot of resentment towards Deanna for turning a blind eye towards Pete. 

 

I'm not sure that Glenn DID escape from those walkers, at least not unscathed. Someone is going to have to convince me that the first episode of next season is NOT going to include scenes of Glenn succumbing to the wounds inflicted by those walkers as he was battling his way through them.

 

My husband said the same thing! He thinks Glenn was bit - 100%. Last time he said that was about Bob, so.....

[Pete Martell]

I think Morgan and the wolves is less about them about more about him. I think he's afraid that if he kills any human, he will go back to the complete insanity he was in during "Clear," where he was so incoherent he nearly stabbed Rick to death. I think he can't do that because he is likely staying alive for the memory of his son and wife. And he can't deal with moral relativism.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Pete Martell

[English Teacher]

Okay. Undoubtedly when the ZA comes for us, I'm a goner. I wouldn't last one hour… And no disrespect to my boy Daryl but even I could tell the food trucks were a trap. The hanging cans just seemed off to me.

I do need to go back and watch it again though… Did all the doors open at the same time? Were they programmed that way? How did that Horde appear so quickly?

[morgankobi]

It's really all gold, but...

- We met a kindly Latino gang who held Glenn hostage but took care of their elders. They may have been horribly killed by another group...(Rick: They weren't! Those were deleted scenes! Eugene: Actually, deleted scenes are still canon... Carol: Cram it, nerd!)

...is hilarious!

[Pete Martell]

As ridiculous as all of that sounds written the way you wrote (and actually much more entertaining than the show is sometimes), they do need to kind of know the specifics of what type of people are out there. Cannibals, claimers, rapists, murderers...it would probably also let the Alexandrians be more aware also of why Rick and his group are the way they are.

 

I agree, but I don't think they would get it. Aaron might, but Aaron is not in charge. I don't think Deanna was ever going to get it until what we saw last night.

[morgankobi]

Okay. Undoubtedly when the ZA comes for us, I'm a goner. I wouldn't last one hour… And no disrespect to my boy Daryl but even I could tell the food trucks were a trap. The hanging cans just seemed off to me.

I do need to go back and watch it again though… Did all the doors open at the same time? Were they programmed that way? How did that Horde appear so quickly?

 

Not only did they all open, but they were alternating between opening to the warehouse and to the outside gate. Pretty damn smart!

[The Mighty Peanut]

Yeah. Before last night, I thought he was the more sensible brother of the two. But, no. After asking FPP if they could talk about Aiden's death, Spencer basically says, "I am guarding the gate now, but I have this meeting to get to, so I'm going to leave it unguarded. Since you're a foot closer to the gate we secure to keep us all safe, why don't you close the gate? I, as the guard, trust you completely to do my job."

Not only that, but he had just witnessed this person with whom he entrusted the safety of the community refuse a gun on his leisurely stroll through Walker Woods because he claimed that God's word would protect him. That's when a smarter person (i.e. anyone) leans over and says, "I'll just shut this for you, mmmk? Great." I mean it was RIGHT THERE. Do you throw away the silverware because the trash is a foot closer than the sink? I can't with these n00bs.

[Iguessnot]

It just occurred to me assuming Gabriel wasn't stupid/suicidal/etc., had he closed and locked the gate like a normal human being, they still were just going to leave it unguarded like that?  So, basically, that would have meant Aaron/Daryl/Morgan would have had no way in.  I could just see them standing outside that gate for however long the meeting took; poor Aaron yelling "Guys!  Guys!!  Anyone?!", Daryl cussing up a storm, while Morgan's like "Not a great first impression, guys!" about it.

 

Seriously, Alexandra.  Even if you want to believe you are secluded from the real world, have a permanent gatekeeper. That's just common sense, guys.

I thought he told Gabriel he wanted to sneak into the meeting, meaning the gate should have still been manned, but he completely flaked on his duty. 

[Pete Martell]

That was the only thing that joltingly stopped me in my tracks this episode. "Hey dude, glad to see you had a nice walk! Just in time, too, gotta get to this super-important meeting. Could you do me a solid and close the door behind ya? It should only take about half the amount of time I just spent asking you. K, thx!" Talk about idiot ex machina.

 

I thought it was stupid, lazy writing (and I wonder if Nicotero knew it and rewarded us with that unnecessary ass shot of Spencer as he opened the gates...if so, I give him my thanks), but I just told myself that to Spencer and the town, Gabriel is a decent, if nervous, man, and shouldn't have a big problem with something as easy as closing a gate. 

 

I actually think it would have been better if instead of Pete killing Reg they'd had walkers swarm in and kill both Pete and Reg. And Deanna would still be shaken up enough to acquiesce to Rick.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Pete Martell

[SometimesBites]

Just watched. Will go back and read y'all's responses after work, but wanted to jump in.

 

Oh Show, how I love you. Despite a weirdly questionable first-half season, you have wooed me once again with horror and hope. Bravo.
Thoughts:

• For everyone who wondered why people were excited about the return of Morgan? Perhaps your questions are now answered, perhaps not, but color me deeply satisfied. He came through madness into a new equilibrium: Morgan: Yoda of the ZA.
• Carol, I have no words. That was the best welcome wagon moment in the history of neighborliness...and bring back my Pyrex, bitch. (Worked perfectly as a provocation to force the nasty boil to a head.)
• The look on Rick’s and Carol’s faces when Pete cut Reg’s throat—no surprise, no shock, simply: “Well, here it is, just as we suspected.”  
• Glenn and Nicholas, Sasha and Father G., Abraham and Eugene: We are still human at our core.
• Morgan facing Rick: The ZA will change you, one way or the other. Brilliant juxtaposition.

[Bruinsfan]

I loved the whole epsiode. I was really cheering for Glenn and Maggie to spare their respective traitors, for their own consciences' sake.

 

Thrilled to see Morgan back, but I`m a little worried. This show just lost its last black guy, and we all know how that works...

I'm reassured by the secrecy around Lenny James' return indicating the producer understand how much of a big deal Morgan is for the show. And while I was dismayed by Noah's and even Tyreese's deaths, a There Can Be Only One Brother rule won't bother me so much if Father Gabriel is the one who buys it in favor of Morgan.

Carol has basically become the worlds scariest, most murderous kindergarten teacher. 

Never attended parochial school, did you?

 

So Deanna is perfectly fine with wife-beating Pete, because he was "important" as a doctor, but the moment her hubby is killed, the doctor is no longer needed, apparently, all bets are off, and she immediately asks Rick to kill Pete. How convenient. And typical.

I don't really think wanting someone who just killed your spouse in a drunken rage right before your eyes to get treated in kind is self-serving hypocrisy. You'd have to be a LOT better person than I am to want Pete spared in that moment.

 

Part of me wonders if Carol didn't deliberately cock and load Pete as a weapon. She knows what abusive men are like, she knows what it takes to send them over the edge into full mania. I find myself thinking she was hoping to send Pete into a blind rage for the very purpose of him going off on the community and proving their point for them (and hopefully making him very much dead in the process). 

That was my thought as well. Her motivation for threatening Pete couldn't have been protecting Jessie, she'd know better than anyone that it wouldn't work for long with that type of guy.

[Caelicola]

I looooved so many things about this episode, but fair warning: I have a fever of 102, so I might just loooove everything right now.

It felt necessary, and all the characters I care about got something out of it, my favorite being Carol  getting to make PetEd shit his pants in absolute fear of her.

I loved that there was no SHOCKING!DEATH!, that makes the second season finale in a row with none of our characters dying...I love that Tara got to wake up to Rosita's beautiful, sweet smile, and that Sasha got a moment of peace thanks to Maggie (that's one of my favourite relationships on the show, so I'm always happy when they share the screen). I loved that Abraham and Eugene got to forgive and be forgiven.

 

I don't read the comics, but I was spoiled on what happens in them, and I'm soooo glad they genderswapped Douglas and Regina Monroe in Deanna and Reg, I hated the idea of an innocent woman being murdered while trying to separate two battling men, and seeing a man get fridged instead is refreshing and welcome (not that I wanted Reg to die, but you know what I mean, right?).

Morgan! I love Lennie James.

I love Danai Gurira, and Melissa McBride, and Sonequa Martin-Greene, and Steven Yeun, and Lauren Cohan, and Andy Lincoln. And everyone else I didn't mention, too.

I love everyone in this bar!

With less feverish eyes I'll probably find quite a few things to pick apart, but for now I'm happy.

[morgankobi]

I actually think Pete seeing Rick leave Jessie's house (2 doors down, for Pete's sake-ha!) was what set him off, more so than Carol.

[Bad Example]

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I guess what I don't get is -- what's the point?  They capture someone as living/dead bait. They then load the walkers into the trucks just to capture one or two more people.  That seems to be an awful lot of work to capture people, plus you're having to kill a fresh one to capture 1 or 2 other fresh ones.  That's like reaching around your ass to scratch your elbow.  There are easier ways to capture people. (And scratch your elbow.)

 

Or, did I miss something?

 

Like I said, I think they're not nearly as bright as they think they are.  They love their self-image and their "super-clever" trap that demonstrates their lupine superiority, and can't even see that it's overkill because they're in love with how cool it is and how much more evolved and special they are.  

 

I am making up SO much about them in my head.  But everything I've seen makes me think that once they're identified, they'll be fairly easy to dispatch.  Still waiting to see how many of them there are, though.  (They also kind of remind me of violent gangs pre-ZA.  One reason they proliferate and succeed because people don't/won't fight them on their violent terms, which makes sense now. That's no longer an issue here.)

[JackONeill]

Okay. Undoubtedly when the ZA comes for us, I'm a goner. I wouldn't last one hour… And no disrespect to my boy Daryl but even I could tell the food trucks were a trap. The hanging cans just seemed off to me.

I do need to go back and watch it again though… Did all the doors open at the same time? Were they programmed that way? How did that Horde appear so quickly?

They were on some kind of pully system. When one opened, it triggered all the other to open.  Still, to me, it seems like a lot of work for . . . what???

[Persnickety1]

Oh, and I loved it when Morgan handed the map to Daryl! Did Rick mention Morgan to the others? He must have, right? Michonne and Carl were with him. 

 

In season 1 when Rick tried to keep reaching Morgan via the walkie talkie, did he tell the others at CDB about Morgan?

 

I remember scenes of him off by himself at, I believe, the predetermined time of sunrise every morning, trying to make contact with him, but for the life of me I can't remember if the told Laurie and the rest of the gang about Morgan and how he and his son had helped him.

 

 

When Rick got walker goo dumped on him like he was Jennifer Beals in Flashdance, I thought man, I hope all those wounds on your face are sealed up tight, buddy.

 

Oh and the red poncho made me think of the red balloon from last week.

 

Me, too... 

 

All of those exposed mucous membranes (nose/eyes/mouth).  

 

I'd be terrified I was infected from that type of exposure.  

 

*shudder*

 

 

I laughed when the zombies all turned towards the music.

 

Anybody else get a total Land of the Dead vibe from that?

 

In Land of the Dead, they used "sky flowers" (fireworks) to distract and divert the zombies.

 

I actually loved this episode.

 

I felt it had the perfect blend of zombie and human action (I confess, I get a tad bored without a decent amount of zombie action going on).

 

And that brief promo for Fear The Walking Dead?

 

I am SO in.  Looks like the perfect way to fill that gap between seasons of TWD.

 

Hurry up, summer!!!  

[Joan van Snark]

 

I'm a little confused as to the motives of the Wolves as well. If they were just marauders who'd rather steal other people's shit than scavenge, I could understand. Obviously it's not right, but I get it. But this weird dismembering of walkers, and setting elaborate traps to kill people - there's more to it than just "we want your gun and canned goods". Clearly, they're deranged, and think they're wolves? Maybe they're in some permanent Berserker state? Maybe they're eating walkers and  that is causing some insanity? I don't know.

 

Agreed.  I would actually enjoy a season, or at least a half-season, of seeing them build a new life in the town now that CDB has been sort of integrated.  I don't need yet another group of crazies.  First we had the governor, then Terminus, then Dawn, now apparently the Wolves.  Is that what this show will be from now until the end?  I never really understand the motivations of these crazies, either.  

[JackONeill]

Okay, unpopular comment. You know, it's quite likely that had it not been for Rick and Carol, Reg might still be alive. But those two so got to Pete, that he snapped (even more so than a wife-beater would).

 

Now, I am NOT condoning what Pete was doing to his family. But I think you see my point.

[AndySmith]

I actually think it would have been better if instead of Pete killing Reg they'd had walkers swarm in and kill both Pete and Reg. And Deanna would still be shaken up enough to acquiesce to Rick.

 

Yes, but then they wouldn't have the "All life is precious" Morgan seeing a blood covered Rick having just executed a man ending...

 

The look on Rick’s and Carol’s faces when Pete cut Reg’s throat—no surprise, no shock, simply: “Well, here it is, just as we suspected.”

 

Of course, it is hard to say whether that scene would have happened at all had Rick and company not shown up at ASZ at all.

[Ohwell]

As ridiculous as all of that sounds written the way you wrote (and actually much more entertaining than the show is sometimes), they do need to kind of know the specifics of what type of people are out there. Cannibals, claimers, rapists, murderers...it would probably also let the Alexandrians be more aware also of why Rick and his group are the way they are.

And that was really my point.  While I can agree that some of the shit that CDB went through is, in fact, unbelievable even though it did happen, I still think CDB could have given enough of a synopsis so that the Alexandrians would believe how dangerous it was out there.  I believe they would have agreed with Rick and Co. and worked together on the defenses, just as the guys agreed to work under Abraham.  

 

As it is, the whole season wound up having Rick shoot Pete so that Rick could (finally and oh so conveniently) get his hands on Jessie, and for Carol to act like some creepy badass.  She thinks she is so bad, I would love for Olivia to catch her stealing some chocolate, and give her an ass-whipping.

[GodsBeloved]

In season 1 when Rick tried to keep reaching Morgan via the walkie talkie, did he tell the others at CDB about Morgan?

 

I remember scenes of him off by himself at, I believe, the predetermined time of sunrise every morning, trying to make contact with him, but for the life of me I can't remember if the told Laurie and the rest of the gang about Morgan and how he and his son had helped him.

 

 

 

I'm pretty sure he told Lori about Morgan but I don't recall seeing him telling anyone else.

[JBody]

I think #RickIsThePlague was trending on twitter and Pete realized it was the same Rick. I love Rick and the gang just as much as the next guy but let's face it, once they arrive you need to get your affairs in order and choose your manner of death

 

CDB are the Meals-on-Wheels of the ZA: "We bring the apocalypse right to your door!"  

 

(....right, so MOW's actual slogan is "So no senior goes hungry'.  Hmmm.  "So no zombie goes hungry"?  YMMV.)