S06.E05: Now

[GaT]

Just going by the way Maggie seems to have gotten over Glenn & is becoming good friends with the other guy (whose name I can't remember), I would say that Glenn is absolutely still alive & just waiting for Maggie to be extremely pregnant & involved with someone else to return.

 

 

Shallow note:  the actress playing Deanna is very unfortunate-looking.

Tovah Feldshuh is only 61 years old, she looks like she's 75. She has not aged well at all.

[melanie]

Did anyone catch what Deanna wrote on the bottom of her random map that she was drawing?  It looked like Latin, maybe, because I couldn't make it out and refuse to re-watch the episode.  

[NorthstarATL]

Am I the only one that just kept wondering how bad Rick must smell right now and how Jessie could stand to get close enough to kiss him without choking? He could have at least changes into a clean shirt!

 

First thing I noticed about the scene! And Jessie isn't even one of the people who regularly gets around the walkers, so she's not even remotely used to the stench! (But she does have a teenage son, though.)

  I didn't mind the episode, though I was a bit disappointed by the end that it was ALL build-up, whereas I assumed that either halfway or three-quarters of the way through the wall would fall and we'd have a full-on attack. I don't mind getting to know some of the Alexandrians before they either leave or become a larger part of the story. I don't read the comics, so I have no idea whether I am correct about this, but I assume from the effort put forth by our crew that they are not planning to give up the place as they had to with previous encampments like the farm, the prison, Woodbury, etc., so seeing the attempt to rebuild some sort of functioning society that actually does have security but also allows the inhabitants a life is worth sticking around for.

  I do hope that we get some sort of explanation as to how Rick got out of his predicament and what Glenn's status is.

[magemaud]

I would imagine that by now the group has gotten pretty immune to some awful smells. And on a related note, why can't they just toss those bloated bodies over the wall? Disposal problem solved!

Edited November 9, 2015 by magemaud

[iRarelyWatchTV36]

First thing I noticed about the scene! And Jessie isn't even one of the people who regularly gets around the walkers, so she's not even remotely used to the stench! (But she does have a teenage son, though.)

  I didn't mind the episode, though I was a bit disappointed by the end that it was ALL build-up, whereas I assumed that either halfway or three-quarters of the way through the wall would fall and we'd have a full-on attack. I don't mind getting to know some of the Alexandrians before they either leave or become a larger part of the story. I don't read the comics, so I have no idea whether I am correct about this, but I assume from the effort put forth by our crew that they are not planning to give up the place as they had to with previous encampments like the farm, the prison, Woodbury, etc., so seeing the attempt to rebuild some sort of functioning society that actually does have security but also allows the inhabitants a life is worth sticking around for.

  I do hope that we get some sort of explanation as to how Rick got out of his predicament and what Glenn's status is.

 

^ 1000x This.

 

Not only did we not see how he got out of that mess - in this episode - his hand was never even looked at, nor did he ever show any signs of favoring it, even slightly.  I honestly couldn't tell if you there was even a bandage on it after the opening of him running in; really don't remember if it was present in all his other scenes or not.

 

 

Yeah, that intimacy scene did feel forced, when you remember has spent all day running for his life [sweating a reservoir's worth of perspiration] and didn't appear like he ever showered or even changed his shirt.  I know its a ZA, but cmon people. 

 

Another thing I am doing my best to ignore, for the sake of enjoying the show....  Jessie kills a human being to save herself and her kids, and then calmly takes out a walker, like a total badass.  Umm.  Has she ever even directly faced a walker before, let alone killed one?  I know killing someone with scissors probably changes a person, but to suddenly turn into a walker wasting mofo??  Ok, sure.  I'll buy that, for entertainment purposes.  *lazily tries to hide eyeroll*

Edited November 10, 2015 by iRarelyWatchTV36

[Happy Harpy]

They're going to drag Glenn's fate until the midseason finale, aren't they? Boo.

Are they trying to numb the pain with the endless waiting?

 

The flashforward/flashback narrative depending on the character POV is an interesting idea, and I guess they need to build-up new characters. But I agree that it isn't balanced and kills the momentum. For example, I think we could see how Rick got out of the RV in a later episode, but then all tension would be gone because we know he made it.

Moreover, it gives the spotlight to too many new characters whereas those I'm actually invested in get crumbs of screentime.

I'd be more sympathetic to the Alexandrians' plight and their character development if two of the most badass characters on TV imo, namely Michonne and Daryl, had basically nothing to do since the beginning of the season. I might be more interesting in Jessie's attempts at parenting if one of my favorite relationship of the show, the one Rick has with his children, wasn't MIA.

 

Aaron works for me because the character in itself is imo more sympathetic than the others, but also, I think, because he is developped along and in parallel with characters I know and care about. Daryl at first, now Maggie.

Deanna isn't unsympathetic to me, but there was too much focus on her, and from her own perspective whereas WHERE'S GLENN. Maybe now that she's awake, she's going to act in a way that will explain how the hell she got to find herself at the head of this community. Also, I think it's the second time that Spencer and Rosita have a scene together where she seems to have a slightly positive influence on him. So maybe she could be his mentor, because I see potential beyond the assholic tendencies. If he begins to use his self-serving savvy for the commong good, he could reveal quite useful -after all, he did prevent a general panic. Plus, more Rosita would be nice. 

 

Rick, Rick, Rick. I love ya, in spite of your terrible taste in women so far (imo) but seriously. Can't you see "Hannibal" written all over Porchdick Junior's forehead? Great idea to teach him to shoot, and to pork his mom after you killed his dad. I don't fault you for killing his dad, after all this time you certainly need sex plus a rebound relationship but combining both? Is going to end well, you'll see.

It's uncanny how C.Riggs looks like A.Lincoln, at times. Enid was absent but she lost two badass points with me for dating Ron (if he didn't lie about it). Loved Carl kicking Ron's ass.

Oh, and I didn't say it yet this week? Die Ron Die. Kudos to the actor, though, he sells the sleaze by the gallon.

 

Tara and Denise felt gratuitous, and out of left field, but why not. I quite like Denise as a character (I didn't see the actress in anything before) because she's a welcome comic relief. But I'm going to get tired of her if she doesn't evolve beyond it. I think she might.

Edited November 9, 2015 by Happy Harpy

[morgankobi]

Just going by the way Maggie seems to have gotten over Glenn & is becoming good friends with the other guy (whose name I can't remember), I would say that Glenn is absolutely still alive & just waiting for Maggie to be extremely pregnant & involved with someone else to return.

 

 

Except Aaron is gay and in a pretty serious relationship.

 

Genuine laughs:

"I made you some cookies."

"I'll tell your dad!"

[Nashville]

Was that blood leaking in through the fence at the end and who was it coming from?

 

Was that blood on the wall or a crack?

 

I'm of the impression it was blood, from the immediately-against-the-wall walkers getting crushed against the wall by walker waves 2-20.  What's significant is the blood's penetration.  It could have been from rivet holes or other pre-cut holes in the sheet metal - but then we'd be seeing walker leaks sprouting up all over the place.  Also of significance is the lumber against the wall immediately adjacent to the blood leaks; I'm thinking this is where the semi impacted, and the lumber is (at least partly) the reinforcement to which Rick referred.

My conclusion?  Enough walkers are pressing on that the damaged fence to force the squeeze, and the blood is emerging through previously-unnoticed tears introduced into the metal sheeting from the semi impact - which portends total failure in due time.

 

Were there any previous mentions of extreme impending food storage?

 

Yes; the pantry scene in the previous episode, where Neudermeyer made her grand (and final) stand for homemade pasta and Carol (figuratively) shot her down.

 

 

 

 He didn't forget how to fight a walker. Neither did Michonne despite being trapped. Here Maggie didn't  immediately try to stab the walker in the head. That was just plain nonsensical except to have Aaron save her.  She's been doing head kills all along.

 

1. The second sludgie caught Maggie by surprise.
2. Maggie reflexively put her right hand (which would also be her knife-wielding hand, assuming she's right-handed) on the walker to stop it.
3. Her hand immediately sank into the walker's chest and got entangled behind its rib cage.
4. Maggie then could not get her hand free because the walker's continued press kept her pinned back against the sewer wall, with insufficient free space to get her hand free.

 

 

Did anyone catch what Deanna wrote on the bottom of her random map that she was drawing?  It looked like Latin, maybe, because I couldn't make it out and refuse to re-watch the episode.  

 

Dolor hic tibi proderit olim - a Latin phrase which translates to, "This pain will be useful".

 

 

Am I the only one that just kept wondering how bad Rick must smell right now and how Jessie could stand to get close enough to kiss him without choking? He could have at least changes into a clean shirt!

 

When giving his loud speech about the need to stay quiet as a graveyard Rick appeared to have a clean bandage on his hand.  I'd guess there was a time gap between re-entering the ASZ and the speech - at least enough for Rick to get his hand tended to.  So there may also have been time for Rick to freshen up a bit and put on a clean shirt.

[Ouisch]

I'm of the impression it was blood, from the immediately-against-the-wall walkers getting crushed against the wall by walker waves 2-20.  What's significant is the blood's penetration.  It could have been from rivet holes or other pre-cut holes in the sheet metal - but then we'd be seeing walker leaks sprouting up all over the place.  Also of significance is the lumber against the wall immediately adjacent to the blood leaks; I'm thinking this is where the semi impacted, and the lumber is (at least partly) the reinforcement to which Rick referred.

My conclusion?  Enough walkers are pressing on that the damaged fence to force the squeeze, and the blood is emerging through previously-unnoticed tears introduced into the metal sheeting from the semi impact - which portends total failure in due time.

 

 

 

Hot rolled steel can develop stress fractures which could let liquid seep through. But Aaron made a point of telling CDB back at the barn (when he was first recruiting them) that the ASZ walls were made of cold rolled steel. (I used to work in the steel industry which is why I remember that conversation). Cold rolled is much stronger (and more expensive) and would generally only develop leaks at welded spots. I think the writers were trying to sound technical without actually doing any metals research.

 

The Denise/Tara kiss seemed too out of the blue....they spoke a bit once last week and now Denise is all crushing on her? Same with Rick and Jessie....he was making goo-goo eyes at her 15 minutes after they first met. I know he's been without a woman for a long time, but he and Michonne always seemed to have some serious chemistry to me. Maybe it would be too "difficult" to have too many couples forming among the members of CBD....'cause if they break up, they still have to live together (like Lori and Rick did for a while)? 

[Gulftastic]

Denise and Tara didn't seem at all random to me. Since their first scene the actress have had chemistry. I thought it was fairly obvious that they were being set up as a couple.

[Anela]

I thought it was just me. I barely focused on the episode tonight, but I'd forgotten about it until around 2am, and thought about watching it tomorrow (well, today, now).

 

I don't expect the Alexandrians to turn into Indiana Jones, so I don't mind them breaking down or freaking out. What I do mind is that we don't know where several main characters are, and that they're really stretching this out with Glenn. 

 

Rick's yelling that everyone had to be quiet, was funny. 

I didn't see what happened with Maggie's hand, because the zombies were even grosser than usual, so I thought she had lost some of her fight. She was driven by grief before, but if she's now facing being a mum, without Glenn - he temporarily lost his nerve when she told him that she loved him. It does bother me that they have gone down this road, with the characters deciding to have children, when other members of their group are just waiting for the walls to fall, and walkers to chase them off (again). Or psychotic people doing the same thing.

The doctor kissing Tara, surprised me. 

I don't think that one woman is aging badly, but then I'm no supermodel. 

 

I was going to watch it again when I was more "with it" but I might not, now that I've seen the other posts here, and know that I didn't miss much. I'll be annoyed if we don't find anything out about Glenn, next week. 

[Mu Shu]

I'm not asking this to be challenging, I'm just honestly curious. Do the people who like Denise actually like this character? Or do you like this actress from other shows?

To me, she seems as hopelessly spoiled, whiny, and self-centered as the rest of the ASZ hats, if not worse, since she has actual skills the rest don't have. Tara deserves so much better. Even when ankle twistin' Tara has been inept or misguided, she's always, always tried to be as brave and helpful as possible and do as much as she could. Even if it's just encouraging someone. Denise wants to hide, and that weird scene where she took some pus out of a wound made her look like a simpleton.

I just really don't get it.

She played an awful and annoying character on "Nurse Jackie" for far too long. Hated her in NJ, double hate her here. That pursed lip kiss with Tara was terrible. But I doubt this actress would have chemistry with anyone. She is annoying. Extremely so.

[chlban]

The first 2 episodes were pretty intense. So I guess the writers needed a rest because the last 2 were BORING. This one moderately better than the last one which was the second worst episode ever. Hope they step it up soon

[Whitley Trillbert]

Good episode. I mean, I liked it more than last week's. I was quite happy to see that my boo Spencer got more screen time than I thought he would. When he let that liquid courage fill him up w/ confidence, and proceeded to spit that cold, hard truth to Deanna, I was like

 

But I did feel a little bad for his mom.

 

I pretty much guessed that Maggie was preggers since the first episode of this season. Maybe she and the baby will make it. With all of the recent events that have taken place in the ASZ, maybe its people will start to wisen and toughen up now.

 

I can't believe there's only 3 episodes left this year! Damn! That means we'll have to wait until the show returns in February 2016! *sigh*

 

Oh, and ewwww at Rick and Jessie swapping spit.

[Bad Example]

Dolor hic tibi proderit olim - a Latin phrase which translates to, "This pain will be useful".

 

 

 

Thank you!  I worried about it for about two seconds, then decided it translated to "Someone on the internet will tell me what this means tomorrow."

[Johnny Dollar]

Great. Just what this show needs - another baby. Let's hope it's a boy and Maggie names him Oliver.

[SimoneS]

I thought that this was a good episode, but I generally like the slower character episodes although last week's not as much. However, I predicted when people were complaining that the group never stayed in one place that as soon as they did, some people would start complaining that the show is slow and boring. 

 

I enjoyed Spencer telling off his mother. He was right, but he should not have done it. She is too fragile to deal with that kind of truth telling. She was right that they need Rick right now, not her. I think that the actress who plays Deanna looks good for her age. I am not critiquing any actress trying to age naturally under that Hollywood pressure to stay young forever.

 

I think that we might see how Rick escaped in a future flashback episode. I love his relentless strength and determination. Of course, this means he will likely have another breakdown soon enough.

 

I was glad that Aaron spoke up so the other Alexandrians did not turn around and try to put this situation on Rick and his people. But in the end, they really are the most realistic of all the people that Rick and his people have encountered. They act just like most people act every day with or without a Zombie Apocalypse. I have always believed that people in the Zombie Apocalypse are exactly who they are, just extreme versions of themselves. Without societal structures to hold them back, selfish assholes just become more self assholes. 

 

I felt for poor Betsy.

Edited November 9, 2015 by SimoneS

[Blinkoshuman]

 

One of the big problems is that the Alexandrians have been primarily relying on canned and leftover good from "runs". In their time there, there never bothered to make small gardens and stuff like that. I bet that they all were waiting for the military to show up at some point and everything would be back to normal. This was like FTWD

I think, also, that they have a false sense of security being so close to DC (which they never mention) and that somehow the government is still functioning and will help them out.  

 

I'm confused.  They are going to just let the walkers pile up at the walls?  

 

 

[Caelicola]

Well, this was...an episode. I didn't haaaate it, but I didn't like it either.

I really really hope they show us how Rick got out of the swarmed RV, otherwise I'm gonna, as I usually do, assume aliens.

Poor Deanna, man, in a span of like three days she loses her son and her husband, and then finds out her remaining son is a dick.

I really like Aaron. Really really like him. And Maggie too, but that's not a surprise. Also not a surprise, her pregnancy; she'd been hinting at it way back in season 4, and contraception at this point is not really an option anymore. (I'm quite stupidly glad that, if the baby makes it, Judith will have a friend about her own age).

I don't mind Denise, really. She's not a surgeon; she's never operated on anyone before, and now she has to fix gunshot wounds and stab wounds. My best friend is a doctor, but she specialized in preventive medicine and hygiene, and she wouldn't even know where to start fixing a gunshot wound. If she tried, I wouldn't begrudge her a panic attack or twenty. I'm a philologist, so I'd be over there in the corner being useless with ancient books.

I'm more than ready to find out what happened to Glenn, now. As long as it ends with him squirming under a pile of the softest, fluffiest, friendliest puppies.

[BooksRule]

I'm confused.  They are going to just let the walkers pile up at the walls?

 

I kept thinking that if they could find some fireworks, they could light a bunch of firecrackers (or a large cherry bomb) and hurl it from the watch tower as far in the distance as they could (before it exploded).  I would think that some walkers would turn to follow the sound and others would follow.  It seems that they usually keep walking in the direction where they heard a sound, until some other sound sends them in a different direction.  I'm sure they can find something in town that they could turn into a distraction.

 

Also, if Daryl were there, he could be picking them off one by one (quietly) from the top of the wall.  The fallen walkers could create a bigger barrier to the oncoming walkers.

[SimoneS]

About Jesse and Rick, yes he killed her husband, but she was not happily married and they can die tomorrow so I have no problem with her getting on with Rick. As for her sons, there is always going to be trauma in their lives now. They will have to learn to deal with it like Carl has. 

 

I'm confused.  They are going to just let the walkers pile up at the walls?  

 

Rick is waiting for Abraham, Sacha, and Daryl to come back and use their vehicles to lead the walkers away.

 

I don't mind Denise, really. She's not a surgeon; she's never operated on anyone before, and now she has to fix gunshot wounds and stab wounds. My best friend is a doctor, but she specialized in preventive medicine and hygiene, and she wouldn't even know where to start fixing a gunshot wound. If she tried, I wouldn't begrudge her a panic attack or twenty. I'm a philologist, so I'd be over there in the corner being useless with ancient books.

 

I agree with this. On tv shows and in the movies, a doctor can do every single procedure perfectly even if they haven't touch a human being since residency. Denise struggling to learn how to be a practicing physician and surgeon is realistic and works for me.

[JBody]

Re: 'Jessick'...... *snip*

People can complain all they want, and its not like this kiss just popped up out of nowhere; this thing has been coming down the pipe ever since they first met, since the back 3rd of last season - or at least most definitely since the cheek kiss at the 'welcome party' at Deanna's.

*Snip*

Ever since they first met two weeks ago? Yeah I'm that person. In Show time they've been there fourteen days. That is a blink of an eye yet look at all the destruction CDB hath wrought. I applaud Rick and the Widow Anderson not wasting any time but on the other hand the whole story line makes me a tad queasy. Motion sickness?

[lulee]

I think Tovah Feldshuh's wrinkles (I'm guessing decades of smoking) work for Deanna now. When CDB first arrived at Alexandria, she still looked the part of the U.S. Representative - well dressed, well-coiffed, maybe even make-up, but since things have gone to shit for her personally and for the town, she's less concerned about appearances. She looks worn and haggard and that totally fits for the character now.

[ghoulina]

I'm not asking this to be challenging, I'm just honestly curious.  Do the people who like Denise actually like this character?  Or do you like this actress from other shows? 

To me, she seems as hopelessly spoiled, whiny, and self-centered as the rest of the ASZ hats, if not worse, since she has actual skills the rest don't have.  Tara deserves so much better.  Even when ankle twistin' Tara has been inept or misguided, she's always, always tried to be as brave and helpful as possible and do as much as she could.  Even if it's just encouraging someone.  Denise wants to hide, and that weird scene where she took some pus out of a wound made her look like a simpleton.

I just really don't get it.

 

I've never seen her on another show, but I like her. I just find her kind of comical - a doctor who has panic attacks. This is awesome. No, but I also just find her real. Not everyone is doing to be a badass. But I don't think she's the definition of the naive, self-centered ASZhat either. To be fair, she has never practiced as a medical doctor. Who knows how long ago her training was, but this is not stuff she has done on a regular basis. I'd be scared too. But she never left, she never walked away. She might have thrown her book down, but she picked it back up and figured it out. She's trying. She strikes me as someone who is pretty insecure, and she just needs to gain some confidence in herself. I think she'll be alright. 

 

Someone mentioned upthread that the pacing of the show has been off since season four and I agree.  That's Gimple.  Marvelous writer; written some of the best TWD episodes ever; yet I am not at all happy with how these arcs play out per season; the capsule episodes or whatever one wants to call them grind momentum to a halt.

 

So true. In some ways I miss my early days of TWD, when I was marathoning the first three seasons. It's easy to give a pass on a crappy episode (Arrow on the Doorpost, I'm looking at you) when it's sandwiched between other good ones. I really enjoyed Here's Not Here, but the placement of it was off. And now this episode. Next week looks like we're only going to see what Daryl, Abe, and Sasha have been up to. They're really dragging this shit out. You know what a good example of dealing with a hoard was? In season 4 when Rick and Carl mowed them all down in one night. Can we get some more of that, please?

 

Ron has got to be up to something? Right?

 

Right. Don't trust that kid for a minute. When he went up on the wall to talk to Rick, I was convinced he was going to try and push him over. I still think he's up to something shady. 

[nodorothyparker]

The more I think about this episode the more frustrating it becomes. As is often the case when TWD fails, there's a kernel of a good idea there but the execution was just all over the place and ultimately went nowhere very interesting.

The only way this is going to be salvageable in hindsight is if we later learn that while everyone else was busy speechifying and generally acting like rats trapped in a box and hoarding expired canned goods, the reason we didn't get more than blink and you miss them sightings of Michonne, Carol, Morgan, and even Rosita was because they were off camera exploring ways out of this mess. I don't even really mind the vast majority of the ASZhats acting like clueless ninnies because we've never seen anything to suggest they were ever capable of anything else. But our gang has survived some pretty dire stuff, so it makes absolutely no sense that any of them, including and especially Rick, would be sitting around doing nothing on the hope that the three out of the road will saunter back their direction before the walls with the supports on the wrong side come tumbling down.

Do they not have any road flares left or the makings of molotov cocktails to chuck? Enough ammo to at least clear a path for Nicolas's van of screaming death metal to make another attempt at a lure? The entire episode is dependent on Rick being massively out of character. He's not the same guy here who tore out a man's jugular or made himself a shiv to try to fight his way out of Terminus, the guy who's always planning and spent most of the back half of last season planning against these same people. Instead he now seems not particularly concerned about his kids who have been his raison d'etre for five seasons while being up for leisurely strolls about the place and trying to get some in an open garage.

Edited November 10, 2015 by nodorothyparker

[peach]

What I care about:  What will Michonne tell Maggie, and how will she react???  How will Rick react to the compound being overrun by psychotic murderers???  How will remaining CDB react to Glenn, Daryl, Sasha and Abraham going missing???  After a 90 minute episode devoted to Morgan's life, what will he do with an injured wolf now that the town is in jeopardy (which he apparently never told them after Rick sent him back).

 

What Show cares about: 

How will Deanna react?
How will Spencer react?

How will Deanna react to Spencer's reaction? 

 

Maggie's upset.  She's on a mission.  What do Michonne, Rick, Rosita, and Carol think?  Who knows.  She's with Aaron.  (This is forgivable because Aaron is more CBD than ASZ, and he actually wants to DO something)

 

Oh, no, Rosita's crying?  She  must be reacting to Abe being missing, and...let's talk about how Spencer feels.  Rosita validates Spencer.  (Also, Carol let an incompetent, drunken coward take her watch duty)

 

Hey, Carl gets a scene!  It's about Ron.  Bye, Carl.  Rick tries to bond with Ron and believes Carl is in the house.

 

Hey, it's Tara.  Glenn is her first friend and closest connection to CDB, and she's the "most important person in the world" to Maggie, but let's check on Denise.  Poor Denise!  "I'm stuck with this injured guy who's been risking his life to keep me fed and supplied during the ZA, who got wounded defending my home from a horde of walkers.  Glenn probably died trying to get him back to safety, and now they expect me to take care of him just because I'm a doctor.  Poor meeeee!  I just want to read a book."  Tara comforts Denise while Maggie slogs through a zombie infested sewer below.

 

This show has turned into The Young & The Restless, where they just use legacy characters to prop up new, annoying characters no one cares about.

[Ottis]

So was the woman in the house who had turned someone who had slit her wrists because she gave up? The camera zoomed in on her wrists at one point, and the giving up part would be consistent with the theme of the season. Also, the passersby seemed surprised that this particular woman was a zombie. Jessie then gave a speech about fighting, so I thought that all tied together nicely.

 

Standing at the top of a wall, in full view of the gathering horde, may not be the best move.Just sayin'.

 

Tovah Feldshuh is only 61 years old, she looks like she's 75. She has not aged well at all.

 

 

Enh. She is not made up, supposed to look worn and walkinga round mostly in shock in what looks like an ill-fitting shirt. 

[ghoulina]

Denise and Tara didn't seem at all random to me. Since their first scene the actress have had chemistry. I thought it was fairly obvious that they were being set up as a couple.

 

My mom said the same thing, but I just didn't see it coming. I thought she was being set up for Eugene. I remember when Tara first saw her last girlfriend, I could immediately tell she was into her. I saw none of that with Tara towards Denise. And on Denise's end, she was always in a state of panic. I thought she was just going to walk up and hug Tara, for supporting her and being a good friend. The kiss was so out of left field for me. 

 

Ever since they first met two weeks ago? Yeah I'm that person. In Show time they've been there fourteen days. That is a blink of an eye yet look at all the destruction CDB hath wrought. I applaud Rick and the Widow Anderson not wasting any time but on the other hand the whole story line makes me a tad queasy. Motion sickness?

 

Well, OTOH, things move quicker in a ZA. I think Glenn and Maggie fell in love in a shorter period of time. However, they didn't have these outside complications - such as a husband who just died, and Rick killed him, and the son who hates Rick for killing his dad, and the other son who won't come down the damn stairs, and there's thousands of zombies outside and we haven't even seen Rick make sure Judith is okay. I knew it was coming, I resigned myself to it. I was just hoping it would take longer. 

[leto]

Tovah Feldshuh is only 61 years old, she looks like she's 75. She has not aged well at all.

 

Tovah Feldshuh looks like a REAL 61 year old woman, not the botoxed, plastic surgery version that we've all become accustomed to thanks to Hollywood. So much respect for her for not falling into that trap. She's beautiful as she is and a talented accomplished actress. See Norman Reedus if we're talking about an actor who hasn't aged well, since male actors seem to get a pass about this...

[lulee]

Right. Don't trust that kid for a minute. When he went up on the wall to talk to Rick, I was convinced he was going to try and push him over. I still think he's up to something shady. 

I wonder if Ron made it far enough in school to read Hamlet before the ZA hit, because from his perspective:

A man killed his father (Rick/ Claudius)

and has designs on his mother (Jessie/ Gertrude)

Enid is the stand-in for Ophelia

Carl is sort-of half stand-in for Laertes as would-be protector of Enid and adversary of Ron and Carl is half stand-in for Polonius as an extension of Rick/Claudius.

If Ron stabs somebody hiding behind curtains, Gimple needs to put the SparkNotes down.

 

Edited November 9, 2015 by lulee

[nachomama]

I was totally on board with Tara and Denise. Not so much Rick n Jessie. I hated Lori for hooking up with Shane so soon after her husband "died". I don't care that Dr. Porchdick was an abuser, it's still been only a day or two ffs!

 

Very annoyed to not get some kinda closure on Glenn, dead or not dead, I don't care if Maggie's preggers, don't make me feel no better. Babies are just problems in the ZA. This waiting is bullshit.

 

I couldn't tell if it was blood seeping through rivet holes or a big ass crack forming. Either way it doesn't bode well, Ron and Spencer are on watch...the wall aint safe. And good lord what is wrong with Deanna? She looked like she was just about to go yell at the people with noise and lights on, then she gets attacked and next thing you know, she's banging on the gate antagonizing walkers. wtf? I'm very disgruntled this morning.

[JackONeill]

On Talking Dead.

I find it insulting that TPTB relies on The Talking Dead to fill in the blanks of things that their writers/director are incapable of showing/telling on their own show.

So, Betsy is the woman Jessie killed?!? The writers for this show are . . . inept. They need to go back to school.

 

[sorry. I see others have posted similar comments. I just couldn't wait to scream into the wind.]

Edited November 9, 2015 by JackONeill

[Primetimer]

Alexandrians and newcomers alike struggle to face unpleasant realities, mostly by making terrible decisions.

Read the story

[riverheightsnancy]

So, why were almost no townspeople armed with... anything?

I mean, the houses have fireplaces. Shouldn't we have seen a couple of people near the wall with axes?

Or whatever else they have? Picks? Shovels? Pipes? Come on!

Yes, I am surprised that when CDB came to ASZ that they didn't have informational meetings to apprise the newbies to what is out there and how to handle oneself. But let's not forget, that Rick did not want Carol teaching the kids at the prison about this stuff either during his mental check-out farm days. A lot of these people are still is states of denial of varying degrees dependent on situation. Rick at times has gotten swallowed by the reality but came back, with the help of Herschel. I think Carol and Morgan have also been in over their heads in the acceptance of the reality. When these guys have no denial about the situation or the world, it can be a precipitating factor to full out despair and depression, & suicidal thoughts. Not that I blame them!

 

Carol has been through so much, not just the ZA, but her own life. Total acceptance of this "reality" may mean that there is no turning back for some of them, the despair will be so great. Having a bit of denial may be the ONLY way some of these guys can get through this mess. It's a coping mechanism. Of course, if the town psychiatrist wasn't so neurotic and focused on her own self-efficacy/self-esteem issues, she might be able to offer a modicum of support or advice. Denise is not going to be much help if she doesn't start to grow a spine and get over her insecurities. A love relationship is not the answer to those issues. Why are all the supposed people of service (Father Pee Pants, the Psychiatrist) so useless? I have to wonder if this isn't some sort of internal view or personal statement of the show creator regarding religion and psychiatry? If they take out "audit meters" I'll have my answer! 

[Morrigan2575]

I find it insulting that TPTB relies on The Talking Dead to fill in the blanks of things that their writers/director are incapable of showing/telling on their own show.

So, Betsy is the woman Jessie killed?!? The writers for this show are . . . inept. They need to go back to school.

[sorry. I see others have posted similar comments. I just couldn't wait to scream into the wind.]

I don't think you needed to watch Talking Dead to figure that out. I didn't know her name, granted I don't know many of the ASZers names but, I knew she was the wife of the dude that died 2 episodes ago and that she killed herself.

The show kind of spotlighted it at the very start of the episode where you see Michonne talking to Maggie and unknown brunette woman. Michonne is talking about the dude that died 2 episodes ago.

[Timetoread]

Unfortunately this show, my favorite, is being added to my growing list of shows that I am losing interest in.  The Alexandria storyine is lasting way too long and is utterly uninteresting. None of the Alexandrians are compelling in anyway, except Aaron, and the way that they are written is unrealistic and annoying to watch.  Yes, people are stupid, but not THAT stupid.  It doesn't take people long to get hip that something smells in Denmark.  Yes a few are cowards but fight or flight is a human instinct.  Jessie would not have been the only character to fight to the death to save her family.  Most real people would go for the guns before going for the food and anyone who doesn't know how to work one would be begging Rick and all of his crew for lessons - not just one teenaged kid.  In the real world on 9/11/2001 hijackers were able to subdue three planes of people simultaneously, most likely by making them think that everything would be okay.  But once the passengers of a fourth plane got wind of the plan, they all - men and women, young and old, said "F that!" and fought their captors.  Point being, we do not need THAT much provocation to fight for our lives - it is our nature and God-given right.

 

But the only thing worse than suffering the nonsense that is the citizens of Alexandria is suffering the complete rewrite of all of our main characters and their storylines.  So suddenly Maggie can't take on a walker?  The same Maggie who killed her way through a busload of walkers, used a street sign to kill a streeload of walkers, put raging Abraham into submission, and even slapped the sh*t out of both Shane and Andrea way back in Season 2?  That Maggie?  And Rick, who two seasons ago ripped out a man's juggular with his teeth and the proceeded to gut another man - all in defense of Carl, runs back into town - KNOWING that the town was attacked by HUMANS - and doesn't run past all the gaping mouths straight to his son and daughter to verify their well-being?  That Rick?  And Michonne who survived "out there" for a year on her own,  has fought back to back with Rick and Daryl for another year and was the only human being to get the drop on the Governor, stands slack jawed and horrified for minutes on end when one person meets their fate?  That Michonne?  And Carl, who - aside from his freakish growth spurt - could truthfully wear the name "Enforcer" by the age of ten because I haven't seen him actually miss a head shot since that age, lets a Wolf trick him before finally silencing the guy.  That Carl?  Who the hell are these people?  This isn't the gang I've watched evolve over 5 years.  They are as foreign to me as are the Alexandrians.  Last season was so dismal and quiet so I've been yearning to see more development on the group we already have, rather than introducing new, pointless, characters to take up (at this writing) a full season and a half of airtime.  What happened to the BFF bond between Carl and Michonne - these two actors have not exchanged lines since the episode when Rick went to get Beth and they were at the church with PP?  What about PP?  Why put him on cast to give him no storyline?  What about the manning up and redemption of Eugene?  And yes, many of us would be just fine to see what it takes to make a man like Rick fall in love.  Apparently all it takes is looking like a former cheerleader.  Nothing about this broad makes her stand out from anybody else.  Yes, she's attractive, but so is Rosita.  Or if there is another "criteria" that they are going for, so is Carol.  Hell I'd rather an uncomfortable attraction to Maggie than Jessie, who simply got cast as "Rick's love interest" rather than write her as a person.  She is already a Mary Sue and I'm sick of her already. 

 

This show is losing me big time.

Edited November 9, 2015 by Timetoread

[GodsBeloved]

Favorite moment ... Deanna calling the walker a SOB.

[Jack Kerouac]

Not to mention invasive. Is it somehow less predatory for a woman to kiss another woman full on the mouth when consent was not previously and expressly made than it would be for a man to do the same (to either gender)?

 

Please sign this express consent kissing contract with a second base rider. Initial here ...

[lulee]

Please sign this express consent kissing contract with a second base rider. Initial here ...

I thought riding started at third base and then really took place at 4th.

As for Maggie not being the fighter she used to be -- the first trimester can really knock the wind out of some women's sails. I figured that she called off the search for Glenn at least a tiny bit because she knew she wasn't physically up to it.

Edited November 9, 2015 by lulee

[Boofish]

I don't know how the showrunners expect us to root for any of these Asshats! They can't even commit suicide right. Slit your wrist? Really! So you come back as a walker possibly taking someone else with you?

[morgankobi]

What I care about:  What will Michonne tell Maggie, and how will she react???  How will Rick react to the compound being overrun by psychotic murderers???  How will remaining CDB react to Glenn, Daryl, Sasha and Abraham going missing???  After a 90 minute episode devoted to Morgan's life, what will he do with an injured wolf now that the town is in jeopardy (which he apparently never told them after Rick sent him back).

 

What Show cares about: 

How will Deanna react?

How will Spencer react?

How will Deanna react to Spencer's reaction? 

 

Maggie's upset.  She's on a mission.  What do Michonne, Rick, Rosita, and Carol think?  Who knows.  She's with Aaron.  (This is forgivable because Aaron is more CBD than ASZ, and he actually wants to DO something)

 

Oh, no, Rosita's crying?  She  must be reacting to Abe being missing, and...let's talk about how Spencer feels.  Rosita validates Spencer.  (Also, Carol let an incompetent, drunken coward take her watch duty)

 

Hey, Carl gets a scene!  It's about Ron.  Bye, Carl.  Rick tries to bond with Ron and believes Carl is in the house.

 

Hey, it's Tara.  Glenn is her first friend and closest connection to CDB, and she's the "most important person in the world" to Maggie, but let's check on Denise.  Poor Denise!  "I'm stuck with this injured guy who's been risking his life to keep me fed and supplied during the ZA, who got wounded defending my home from a horde of walkers.  Glenn probably died trying to get him back to safety, and now they expect me to take care of him just because I'm a doctor.  Poor meeeee!  I just want to read a book."  Tara comforts Denise while Maggie slogs through a zombie infested sewer below.

 

This show has turned into The Young & The Restless, where they just use legacy characters to prop up new, annoying characters no one cares about.

Dear Nail,

   That pounding sensation you feel is Peach hitting your cranial region.

[RustbeltWriter]

This was a quiet episode that let us see the Alexandrians and I think that's being done so that later on they can knock off a bunch of them and we'll have some idea of who they are.

 

Oh, and I'm getting used to Glen being dead.

[kj4ever]

<3 me some Rick and Jessie!  I've never understood the "Richonne" thing I and PRAY it doesn't ever ever ever happen because I don't want them ruining my favorite character - Michonne.  Rick deserves to get a little though, and I really think Jessie's character is coming along.  She has really grown since we were first introduced to her.  I can see why Rick is attracted to her, and it's not just because she looks like a "cheerleader".

 

Spencer, aww you beautiful piece of eye candy, I kind of want you to die after the annoying ass crybaby doctor.  She is in a neck in neck race with FG for person I want to die the most.

 

Love the Maggie/Aaron stuff.  I actually like it when our CDB interacts with other people. 

[sacrebleu]

I assume they ASZhats were rationing because with the walker mob outside their walls, they can't really go scavenging for a while. 

 

But I'm totally in agreement with those who feel like this season's focus on such a brief time period has really stalled the show. We're a month into the season and we're less than 24 hours removed from the actions of the season opening.  

 

And I was really confused by the Maggie/Aaron sewer walker fight. Her hand sunk into the walker's chest and was stuck-- but she didn't get any cuts or scrapes from pushing through the walker's rib cage??

 

I also call BS on there being a drainage pipe that leads from the settlement under the wall to the outside and Aaron never told anyone about it? Is he the only one with a key? 

 

On a shallow note- Carl's hair is the worst. Please stop it.

Edited November 9, 2015 by sacrebleu

[Constantinople]

I didn't understand Rick's objection about burying the bodies of their enemies.  Does Rick think that only the decayed, rotting bodies of his fellow Alexandrians pose a health hazard?  Is that the ZA equivalent of calories not couting if you eat something off someelse's plate?

[HighMaintenance]

I'd have to say that TWD has become very sloppy in explaining some scenes.

 

For example, I had no idea the walker that Jessie poked in the eye (probably the wimpiest kill of the series - I almost expected her to say Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk... Hey Moe!) was Betsy. (I had to find out about it via Talking Dead.)

 

People with a short attention span, like me, had to think for a couple minutes - Oh Yeah!  That dude, David, who died a couple episodes ago, that was his recent 3 month wife!    And as someone upthread related: if you have to also follow a fan show to make sense of scenes in TWD, then that's just crappy narrative.  I also didn't notice the slashed wrists because I must have turned away from the TV in the nanosecond that they showed her wounds.  Maybe her scene ended up on the cutting room floor?  *Shrug*

 

Same thing with Rick's Winnebago escape.   I just now remember the same thing with the trough scene at Terminus.  We were somehow supposed to recognize the end guy was one of the fruit hippies Rick and Carol bumped into several episodes previous.

 

The problem is the show trying to involve too many peripheral characters and personalize their stories.  We now have the core CDB who has integrated (to varying degrees) Tara, Abe, Eugene, Carmen Electra (sorry, her name escapes me ATM), Aaron, Eric, Morgan, Dr. PanicAttack, Deanna, her #2 asshole son, Father Pee Pants, Michonne's male doppelganger with the braids, Tobin, Jessie and the Brats ...  well, you get the idea.  There are too many players on the field!  Viewers can only be invested in just so many plot lines.  I think they need to have a checklist - "Should I invest in this character's story or not?"

 

[NurseGiGi]

I think Tovah Feldshuh looks pretty decent for 62, but she'd look better with 5 or 10 more pounds on her. I always complain that Hollywood's current demand for women to be stick-thin really works against older actresses.

It's not like the hair has ever made sense on this show, but am i supposed to believe that Jessie's been helping Deanna maintain that nice color job?

Sorry, I don't have anything to say about the actual episode because it suuuuucked. I'm super pissed that we're no closer to any answers about Glenn.

I commend Tovah Feldshuh for not resorting to cosmetic surgery and daring to actually look her age.  She is too thin, though.  Older actresses are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

 

I haven't watched the episode yet but plan to do so tonight.  I read a recap of it, though, and they seem to agree with most our sentiments on this forum.  One guy even said that it was blatant manipulation of the audience to keep Glen's possible death in the air.  Their ratings are still holding which is what happened last year with the terrible Beth arc so viewers keep tuning in to bad episodes hoping for a reveal.

 

I don't want Michonne with Rick, or any other man for a while anyway.  She's a great leader and I would like to see her do more of this.

[HalcyonDays]

This show has turned into The Young & The Restless, where they just use legacy characters to prop up new, annoying characters no one cares about.

 

Except I think they are trying to get the audience to have an emotional connection to these characters, by showing them in these tense and emotional situations, so that when the Walkers finally overtake ASZ, we'll feel" sad" about the ASZ-ers all becoming Walker!Chow. Because you know they will.

 

As long as Aaron survives, it's all good.

 

I find it insulting that TPTB relies on The Talking Dead to fill in the blanks of things that their writers/director are incapable of showing/telling on their own show.

 

Pst Everyone.. Remember Talking Dead Talk really should be in the Talking Dead thread.

 

However, this relates directly to the show so...

---------------------------------------------------------

 

I think the writers are assuming that we will remember exactly who is who. The problem with ASZ is that there are so many characters that kind of blend into one - that they don't stand out - that I have no idea of their names. Aaron's the only one. Forgot his boyfriends name. I know Deanna, and that's it. Only reason I remembered it's Spencer now, is that Deanna called him that this episode. The rest, I have no idea what their names are. We were supposed to recognize the Suicide!Walker as whoever, but because most of them all look the same, kinda blend together, no one stands out to recognize clearly.

 

Unlike CDB where the characters are very distinct. You'd never mistake Carol for Maggie, or Darryl for Rick or Morgan for Bob (I'm picking people who could look similar). Yes, it's physical looks partly, but also the character themselves. Each one stands out, both in looks and personality and behaviour. I think that's the issue, IMO. Most of ASZ are interchangable - Rick's group has never ever been interchangable.

 

Instead he now seems not particularly concerned about his kids who have been his raison d'etre for five seasons while being up for leisurely strolls about the place and trying to get some in an open garage.

 

Now that you say this, it just reminded me of their time at the prison, where they had a herd of Walkers pushing against the chain-link fence, and their daily "chore" was to off some of the Walkers. Rick even says that them pushing on the fence is causing the fence to slowly collapse.

 

Don't get me started on the fence design, with the structural beams outside. Still don't understand how that wall hasn't collapsed yet - the load bearing beams are on the wrong side. Or did one of you explain why it's fine?

[Dobian]

When Rick came upon Deanna kiling that zombie, the first thing I thought he was going to say to her was, "The head, dammit, the head!!".

[ghoulina]

If only Hershel was still there ... I really miss Hershel.

 

My favorite character ever. Sigh. He would have had ASZ turned around in no time. He'd have the garden going and be doctoring people in between planting seeds, leaving the more able bodied people to defense. 

 

I haven't watched the episode yet but plan to do so tonight.  I read a recap of it, though, and they seem to agree with most our sentiments on this forum.  One guy even said that it was blatant manipulation of the audience to keep Glen's possible death in the air.  Their ratings are still holding which is what happened last year with the terrible Beth arc so viewers keep tuning in to bad episodes hoping for a reveal.

 

The problem is, I don't think all viewers are like us. I'm not trying to be snotty, but this show has a very low-brow following. If I look at fan sites on FB, I see hundreds of comments along the lines of - "OMG, that episode was awesome!" or "Yay! Rick and Jessie finally made out!" I'm not saying there isn't room here for differences of opinion, quite the opposite. But I just think this site is unique in its appraisal of the show. Even when there's a general consensus that the writing was bad or the show was just boring, there are tons of fans out there who loved it. So I don't see it going anywhere any time soon.