Spoilers and Speculation

[OoohMaggie]

But if the money was there you would have stayed right?https://www.apnews.com/2e1a88ba5e5d415e91bb1b8e6c02080d/Beyond-'The-Walking-Dead,'-Lauren-Cohan-is-ready-for-change

[peach]

9 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

As for Jesus, he was kind of a useless irritant at the end, especially dragging in all those POWs. He should have been told, "You brought them here. It's your job to feed and care for them."

Yes, they were already assassinating his character with random, inconsistent pacifism like they have done to others.  Really, none of the characters matter when their continued behavior makes no sense.  It will be sad when Rick dies, but, really, they already killed the Rick Grimes I loved (and sometimes hated!) a long time ago.

[mandolin]

It's ridiculous for them to try to appease comic readers at this point. Rick, Maggie, and Carl are still around in the comics. I've always been in it for the characters, not for the situations themselves.

[SimoneS]

23 hours ago, peach said:

Exactly.  Why should I care if Henry gets Carl's comic arc?  I don't care about the comic arc, I care about Carl.  It's irrelevant to me what Henry does or who he does it with. 

Hell, I can barely remember who Henry is or what he looks like and I bet most of the audience are the same way. It is ridiculous that they are going to give airtime to some kid who people barely know or care about.

Edited August 17, 2018 by SimoneS

[nodorothyparker]

I know who Henry is only because three grown adult characters among the dwindling cast of people I still care about spent a ridiculous amount of time separated from the main story chasing around after a child with a death wish last season.  And even then, the child actor is going to be replaced after the time jump so it's not like we can be expected to care because we've watched him grow up (even that little bit) onscreen like we did with Carl.

[AngelaHunter]

4 hours ago, peach said:

they already killed the Rick Grimes I loved (and sometimes hated!) a long time ago.

Not only did they destroy his character, but it seems that alone just wasn't quite enough. They had to turn him into a bumbling fool, joke, a clown, battling in his underdrawers, grabbing the bat by the WRONG END, not being able to hit the broad side of a barn even with a machine gun, yelling dopey and impotent threats at Negan constantly - they turned him into the coyote to Negan's Roadrunner.

TPTB of "Dexter" were also willing to destroy every character we'd come to know and love, kick them aside and and turn them into idiots and fools as well, all to keep one annoying and mostly hated new character front and center because the showrunner had a major woody for her. Both shows doing this - and for the same reason -  is so insulting and leaves such a bad taste that it nearly negates anything good that came before.

[Anela]

Not only that, but I remember talk of them (probably) not wanting to pay Chandler Riggs more money, when his contract was up. It pisses me off that, rather than maintain loyalty to their actors who have been there from the beginning, that we've grown attached to, and really wanting to give everyone a good story, they think about what can give them the most amount of money in their own pockets - that kid helped to build this TV show into what it became, and he seems to be such a decent guy. But no, their loyalty is to the newer character who isn't interesting, and I don't know why. 

I do wonder if the fact that forums are still somewhat busy, gives them the idea that talk is better than no talk at all. Hate-watching still provides viewers. Another show I'm watching got its own single episode threads, after the amount of traffic increased to it (although there was hardly any talk, and still hasn't been, except for a small group of us). Even if we're arguing for or against Hardwick in another thread. it's still attention for them and his show. As a girl I know said, when people click dislike on her youtube videos, or leave negative comments, youtube doesn't care, it's still traffic and engagement. I wonder how many viewers TWD would have if the hate-watchers didn't tune in. 

[SnarkyTart]

On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2018 at 11:45 AM, AngelaHunter said:

TPTB of "Dexter" were also willing to destroy every character we'd come to know and love, kick them aside and and turn them into idiots and fools as well, all to keep one annoying and mostly hated new character front and center because the showrunner had a major woody for her. Both shows doing this - and for the same reason -  is so insulting and leaves such a bad taste that it nearly negates anything good that came before.

Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, and Person of Interest all got cancelled for the same reasons.  I'm sure there are others, but maybe not ones I watched. It makes me wonder if all these showrunners regularly attend the same tweaker parties.

[Smad]

16 hours ago, SnarkyTart said:

Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, and Person of Interest all got cancelled for the same reasons.  I'm sure there are others, but maybe not ones I watched. It makes me wonder if all these showrunners regularly attend the same tweaker parties.

Older shows did that too (see BtVS becoming all about Spike) and it always leaves me baffled. These creators forget what made the shows work in the first place. What kept people tuning in. And once the ratings slip, instead of correcting course, they double down. At least back then (early 2000s) they could blame it on the mistake of taking cues from the internet community. But that's not where you should look, the only thing that counts is ratings/viewers. Nothing tells you better than what the audience wants than ratings.

Clearly something has stopped working where Walking Dead is concerned. How else do they explain losing like 10 million viewers over 2 Seasons? But they just go on with the same crap.

[Nashville]

48 minutes ago, Smad said:

Clearly something has stopped working where Walking Dead is concerned. How else do they explain losing like 10 million viewers over 2 Seasons? But they just go on with the same crap.

Really?  Wow, that’s astounding.  Can anybody think of anything significant that’s changed in the last two seasons?  Hmmm... seems like something like that should be REALLY easy to pin down, but for the life of me I just can’t put my finger on it.  Anything, anybody?  By golly gee, this sure is a stumper....  :P

[Gobi]

37 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Really?  Wow, that’s astounding.  Can anybody think of anything significant that’s changed in the last two seasons?  Hmmm... seems like something like that should be REALLY easy to pin down, but for the life of me I just can’t put my finger on it.  Anything, anybody?  By golly gee, this sure is a stumper....  :P

It's driving me bats!

[AngelaHunter]

Just my l'il old humble opinion, but I think the show should have ended in a Grapes of Wrath (movie version) way when they all pulled up to the gates of Alexandria, saw the houses and heard kids playing.

Why did we need the interminable Bat-Man seasons? Why? His entire story arc was all FOR nothing and has amounted TO nothing at all. Guns, shooting, speeches, redshirts dying, etc. So, he killed Glenn and Abe. Big deal. Their deaths seemed to have no impact on anyone at all, so why? Well, we did get to see Carl turn into a bumbling fool (taking after the New Rick, I guess) and die for no reason at all, so there's that, I guess. Oh, and we got the Garbage People. Yay. Keep on, TPTB! Wring the last drop of blood from that cash cow!

[AngelaHunter]

In case anyone hasn't seen this, it's quite a long preview. I see a lot of them got rather harsh bean shaves, and they managed to find some even tighter pants for Rosita. Negan is still talking.

[Anela]

That had me feeling a bit nostalgic. It does look better than the last two years, but what with them seeming to kill off half the main cast this year (or disappear, with the option of returning), and Negan still talking, I'll wait and see what's posted here. I'm also not keen on Daryl and Maggie being against Rick - his not being able to trust them. 

[OoohMaggie]

10 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

and they managed to find some even tighter pants for Rosita

Wow, I didn’t notice that before, let’s not be too harsh on the show though lol

[jingles13]

On ‎8‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 12:55 AM, Cherokee Rose said:

Great photo, OoohMaggie. I never saw it before. And you know the horse's name, too! Is there anything in TWD universe you don't know. lol. Apollo would indeed enjoy the news. Guess Tara will be around for a while then.

I'm so conflicted about S9, with Rick and Maggie leaving... almost makes me feel like I'm losing the whole show. I must say the only season I've looked forward to less than S9 is S7.

I saw the comic con preview on TV today; and it looked very good.... but, I still feel like I'm losing the family. Like it's the end of an era. I feel like I'll be watching S9 to say goodbye to the show. Not sure I want to see a "re-do" of the show, like they've done in other "Dead" shows. Seems to create a totally new show instead.

Great prelude for the whisperers, though. Looks like Rick's vision of peace belongs to him alone, and no one else. lol. What's new?  Like no one is getting along at all. At least a time jump will make Judith more pertinent, though only to lose her dad... Wonder how much they regret killing Carl now? Though I'm a big Daryl fan, just can't see him as leading the ensemble.

Looks like a lot of fun in the colonial setting, and seems to have them back in Atlanta too. I know you and I had discussed (way back!) our desire to see some urban settings utilized. Can't believe it's so close to the new season. Hope it's a good one, but it'd take a lot to sooth my conflicted emotions.

Say It Sister....This is The Preparation for The End...What they should do is send Morgan Home..with Alicia , Victor and Althea...and Shut ''FEAR'' Down, for Good...and try to find a Viable Storu Line to make people STAY..I mean I Love Daryll, and I'd stay for that kind of Monet. Too...but Rick Was The Hero..everyone tunes in to see what is happening to him , who he will fight next.,, and how he survives..when they killed off Carl, that was the Last Straw...Glen's Death, crippled me, and Andrew made it quite clear then, that it hurt him, Steven had been there from the beginning, he saved him and Lenny saved him,..but Glen was just a kid and endangered his life for Rick, and he never forgot that..that was the kind of relationship they had..so he was really sad over that, and had always wanted to move back to England to be with his wife and kids,..so when they killed off Carl,..he just decided that's it , I'm not waiting around anymore . I'm out

 

HEY  CHEROKEE!!!!!...:)..<3

[AngelaHunter]

On 8/13/2018 at 12:55 AM, Cherokee Rose said:

Guess Tara will be around for a while then.

Oh, good! Whew! Glad to hear that.

 

On 8/15/2018 at 5:53 PM, nodorothyparker said:

LOL.  Despite how hyped Jesus was, the show has never figured out what to do with him or his dumb nickname. 

They never figured out who he was either. He's a pacifist, he's a martial arts expert, he's a killer, a pacifist again - oh, look - he's telling Rick &Co to murder all the Saviors in their sleep, but now he's duking it out, Kung Fu-style, with Morgan so he can save the Saviors, even if that means taking food from the mouths of his own people. Whatever. Good riddance. I'm sorry, but he bored the hell out of me.

[OoohMaggie]

New pictures

Father G now really does look ‘creepy as shit’  Carzekiel look adorable, I just can’t see her living with that hair.

https://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead/extras/the-walking-dead-season-9-first-look-photos#/4

Edited August 26, 2018 by OoohMaggie

[raven]

1 hour ago, OoohMaggie said:

Carzekiel look adorable,

Aw yeah they do.  I could get behind a Michonne/Carol lead with Ezekiel as co-lead.   I know that's not going to happen though.

[nodorothyparker]

That is adorable.  After all the dick dick dick talk and all the dick measuring we've been subjected to the last two seasons, I'd be down for some real Carol and Michonne female leadership and the pretty boys who love them too.  But since we know Negan isn't going anywhere and Mumbles will be making the big bucks to stick around, yeah, not getting my hopes up.

[peach]

So they're taking a wagon from the Smithsonian or something? 

[TheLovelyAnomaly]

On ‎8‎/‎19‎/‎2018 at 10:33 AM, Smad said:

Clearly something has stopped working where Walking Dead is concerned. How else do they explain losing like 10 million viewers over 2 Seasons? But they just go on with the same crap.

Agreed, they do. But honestly, I'm not sure the show can be fixed at this point. I know that probably sounds like a defeatist viewpoint, but in my opinion, quality is more important than quantity. I'd much rather have a high-quality show that lasts just a few seasons than one that drags on until it becomes stagnant, which is what's happened with TWD. Many of the episodes now are simply there for filler, the "story"--I put that word in quotes because I don't think there is much story anymore--has been destroyed due to TPTB's bad decisions, the characters' personalities have gone back and forth so much (Jesus is a prime example) without any logical reason that they aren't really characters anymore, just faces and names.... The show is limping around with no direction in sight, which I think is a clear sign that it's run out of gas and needs to come to an end. As they say, though, money talks. So long as it can be milked, it will be. 

Edited August 26, 2018 by TheLovelyAnomaly

[OoohMaggie]

As thoroughly pissed off with the show as most of us seem to be, i for one am hoping that the year and a half time jump, coupled with ‘The Gimp’ moving on will give the show the ability to reboot itself. They’ve finally accepted that cars won’t start at will after sitting there for a year, and fuel would be rotten even if they did. Crops now have to be grown and animals raised, supply runs are becoming a thing of the past. These things plus the firearm situation, really give them a wealth of new story material to work with, they have the mystery of Georgie and the helicopter to explore, let’s keep it down to Earth, gritty and realistic, show us what life would be like that long after the ZA has swept the planet. If they get it right they can get somewhat back to the show we loved so much, it’s a big load on Ms Kangs shoulders but as doubtful as I am, it is possible, it is also a must do for the show’s future, it won’t survive another ‘all out war’ or Negan fest.

[WalkerTalker]

5 hours ago, OoohMaggie said:

New pictures

Father G now really does look ‘creepy as shit’  Carzekiel look adorable, I just can’t see her living with that hair.

https://www.amc.com/shows/the-walking-dead/extras/the-walking-dead-season-9-first-look-photos#/4

Well, at least Carol and Ezekiel look happy together. Love ain't grand!

3 hours ago, peach said:

So they're taking a wagon from the Smithsonian or something? 

Looks like it is from the second floor of the Alexandria compound. Before the za that was a museum. 

[nodorothyparker]

Seeing those pics close up on the AMC site, I see Eugene finally got a much needed haircut to something at least from this decade and Daryl's supply of the darker Miss Clairol box color hasn't given out yet.  The wagons ho! picture looks like the inside of a museum, where yet again people appear to have been inexplicably pitching tents inside.

[Smad]

3 hours ago, WalkerTalker said:

Well, at least Carol and Ezekiel look happy together. Love ain't grand!

Poor Zeke. Didn't anyone tell him that Carol can't have nice things? And that the few that she had, ended up dead?

Or maybe they surprise us all and this time it's Carol who bites it.

[WalkerTalker]

Just now, Smad said:

Poor Zeke. Didn't anyone tell him that Carol can't have nice things? And that the few that she had, ended up dead?

Or maybe they surprise us all and this time it's Carol who bites it.

 We will be losing Rick and Maggie's characters this season. Carol will be a zombie kill too far. Maybe she gets to play queen for a season. 

[Smad]

12 minutes ago, WalkerTalker said:

 We will be losing Rick and Maggie's characters this season. Carol will be a zombie kill too far. Maybe she gets to play queen for a season. 

They long stopped caring about Carol's character. Or Michonne for that matter. It's all about Tara and Rosita. I wouldn't put it past them to off Carol too. It's not like she gets to do much anyway.

[WalkerTalker]

1 minute ago, Smad said:

They long stopped caring about Carol's character. Or Michonne for that matter. It's all about Tara and Rosita. I wouldn't put it past them to off Carol too. It's not like she gets to do much anyway.

Looks like they will be introducing many new characters, plus seaside. So, hopefully they can kill of some of the new meat. The walkers do have to eat after all, lol. 

[Nashville]

5 hours ago, WalkerTalker said:

Looks like they will be introducing many new characters, plus seaside. So, hopefully they can kill of some of the new meat. The walkers do have to eat after all, lol. 

More like the new people cycle in as the OG cast cycles out - kinda like “ER” in its last half-dozen or so seasons.

[WalkerTalker]

Just now, Nashville said:

More like the new people cycle in as the OG cast cycles out - kinda like “ER” in its last half-dozen or so seasons.

I didn't watch ER, but that sounds about right when you look at it that way. Cycling in , and out of new characters. Keeping the storyline alive. 

[Cherokee Rose]

On ‎8‎/‎24‎/‎2018 at 8:55 PM, jingles13 said:

Say It Sister....This is The Preparation for The End...What they should do is send Morgan Home..with Alicia , Victor and Althea...and Shut ''FEAR'' Down, for Good...and try to find a Viable Storu Line to make people STAY..I mean I Love Daryll, and I'd stay for that kind of Monet. Too...but Rick Was The Hero..everyone tunes in to see what is happening to him , who he will fight next.,, and how he survives..when they killed off Carl, that was the Last Straw...Glen's Death, crippled me, and Andrew made it quite clear then, that it hurt him, Steven had been there from the beginning, he saved him and Lenny saved him,..but Glen was just a kid and endangered his life for Rick, and he never forgot that..that was the kind of relationship they had..so he was really sad over that, and had always wanted to move back to England to be with his wife and kids,..so when they killed off Carl,..he just decided that's it , I'm not waiting around anymore . I'm out

 

HEY  CHEROKEE!!!!!...:)..<3

I know you've been predicting the show's demise for a while, but even then... did you think they'd manage to kill the show so soon? They stole the magic. :( And are trying to have one last hurrah with S9; and then, hoping they can re-build. I don't see how they accomplish that, and I really doubt they need the three-year lease for their new set. There's part of me that just wants to be "out" like you. But I remember Cyndi always saying she'd stay to see what happened with the main group. I can't blame AL. He was truly appalled when they killed Carl. Lauren's leaving now. Michonne's probably not far behind. Why make a sacrifice and be away from your family so much for a show that is racing into self-destruction? And, how do you keep quality actors, when you're so bent on destroying the show. Gimple should've never been allowed within a continent ( a solar system!) of the show! lol. It's a shame... it didn't need to be this way. I hope for better, but.....

 

HEY JINGLES!!!! :) :)

 

On ‎8‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 6:13 PM, raven said:

Lydia has been cast

I don't read the comics, but see things online. Lydia is a key character in the comics.

[Smad]

3 hours ago, Cherokee Rose said:

I don't read the comics, but see things online. Lydia is a key character in the comics.

And her and Carl had a major storyline. Oops...

Edited August 27, 2018 by Smad

[Morrigan2575]

14 hours ago, Smad said:

Poor Zeke. Didn't anyone tell him that Carol can't have nice things? And that the few that she had, ended up dead?

Or maybe they surprise us all and this time it's Carol who bites it.

First thought after seeing how cute they look in that picture. Dead Man Walking! ?

[OoohMaggie]

21 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

where yet again people appear to have been inexplicably pitching tents inside.

Yeah, why bother with the multitude of luxury apartments and houses in the vicinity, a cold, hard tiled floor is preferable to  a king size bed, still at least the canvas would have kept them dry if it had rained inside.

Edited August 27, 2018 by OoohMaggie

[OoohMaggie]

18 hours ago, Smad said:

Poor Zeke. Didn't anyone tell him that Carol can't have nice things?

Happiness isn’t allowed in the ZA, I feel his days are numbered, the same for Jerry and what’s her name, only sadness lies ahead.

[nodorothyparker]

And another new baddie joins the cast, the former Opie from Sons of Anarchy.  I still know almost nothing about who these people are supposed to be and admit I'm having a hard time caring enough to google it when we haven't even gotten any real resolution to get the last big bad off the canvas.

'The Walking Dead' Casts Former 'Sons of Anarchy' Star Ryan Hurst as Beta

[CrazyDog]

Ooh, I like Ryan Hurst. He was fantastic in SOA. I know a little of Beta, and I can see him in the role. He's pretty talented, I think.

[rab01]

Why is anyone excited by the "mystery" of the helicopter?  I don't see any sensible way it fits into the universe we've been shown so I'm pretty certain that it's going to be either laughably stupid, totally inconsequential or both.

I'd like to have something to look forward to so please hit me with your theories that explain why someone running it would care about Jadis and what interesting group they could represent

[catrox14]

12 minutes ago, rab01 said:

Why is anyone excited by the "mystery" of the helicopter?  I don't see any sensible way it fits into the universe we've been shown so I'm pretty certain that it's going to be either laughably stupid, totally inconsequential or both.

They'll probably just have it crash so the reason for it's existence is never addressed or meaningful.

[Gobi]

21 minutes ago, rab01 said:

Why is anyone excited by the "mystery" of the helicopter?  I don't see any sensible way it fits into the universe we've been shown so I'm pretty certain that it's going to be either laughably stupid, totally inconsequential or both.

I'd like to have something to look forward to so please hit me with your theories that explain why someone running it would care about Jadis and what interesting group they could represent

While CDB has been wandering around to no discernible purpose, the rest of the country has been rebuilding the economy. Money has been replaced by something of greater value - junkyard sculptures and artwork, with Jadis presiding over a virtual Fort Knox. Helicopters travel to her,  bringing supplies in return for her artistic endeavors. Jadis is the very heart of the post-za economy. 

[Ohwell]

1 hour ago, CrazyDog said:

Ooh, I like Ryan Hurst. He was fantastic in SOA. I know a little of Beta, and I can see him in the role. He's pretty talented, I think.

I also think he's talented and is a good addition to the cast.  In addition to SOA, I remember him in Bates Motel and the short-lived Outsiders.  

As for male cast members, I'd rather see more of him than Darryl or Eugene.  

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I also think he's talented and is a good addition to the cast.  In addition to SOA, I remember him in Bates Motel and the short-lived Outsiders.  

As for male cast members, I'd rather see more of him than Darryl or Eugene.  

Cutting loose from the graphic novel canon does allow for more flexibility and exploration on new character development - assuming, of course, TPTB actually take time to develop them....

[peach]

41 minutes ago, Nashville said:

Cutting loose from the graphic novel canon does allow for more flexibility and exploration on new character development - assuming, of course, TPTB actually take time to develop them....

Well, they couldn't develop characters that they HAVE source material for, so I doubt writing one from scratch will be any better.

[Anela]

7 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

And another new baddie joins the cast, the former Opie from Sons of Anarchy.  I still know almost nothing about who these people are supposed to be and admit I'm having a hard time caring enough to google it when we haven't even gotten any real resolution to get the last big bad off the canvas.

'The Walking Dead' Casts Former 'Sons of Anarchy' Star Ryan Hurst as Beta

I liked him in Bates Motel, and I think he played Alison's brother on Medium, too. 

[LydiaMoon1]

On 8/27/2018 at 6:04 PM, CrazyDog said:

Ooh, I like Ryan Hurst. He was fantastic in SOA. I know a little of Beta, and I can see him in the role. He's pretty talented, I think.

 

On 8/27/2018 at 7:47 PM, Ohwell said:

I also think he's talented and is a good addition to the cast.  In addition to SOA, I remember him in Bates Motel and the short-lived Outsiders.  

As for male cast members, I'd rather see more of him than Darryl or Eugene.  

 

On 8/27/2018 at 9:10 PM, Nashville said:

Cutting loose from the graphic novel canon does allow for more flexibility and exploration on new character development - assuming, of course, TPTB actually take time to develop them....

 

On 8/27/2018 at 9:53 PM, peach said:

Well, they couldn't develop characters that they HAVE source material for, so I doubt writing one from scratch will be any better.

I agree with all of the above. I like Ryan Hurst too. He's got some talent, but he can't elevate bad material. So the question is? How well is the show going to develop his character and how well will they translate the Whisperer storyline to the small screen?  I'm not hopeful. With all of these new cast announcements adding to an already bloated cast, I kinda fell like TPTB are throwing a bunch of bodies (sometimes big bodies in the case of Ryan Hurst) at a wall and hoping someone sticks.

Edited August 29, 2018 by LydiaMoon1
ETA: Because my first draft sounded more positive towards the show than I actually feel.

[tv echo]

Ask Ausiello: Spoilers on Good Place, Empire, 9-1-1, Lucifer, The Flash, Supernatural, NCIS, TWD and More
By Michael Ausiello / August 29 2018, 9:48 AM PDT
https://tvline.com/2018/08/29/empire-season-5-spoilers-time-jump/

Quote

Question: Hate that The Walking Dead is losing Rick. Should I still watch anymore? — Vic
Ausiello: If you’re a fan of Danai Gurira’s Michonne, you should. During the AMC drama’s Season 9 (which kicks off Sunday, Oct. 7, with an 18-month time jump), the katana-wielding heroine “rises to a position of power,” new showrunner Angela Kang recently previewed for TVLine. And though we have a feeling her boyfriend won’t be getting a happy ending, the EP promised that it would be “fun seeing where Michonne goes this season.”

Edited August 29, 2018 by tv echo

[peach]

Quote

the EP promised that it would be “fun seeing where Michonne goes this season.”

It was super fun watching her lose Carl.  Just wait for the fun of her losing her mate.  SO.MUCH.FUN.

[Gobi]

46 minutes ago, peach said:

It was super fun watching her lose Carl.  Just wait for the fun of her losing her mate.  SO.MUCH.FUN.

It's always fun to see someone lose a family twice.

[peach]

Just now, Gobi said:

It's always fun to see someone lose a family twice.

As long as there's GURL POWERRRR, who cares?!