S02.E01: Monster

[SnarkyTart]

Riddle me this, viewers/awesome PTV members? Should I attempt to watch season 2?

Are you a big fan of Chris Hardwick and The Talking Dead, like I am?  That might be the only thing that keeps me watching, at least for awhile, especially if the Strand character has no early pay-off.  I'm still smiling about Hozier being the guest panelist.  Hardwick is always a pleasure to watch, and I love Hozier, so bonus!

[flutist4fun]

One thing I think this show (and its predecessor) have ruined is the hope that any good people exist beyond our cast. That guy on the radio Alicia is talking to? Total pirate. I will be surprised beyond words if Jack turns out to be a decent person just looking for help.

I don't know...I'm always cheered by how well the posters on these threads, at least, are able to call out the bad guys, see past the BS, and generally show really good judgment and compassion. I have high hopes for humanity, based on the amount of time everyone here spends debating right and wrong and personal responsibility. Come the ZA, I definitely want to be with y'all. (Still waiting for someone to tell me the rendezvous point, though. ;)

[Raven1707]

The Sunday Cable Ratings are in for "Monster":

 

The good news for “Fear the Walking Dead” is that its Season 2 premiere Sunday was the night’s No. 1 show on TV, cable or broadcast, by a pretty wide margin.

 

The bad news is that its 3.1 rating is a series low, way down from the 4.9 for its premiere in August 2015 and off 0.3 from the Season 1 finale in October. [6.674 million viewers]

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/04/12/sunday-cable-ratings-april-10-2016/

[Raven1707]

I noticed that this show is free on the AMC site.  They would never give away WD.  Do they know how inferior this is? 

 

Actually, it's pretty common for AMC to offer the premiere episode of The Walking Dead free to non-subscribers. I've always had full access because of my cable provider, but for at least the past three years, I directed friends who weren't subscribers to AMC.com so they could see what all the fuss was about...

[Madding crowd]

I thought the episode was just OK. I'm trying to like it but just feel kind of bored. I like the idea of having these people out at sea instead of walking through the woods, but I am not interested in the characters. I did like the storyline of Alicia talking to Jack on the radio and of course we all knew he was a pirate. I don't know if its the actors or the writing, but TWD had me at episode one and it is my favorite show.

 

I think it can be hard to have two successful shows existing in the same universe. i get some flack on the Better Call Saul threads because i want the show to be about Saul/Jimmy and not bringing back the old Breaking Bad characters for nostalgia sake. That wouldn't work in this show because they are in the same time period, but I just think it is hard to have two shows doing the same thing. I will probably still watch but not watch live. 

[catrox14]

Not to be rude, but, man, wouldn't it be something to see Elizabeth Mirchell in this show? And, to round things out, have Josh Holloway as the husband.

(Again, nothing against the current actors.)

Can't you hear Sawyer? He's survived the island of Lost only to wind up in the middle of the ZA.

I quote: "Son of a bitch!"

 

Take all of my money

[riverheightsnancy]

You've never met anyone who's been to the beach?  In any case, I've never noticed any real difference between swimming in salt water versus the pool.  Actually, I take that back.  My eyes have been irritated by swimming in pools with too much chlorine.  

 

Of course, I know people who have been to a beach, I have been to beaches on 3 different continents. I actually do not know anyone who swims in the ocean, underwater. Innocent question actually.  

[morgankobi]

I don't know...I'm always cheered by how well the posters on these threads, at least, are able to call out the bad guys, see past the BS, and generally show really good judgment and compassion. I have high hopes for humanity, based on the amount of time everyone here spends debating right and wrong and personal responsibility. Come the ZA, I definitely want to be with y'all. (Still waiting for someone to tell me the rendezvous point, though. ;)

 

The rendezvous point is "the desert." 

[Giselle]

I'm guessing a plane set is cheaper budget wise so it would probably be a better fit for a web series that's probably not going to bring in as much revenues as a tv series.

 

 

 

They can use the crashed plane on Universal Hollywood's back lot.  All they need are the zombies and they can just pull the costumes out of the storage locker for Halloween Horror Nights.

[Giselle]

Not to be rude, but, man, wouldn't it be something to see Elizabeth Mirchell in this show?

OH, Sweet Jesus NO!!!

God, I can't stand her acting.

[JackONeill]

OH, Sweet Jesus NO!!!

God, I can't stand her acting.

Okay, well, how about Sally Field? As she's being swarmed by Walkers, she can shout, "You like me! You really like me!"

I think that'd add a little warmth, compassion and, well, humor to a show that currently has none of any of that.

Edited April 14, 2016 by JackONeill

[Giselle]

Okay, well, how about Sally Field? As she's being swarmed by Walkers, she can shout, "You like me! You really like me!"

I think that'd add a little warmth, compassion and, well, humor to a show that currently has none of any of that.

 

You're killing me!

 

How about Andrea Roth from Rescue Me, Katherine Bell, Maggie Siff from Sons of Anarchy, Mary McCormack, Carla Gugnio, Maria Bello. They can do more than just look like they are pondering all the time (Kim Dickins) or do their constant impression of Mona Lisa (Elizabeth Mitchel).

 

Nothing against Cliff Curtis who is good in this, but  don't get me started on having a New Zealand actor who is Maori playing a Maori living in LA without a New Zealand accent. They should have just let him use the accent and explained it away.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Giselle

[ZoloftBlob]

Wait... Travis is supposed to be a Maori? I assumed he was latino... (yes I knew the actor was from New Zealand)

[heisenberg]

If you appreciate the value of bad tv, have ever wanted to root for the zombies, or you're curious to see how lazily a network can milk a brand, this show is for you.

If you need a coherent story that shows all the beats, decent acting, or any kind of effort beyond some interesting camera shots, stay away.

I say pop some corn, pour a drink, and have fun on the boards as you await the inevitable catharsis that will come when they start killing major characters (they can't not). As a bonus, pretty much everything seems better by contrast, so you can reset your standards.

Just my opinion, of course.

I need a good comedy show for the summer, this will do!

 

The boat is upside down with the hull full of holes and not sinking?  Walkers becoming swimmers?  Well...

 

They need to get to Malibu and meet the crazy bunch of "the last man on earth", it can't be worst... or can it?

[rab01]

Thanks for all of the advice everyone!! I'll have to catch the first one On Demand and set up the rest to tape!!

I think they are replaying the first episode sometime this weekend so you could DVR that showing rather than have to sit through commercials On Demand..

[candall]

It took me five days to hit the "play" button and it turns out. . .

 

I can only do this from my typo-ridden expletive-filled lane in the live chat Snarky 500.

 

People saying things like "I could've fixed my dead mom!" and "I didn't tell the flirtatious radio stranger anything important!" are rich meaty fodder for sharing laughs in real time, but not so great for a drama that offers its characters to be considered seriously. 

[walnutqueen]

Of course, I know people who have been to a beach, I have been to beaches on 3 different continents. I actually do not know anyone who swims in the ocean, underwater. Innocent question actually.  

 

Innocent question - on what continents have you been that people don't swim in and underwater in the oceans?  Because, truly, I've never heard of such a thing in a lifetime of  beachgoing.  Perhaps it's the kind of people you know???

[riverheightsnancy]

Innocent question - on what continents have you been that people don't swim in and underwater in the oceans?  Because, truly, I've never heard of such a thing in a lifetime of  beachgoing.  Perhaps it's the kind of people you know???

Hi Walnutqueen, I have seen the ocean, been to the beach in US (of course), Australia, and Asia. What I should have said is that I do not know anyone personally that swims underwater in the ocean. It was in response to another person who questioned how could I not know what it is like to swim in the ocean when I asked about the saltwater stinging. I know that I don't swim in the ocean, because I am not a confident swimmer in general. See you on the Alone thread when it starts. 

[Raven1707]

Just a couple of random thoughts after I caught up with the thread:

 

Nick should be doing okay, drug-wise. At the end of the Season 1 Finale, when Lisa was trying to talk the doctor into coming along with them, Madison made a bee-line for the shelf stocked with medication. She looked at and grabbed quite a few bottles and stuffed them in her bag.

 

I never got the impression the water zombies were doing anything more than floating aimlessly.

 

I was impressed at how long Nick could stay underwater...

 

I grew up near the beach (Santa Cruz) and even way back then, I strongly suspected the other people on the beach were zombies. Luckily, I was fast then. Now I imagine I'd be toast.

[phoenix780]

It took me five days to hit the "play" button and it turns out. . .

 

I can only do this from my typo-ridden expletive-filled lane in the live chat Snarky 500.

 

People saying things like "I could've fixed my dead mom!" and "I didn't tell the flirtatious radio stranger anything important!" are rich meaty fodder for sharing laughs in real time, but not so great for a drama that offers its characters to be considered seriously. 

Is this really a drama offering characters up to be taken seriously?  Or is it a horror show of the type that encourages you to yell at the stupid characters on the screen for doing stupid things ("don't run up those stairs"- that sort of yelling)?

 

I'd say the mothership is a drama- a brutal one with elements of soap.  This spinoff?  I'm not so sure.

[Canada]

Good god, what a pile of crap that was.  This is firmly on my hate-watch list now.  I feel bad for Strand; imagine being stuck in the ZA with this group of morons.  He should have taken off at the beginning of the episode, before they all got on.

[candall]

Is this really a drama offering characters up to be taken seriously?  Or is it a horror show of the type that encourages you to yell at the stupid characters on the screen for doing stupid things ("don't run up those stairs"- that sort of yelling)?

 

I'd say the mothership is a drama- a brutal one with elements of soap.  This spinoff?  I'm not so sure.

You think they're written that way so we'll yell at them for being stupid?

 

Well, okay, lol, maybe.  Meet me here on Sunday night and we'll yell at them together!

[Bongo Fury]

I remember the first season of this show being bad, but I had to watch the S2 premier to remember just HOW bad it is.

 

* The near criminal portrayal of the military continues. Fear would have us believe that they are tactically incompetent and morally bankrupt. So just what is the point of bombing LA as shown, with an explosion here and there? Sure, it makes for a nice visual, but it accomplishes nothing. It's a metropolitan area of what, 10 million people. So there are millions of walkers there now. Scattered bombing does NOTHING. 'The only way to be sure is to nuke the planet (city) from orbit.' As is, you kill very few walkers, but you set the city on fire and ruin all that valuable infrastructure and the remaining supplies. Our military is the best on the planet, what they are shown doing is stupid beyond comprehension.

 

* So when we left off last season, 24-36 hours ago, Nick was in the cage with Strand in full withdrawal, puking and shaking. Yet now he is perfectly fine, no symptoms, no deleterious effects. Instead of the pathetic junkie of just days ago, he is now one of the most competent people in the group. With those super powers it is easy to see why Strand brought him along, even though he has a gang of dipshits in tow.

 

* Oooh, look, it's a boat overflowing with people, that looks like fun, let's stop and pick them up, and when we add all of them to our group, this boat can be overflowing with people. LET'S DO IT. Great idea Maddie. Ya stupid bitch.

 

* You give Alicia the radio and tell her to monitor it for anything interesting, which is a reasonable plan. It gives her something to do, keeps her out of trouble, and has the potential to garner valuable information. Good idea, seriously. But then no one monitors her, or pays attention to what she's doing, even though she is all over the boat with the radio and clearly talking intently to someone. How the hell is that a good idea? And there are two fucking teachers on the boat, who work with teens on a daily basis and know just how stupid they can be. Yes, entrust one of your most valuable assets to one of your youngest members and then give them no supervision and no assistance. <facepalm>

 

* So, just what is the plan here folks? The boat is sitting still, floating in the ocean. Your one source of information about what is happening in the world is the radio and you've given that to Alicia, and everyone is ignoring her. So what the hell is the plan? Sit there and do nothing? At least break out the fucking monopoly game. DO SOMETHING!

 

* So the big buildup for the episode is that a group of sociopaths is coming to threaten the group. Holy shit, now that is an original turn of events. We've only seen the same thing over, and over and over and over again on TWD. What quality writing we are witnessing, they are REALLY pushing the envelope on Fear. We are mere days into the ZA, people haven't been scavenging for supplies for very long at all, so there's a ton of shit out there that you just have to go pick up. Yet we're suppose to believe that a group is ALREADY desperate enough to risk robbing and murdering people for their meager supplies. They're on a boat, it's dangerous to just drive up and strong arm someone. You're highly likely to be shot at, and if your boat gets shot up in the middle of the ocean, you're screwed, even if you do manage to kill your victims and steal their supplies. It's a high risk, low reward proposition, yet we're expected to buy this premise, when there are much better options for people this early in the ZA. Yeah, great writing. 

 

Ever since the spin off of TWD has been announced the original show has plummeted in quality, and this show just simply blows. So instead of one good show, we now get to watch two crappy shows. But AMC is happy, because they get to see two shows worth of commercials. But if this crapfest continues, I predict both show will go spiraling down the toilet.

[Nashville]

Okay, I'm waaay behind now and no freakin' way I'm actually going to take the time to read through all that - not for FTWD, anyway - so I'll just say this:

1. Bombing the shit outta LA was cool.  Somebody should've done that years ago.  The perpetual traffic jam on the I-5 inner loop would have been improved - or it wouldn't have been any worse, at least.
2. Give this episode about a thousand more outboard motor props, and it might actually be pretty cool. Too little gore spray to be realistic, though - or maybe not, considering FaceProp dude had actually stopped pumping blood a while back....
3. If Chris clocked his dad, how is it Chris is the one who ended up with the black eye?
4. Radio Free TeenAngst is a pretty little idiot.  What's her rationale here - dude must be telling the truth about everything because he's a Bowie fan?  No, she didn't tell whatshisname anything IMPORTANT - just that she's on a frikkin' MILLIONAIRE YACHT with a frikkin' DESALINATION SYSTEM.  No way that little nugget of information would be important in something like, say, the zombie apocalypse.  Oh, but she did keep talking long enough for them to triangulate a fix on the yacht.  So there's that.
5. Since when did swimming with shoes get to be the next great LA fad?
6. EVERYONE should come on in - the water's fine.  Just be aware that ain't little fishies nibling at your toes....
7. When Nick swam up inside the overturned hull - and we were treated to a really cool spectacle of cinematographic light play through the 3 billion or so bullet holes - did anybody else besides me wonder, "Why the fuck is this thing still floating?  It's not like any air is actually trapped underneath, not with all those holes."
8. Now way Strand of all people doesn't have a .50 cal hidden on that boat somewhere; this is one prepared motherfucker we're talking about.  At the very least he'll be in a position to return some fire.
9. I like big boats.

[JackONeill]

I suppose it was all of our "glowing" reviews that caused AMC to renew FTWD for a third season. Yep. You heard right.

Not only do we have the rest of season 2 to look forward to, but there will be a season three.

Yahoo!!! (Oh, wait . . .)

[Bongo Fury]

Not only do we have the rest of season 2 to look forward to, but there will be a season three.

 

I'm not sure if I can muster up that much snark.

 

But honestly, TWD has gotten SO bad, and Fear is a steaming turd, so I am sure I will be checking out LONG before F:S3.

[peach]

 

Okay, I'm waaay behind now and no freakin' way I'm actually going to take the time to read through all that - not for FTWD, anyway - so I'll just say this.

 What??  It's not about FTWD...it's about US.  The haterz. We worked hard on that hate. You could at least skim, bro.  ;D

 

<skims Nashville's post...>

 

 

Now way Strand of all people doesn't have a .50 cal hidden on that boat somewhere; this is one prepared motherfucker we're talking about.  At the very least he'll be in a position to return some fire.

 

Yeah, but Travis haaates guns, waaah.  He probably told Strand no guns allowed. 

[peach]

I remember the first season of this show being bad, but I had to watch the S2 premier to remember just HOW bad it is.

 

+100 to your whole post, esp the firebombing and Alicia's radio.

 

 

So the big buildup for the episode is that a group of sociopaths is coming to threaten the group. Holy shit, now that is an original turn of events. We've only seen the same thing over, and over and over and over again on TWD.

 

But not on the water.  It's groundbreaking television!!!! 

[Raven1707]

 

If Chris clocked his dad, how is it Chris is the one who ended up with the black eye?

 

Because Chris got hit in the face by one of the guys who snuck up on Chris & Alicia while they were waiting for the others in the underground garage at the makeshift medical facility in the Season 1 Finale.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Raven1707

[candall]

 

Yeah, but Travis haaates guns, waaah.  He probably told Strand no guns allowed. 

1.  It's my boat.

[Nashville]

 What??  It's not about FTWD...it's about US.  The haterz. We worked hard on that hate. You could at least skim, bro.  ;D

 

I did.  There's a difference between reading and skimming, donchaknow.  ;)

Edited April 17, 2016 by Nashville

[SoSueMe]

+100 to your whole post, esp the firebombing and Alicia's radio.

 

 

But not on the water.  It's groundbreaking television!!!! 

Yeah, no....

 

There was a cheesy 70s movie called Shock Waves that had underwater walking Nazi zombies. I know how it sounds but it scared me as a little kid :)

[MrsRafaelBarba]

I love Shockwaves, the film that started that horror subgenre.

The scene when they watch LA burn, hits in my feels.

[Canada]

What really cracked me up about Alicia on the radio is that she seemed to have this idea that she was having a private conversation with random stranger dude.  I don't think she realises the difference between a cell phone and a radio.  That shit's being broadcast to everyone, honey!

[Irishmaple]

Finally caught up with this yesterday afternoon and do not regret swapping in From Dusk Till Dawn which isn't great but is entertaining as hell and has offered me some characters I'm willing to invest in and actors I enjoy. Hello, Robert Partick. Wouldn't he do well against a batch of Walkers.

Anyway, the show. Well I didn't hate it. I just hated Madison, Travis and his son. Madison acted like someone elected her empress of the boat and her smug entitlement bugged. I don't know what Kim Dickens is doing in this part because I've seen her before and she's never been this awful. If Travis wanted to lug a body onto a boat, it should have been that of his restrained son, not the weight of a dead body on its way to making the group's haven smell really unpleasant. Chris was angry and bereaved, and had every right to his feelings. However he did not have the right to a tantrum that put the lives of others at risk. He's lucky he was with family because Strand would have left his ass on the beach.

Daniel, torturer of infatuated US military personnel and Pied Piper of the ZA, is dead to me. And could that eel have looked less appetizing? At least slice it, or something.

If Show is floating Nick and Ofelia, I'll go with it because both characters caught a clue last season and were not entirely too dumb to live. Alecia didn't bother me, to my surprise. She now knows exactly what became of her boyfriend, her city was incinerated, there is no hope of rescue and she just watched her group abandon a boatload of people (for justifiable reasons) Jack played her expertly. She sounded young and vulnerable, and he lead her along by slowly revealing his fictional troubles and giving her the chance to help. He completely suckered her, which wouldn't have happened if an adult monitored her. Surely somebody suspected the sort of horrific, depressing things she would hear on the radio?

I wasn't impressed by Strand last season but he's growing on me. I enjoyed his pragmatic decisions, his unwavering self-preservation and the way he shut down his passengers by reminding them whose boat they were on. No wonder he doesn't sleep; half of his passengers reek of mutiny.

Finally the incineration of LA was spectacular and, I guess, put an end to any speculation that Tobias might return. Unless the kid had an asbestos suit, he's ashes.

Edited April 18, 2016 by Irishmaple

[ghoulina]

Yeah, but Travis haaates guns, waaah.  He probably told Strand no guns allowed

 

And you know how this group loves to tell others what to do on their own property. 

[Raven1707]

The Cable Live + 3 Ratings are in for "Monster":

 

The finale of “The People v. O.J. Simpson” on FX had the biggest three-day ratings gain on cable for the week of April 4-10. The show doubled its 18-49 rating from 1.3 to 2.6 and added 2.91 million viewers (3.27 million to 6.18 million).

 

Its 18-49 gain was 0.2 better than the season premiere of “Fear the Walking Dead,” which grew by 1.1 points (3.1 to 4.2) in Live +3. [8.826 million viewers]

 

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2016/04/18/cable-live-3-ratings-april-4-10-2016/