Spoilers and Speculation

[peach]

7 hours ago, Anela said:

Oh no. The man who murdered her husband, and wanted to have her as his newest rape victim? 

🙂

That was 100% sarcasm.  By the time this show brings her back, everyone she ever knew will be dead.  Except for Negan, of course.  Then Show would make them inexplicable leaders of a bunch of randoms.

[Anela]

5 hours ago, peach said:

That was 100% sarcasm.  By the time this show brings her back, everyone she ever knew will be dead.  Except for Negan, of course.  Then Show would make them inexplicable leaders of a bunch of randoms.

I know. It's just that they might actually do that, and think it's a wonderful story of love and redemption.

[OoohMaggie]

[nodorothyparker]

I don't know what's more aggravating, yet another fight scene shot in near blackness or the funky soundtrack that I first thought had to be somebody's idea of an ironically funny overdub.

[raven]

I was waiting for the zombies to break out and boogie.

[nodorothyparker]

Oh hell, why? Just why?  Why is Henry such a lovestruck dumbass for a worm-eating girl he just met?

From TSDF Army: Spoiler Q&A for S09E11 Bounty

Quote

1. In the opening minutes, we see a flashback of Carol and Ezekiel meeting Jesus and Tara in a clearing. Do we see any other flashbacks in that time period?

This is the only one.

NOTE: For the unlucky souls who didn't get to see the opening minutes scene before the copyright gods got to it, we'll hit the highlights.

The scene is a flashback and takes place in a clearing sometime in the middle of the 6 year time gap. Carol, Ezekiel and Jerry are waiting there for Jesus (HE HAS RISEN!) and Tara to arrive. Jerry announces that he and Nabila are...preggers, preggo, up the pole, bunzed up (you get the point). When Tara & Jesus arrive, Tara delivers some kind of joint community Charter document (think Constitution). Ezekiel is very proud to have this and treats it reverently, saying he'll take care of it. In a very cryptic way, Tara announces that she took it from Michonne's house because it was "gathering dust" as well as took some medication. She declares she has left Alexandria for good. All this tells us is that something gnarly went down and Michonne clearly has lost some best friends over it. But of course, this three-minute snippet leaves us with more questions than answers. At least we get to see Lord Man Bun again."

2. What is the "unique item" the Kingdom is searching for?

A movie projector bulb so they can show movies at the fair. They find the bulb, but don’t make it back to the Kingdom yet in this episode.

3. Does the Kingdom group encounter any Whisperers?

No.

4. What happens during the hostage exchange at the Hilltop?

Alpha agrees to return Alden and Luke in exchange for Lydia. Initially, Henry tries to flee with Lydia and hide her, but Addy tells Daryl she knows where Henry probably went. It's the same shack Henry got wasted with those other teenagers in 9A. They find Henry, and Lydia agrees to go back. Alpha keeps her word and returns both Alden and Luke without incident.

5. Does Lydia go back with Alpha? Does she willingly go back or does she want to stay?

She wants to stay, but she goes back willingly because she knows her mother will kill Alden and Luke if she doesn't.

6. What happens with the Whisperer baby?

Walkers show up and there is baby among the Whisperers who crying and calling attention to them. Alpha directs the mother to put the baby on the ground and let the walkers have her. She does and Connie runs out from the cornfield to save the baby. Connie runs back into the cornfield and is nearly bitten until Daryl, Kelly, and others come to her rescue.

7. Do Luke and Alden make it out of the episode alive?

Yes

8. What is Henry's reaction to Lydia going back to Alpha?

He takes off in the middle of the night to find her. Poor hormonal, pubescent, Henry.

9. How does the episode end?

It ends with Daryl and Connie leaving with Dog to find Henry.

BONUS:

Alpha welcomes Lydia back with a slap in the face when she dares to say, “Hey, mom.” Unacceptable. Mommy Dearest expects Lydia to address her as Alpha.

*EDIT* BONUS II:

- Tammy and Earl adopt the Whisperer baby.

- Lydia kisses Henry before she leaves. (No eyeball licking)

[Mr. Sparkle]

Honestly, this sounds so boring that I might not even watch it live. 

[AngelaHunter]

On 2/22/2019 at 6:36 AM, nodorothyparker said:

Oh hell, why? Just why?  Why is Henry such a lovestruck dumbass for a worm-eating girl he just met?

Because he's a teenaged boy with a perma-woody. No other reason needed.

[mightysparrow]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

Honestly, this sounds so boring that I might not even watch it live. 

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences must have a hand in this.  There was a time when The Walking Dead was competition for the Oscars. 

Edited to add:  Who are Tammy and Earl?

Edited February 23, 2019 by mightysparrow

[Kdawg82]

13 minutes ago, mightysparrow said:

There was a time when The Walking Dead was competition for the Oscars. 

True. But you could either watch a herd or watch a different kind of herd. At this point it's just how invested in fashion I am or not. Eeeeehhh... I'll still pick TWD. 

Edited February 23, 2019 by Kdawg82

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 hours ago, mightysparrow said:

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences must have a hand in this.  There was a time when The Walking Dead was competition for the Oscars. 

Edited to add:  Who are Tammy and Earl?

If I'm not mistaken, Tammy and Earl are the older couple who lost their son when he was trying to save the horses. Tammy is played by Brett Butler. 

I don't usually watch the Oscars. I might watch the beginning to see Queen open the show, but I haven't seen most of the movies nominated this year. 

[OoohMaggie]

Another one on the way out?

https://comicbook.com/thewalkingdead/2019/02/23/the-walking-dead-spoilers-losing-another-character-big-death-enid-katelyn-nacon/

[Anela]

They eat worms? 😕

[OoohMaggie]

16 hours ago, Superclam said:

If I'm not mistaken, Tammy and Earl are the older couple who lost their son when he was trying to save the horses.

Poor Ken, he lived fast and died young, he perished so we could watch Gregory swinging and kicking his last moments of life away, a worthy cause to die for if ever there was one  🐴 

[OoohMaggie]

52 minutes ago, Anela said:

They eat worms? 😕

Apart from the wriggling, I can’t see how it’s any different to a nice bowl of Chow Mein 🍜 Mm mmm

[AngelaHunter]

2 hours ago, OoohMaggie said:

Apart from the wriggling, I can’t see how it’s any different to a nice bowl of Chow Mein 🍜 Mm mmm

Apart from the heavy slimecoat and the bacteria, parasites and possibly pesticides they may harbour, no different I guess. But Daryl needn't worry about parasites, of course. 😅

[OoohMaggie]

11 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

Apart from the heavy slimecoat and the bacteria, parasites and possibly pesticides they may harbour, no different I guess.

You haven’t tried my Chinese take away!  🤢

Edited February 25, 2019 by OoohMaggie

[OoohMaggie]

Edited February 25, 2019 by OoohMaggie

[Mu Shu]

The big whisper idiot looks like Chewbacca.  Man, this was a bad idea.  They just look like morons in the daylight.  

[Nashville]

2 hours ago, Mu Shu said:

The big whisper idiot looks like Chewbacca.  Man, this was a bad idea.  They just look like morons in the daylight.  

I feel for the actors having to wear that shit.

[nodorothyparker]

It doesn't even make any sense to see them sitting around like that still in full getup.  If it was camouflage for when they're out on the move, that would sort of be one thing.  But this just looks terrible in broad daylight.

You know those mask have to smell just lovely up against your face.

[Nashville]

3 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

You know those mask have to smell just lovely up against your face.

...in the summer... in Georgia....  🤢

[Mu Shu]

I’m assuming Negan will redeem himself after vanquishing Slipknot. 

Ugh.  They really are going to force this.

Show is shit without Rick Grimes. 

[mightysparrow]

It's so absurd to see Lydia schlumping around with no 'face' on, while everyone else either as a mask or is a walker.  If they don't need to wear the mask, then why wear one?  And if they do need to wear a mask, then kill Lydia.  And for the love of every single thing that is holy in this world or the next...KILL HENRY.

Edited February 26, 2019 by mightysparrow

[Anela]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-norman-reedus-connie-lauren-ridloff-love-interest-theory-1189031?fbclid=IwAR3OyW2lFaRfhhA6ylUF-tlJ9csmRrK0LPUcy089hqyVYoPzcbb0RHhc0HQ

Speculation that Daryl might be partnered soon. 

[mightysparrow]

11 hours ago, Anela said:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-daryl-dixon-norman-reedus-connie-lauren-ridloff-love-interest-theory-1189031?fbclid=IwAR3OyW2lFaRfhhA6ylUF-tlJ9csmRrK0LPUcy089hqyVYoPzcbb0RHhc0HQ

Speculation that Daryl might be partnered soon. 

My spidey senses were tingling too.  There was definitely a hint of 'chem test' in the air.

I think it could work.  Having a partner that didn't communicate verbally would be perfect for our Daryl.  Connie showed her spirit and her heart when she rescued that baby.  Someone like Daryl who is so willing to do anything for the weak and helpless would definitely be moved by that.  It doesn't hurt that she's lovely, so Norman will be on board!

I'm already feeling sorry for the actress who plays Connie.  A ton of shit is going to come down on her head.  I hope she's ready for it.

[Anela]

1 hour ago, mightysparrow said:

My spidey senses were tingling too.  There was definitely a hint of 'chem test' in the air.

I think it could work.  Having a partner that didn't communicate verbally would be perfect for our Daryl.  Connie showed her spirit and her heart when she rescued that baby.  Someone like Daryl who is so willing to do anything for the weak and helpless would definitely be moved by that.  It doesn't hurt that she's lovely, so Norman will be on board!

I'm already feeling sorry for the actress who plays Connie.  A ton of shit is going to come down on her head.  I hope she's ready for it.

Oh, it already aired? I put it here, because I thought it contained spoilers. 

[OoohMaggie]

Ep 12 Promo’s

She might live on worms, but she’s got a lovely custom holster for that sawn off, so Negan did walk voluntarily back into that cell, or did Judith just bounce him off the walls like Maggie?

Edited February 26, 2019 by OoohMaggie

[mightysparrow]

2 hours ago, OoohMaggie said:

I hope Michonne isn't there to empty Negan's bedpan because I will RIOT.

[peach]

Maybe the Negan scene is another flashback.

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, peach said:

Maybe the Negan scene is another flashback.

That thought had crossed my mind as well; wasn’t Negan’s hair grayer -and thinner - when he escaped?

[Mu Shu]

Oh my god.  How embarrassed is that Sons of Anarchy guy, all dressed up like Chewbacca.

he looks like a damn fool. 

For a show set in the south, they seem to hire a lot of British actors to mangle southern accents.  At least they said what the fuck with Jadis and let her have her own stupid dialect. 

Ah doan lawwkk Elpha or huh dawwtaww.  

Edited February 27, 2019 by Mu Shu

[AngelaHunter]

On 2/26/2019 at 10:13 PM, Mu Shu said:

Oh my god.  How embarrassed is that Sons of Anarchy guy, all dressed up like Chewbacca.

That's him? Gee, didn't Zach McGowan warn him about taking a gig on this show? But I guess when you have bills to pay...

[nodorothyparker]

From TSDF Army for S09E12 Guardians:

Quote

1. How does the episode begin?

It opens with Alpha drilling Lydia about what happened at the Hilltop and what she learned about them. Lydia lies about most of it. Specifically, she says the Hilltop doesn’t have many guns, and that there's no trade. Lydia doesn’t mention the Kingdom or Henry.

2. What happens with Henry when he is caught?

He is taken back to the Whisperer camp and tied up. Back at the camp, Lydia punches Henry to conceal her association with him. Alpha doesn’t seem to buy it, and she orders Lydia to kill Henry. Luckily they get interrupted by a herd.

3. What does Michonne decide to do knowing about the danger they are facing?

At first, Michonne wants to isolate Alexandria more than ever and is more adamant about not participating in the fair. However, at the end of the episode, she finally decides to let the people vote on the issue again and promises not to veto their decision. We see a group leaving with food and supplies for the fair. So we assume Alexandria voted in favor of the fair.

4. What do Negan and Michonne talk about?

About how he could help her lead Alexandria. He mentions that he knows her leadership is slipping away, and that's when Michonne learns about the window and his eavesdropping. Because of this, Michonne orders that the window be closed up.

5. Does Father Gabriel find out about Rosita’s pregnancy? What is his reaction?

Yes, apparently he already knew by the start of the episode. At first, he wants to break things off with Rosita. However, it is actually Eugene who convinces Father G to stick with the relationship.

6. Are Judith and RJ in this episode?

Yes, but you only see RJ asleep in his bed. Michonne also confronts Judith about talking to Negan and tells her not to do it again.

7. Is there any conflict among the Whisperers?

Yes. One Whisperer and his girlfriend try to challenge Alpha. The man says Alpha broke her own rules just for her daughter, which in turn put the entire group in danger. This doesn't go well, and Alpha ends up beheading the woman with a wire, while Beta stabs the man to death. Beta places the wire around her neck. There’s some uncertainty at the moment whether he is actually the one to do the beheading. It might actually be Alpha.

8. Does anyone die? If so, who and how?

Yes. The two Whisperers that are executed, and a whole bunch of other Whisperers at the very end when their camp is overrun by walkers.

9. How does the episode end?

The bodies of the two Whisperers that were executed are taken out to a clearing and are fed to a small herd. Daryl and Connie witness this. We learn at the very end that Daryl and Connie followed them and led that herd right to the Whisperer camp. Daryl wears a Whisperer mask while he’s leading the herd to the camp. (Source didn't clarify if Connie was wearing one or not.) Lots Whisperers are killed, and they rescue Henry. Lydia also leaves with them after Henry refuses to leave without her.

So Daryl does understand just fine that the Whisperer shtick makes it possible to lead walkers.  Not even going to get into the inevitable questions about where he and Connie just happened to come up with a couple of Slipknot masks of their own or how they apparently had enough foresight to pack them when they bolted out of Hilltop.

[mightysparrow]

19 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

From TSDF Army for S09E12 Guardians:

So Daryl does understand just fine that the Whisperer shtick makes it possible to lead walkers.  Not even going to get into the inevitable questions about where he and Connie just happened to come up with a couple of Slipknot masks of their own or how they apparently had enough foresight to pack them when they bolted out of Hilltop.

This sounds so lame.  Why do they think we care enough about Rosita's pregnancy to waste precious air time?  I happen to like Rosita but I'm tired of her being defined by the men she's sleeping with.   In fact, I'm tired of MOST of the women on this show being defined by the men they're fucking.  This type of thinking destroyed Michonne. 

Rick is dead and gone and we're supposed to believe that Michonne is still standing by her man to the point that she's risking the lives of friends and family who happen to still be alive.  Michonne knew better than just about anybody in the ZA how misguided Rick's leadership was, so it doesn't make any sense for her to be following in his footsteps.  Michonne lost her beloved Peanut and it almost broke her.  She would never risk the lives of Judith and RJ for this nonsense. 

Michonne is a well-educated, SMART woman, who was capable of creating a charter for the communities to live by.  Why would Michonne turn around and destroy everything that she had built her hopes and dreams on?  It makes no sense at all.  I know it's linked to whatever it was that happened between her and Daryl, but I also know that when we do find out, it's not going to justify all of this bullshit.

I can't believe that Daryl and Connie are going to waste so much time and risk their lives on that hateful, horrible spoiled brat who doesn't give a damn about anybody but himself.  Why doesn't somebody head over to the Kingdom and tell Queen Carol to stop swanning around with her nose in the air and go out and HANDLE HER BUSINESS.  Henry is her kid; she should be doing the heavy lifting when it comes to that miserable waste of air.

Edited March 1, 2019 by mightysparrow

[peach]

15 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

4. What do Negan and Michonne talk about?

About how he could help her lead Alexandria. He mentions that he knows her leadership is slipping away, and that's when Michonne learns about the window and his eavesdropping. Because of this, Michonne orders that the window be closed up.

....Seriously?  Michonne doesn't know that Negan can hear through windows?  This show would be bad even for the Chiller network.
 

1 hour ago, mightysparrow said:

I know it's linked to whatever it was that happened between her and Daryl, but I also know that when we do find out, it's not going to justify all of this bullshit.

No doubt about it.

[Mu Shu]

So good news.  If most of the whispers got murked, that means their time  will be short lived.  

I like Connie with Daryl.  In fact I like all of Connie’s group.  Maybe they will make the woman with the bow leader of hilltop instead of that idiot Tara.  And that chubby guy is sexy. 

[AngelaHunter]

On 2/25/2019 at 5:07 PM, Mu Shu said:

Show is shit without Rick Grimes. 

I hate to say it, but show ended up shit even with Rick Grimes. "I'm gonna kill you" x 10 = "I'm gonna shoot out your windows and then we can play Roadrunner and Coyote until I can get the hell off this shit show. Good luck."

[SimoneS]

I enjoyed the last episode and the summary for the upcoming one sounds good. 

I am totally rooting for Daryl and Connie to be together. She is the first woman that I can see him with romantically. They have a little something going on and seems that the show is going to build on it.

The pikes are definitely happening with the Alexandrians heading to the fair. I think that Gabriel is a goner now that he is willing to raise Rosita's baby with Siddiq.

Gawd, I can't believe that Michonne won't just kill Negan.

Edited March 2, 2019 by SimoneS

[Nashville]

14 hours ago, mightysparrow said:

Why doesn't somebody head over to the Kingdom and tell Queen Carol to stop swanning around with her nose in the air and go out and HANDLE HER BUSINESS.  Henry is her kid; she should be doing the heavy lifting when it comes to that miserable waste of air.

I beg to differ.  This isn’t the Postmillennial Era, where a parent’s biggest hassle is getting their twentysomething off their smartphone long enough to get a job and resolve their failure to launch.  This is the Zombie Motherfucking Apocalypse - and in it the kids better grow up fast and pull their own weight, or they endanger themselves and others.  By this show’s current societal standards (which in many ways mirror agrarian America of the late 1800s/early 1900s), Henry isn’t some wayward youth to be dragged around by his ear; he’s an adult - expected to earn a living, be responsible for his own decisions, and accept their consequences.  Managing Henry is Henry’s business, not Carol’s.

[AngelaHunter]

8 hours ago, Nashville said:

This isn’t the Postmillennial Era, where a parent’s biggest hassle is getting their twentysomething off their smartphone long enough to get a job and resolve their failure to launch..... Managing Henry is Henry’s business, not Carol’s.

 

Heh. You mean "thirtysomething" these days.

Anyway, when Carol sent the annoying lad off for his apprenticeship (in which he engaged for about 10 minutes until he got jealous over Enid and went off in a huff) she secured the promise that someone would take "good care" of him. I see why she worried. The boy is slow. Yes, he's a replacement for Carl, but TPTB got confused and are making him act like Carl when Carl was 10 - sassing the adults, sulking, running off and getting into mischief but even Carl didn't get drunk.  Watching Henry's hormonal acting out is more boring than I imagined anything could be on this show.

[OoohMaggie]

Edited March 4, 2019 by OoohMaggie

[mightysparrow]

Based on these sneak peeks it looks like good, USEFUL people are going to be risking their lives because of that snotty, ENTITLED little shit, Henry.  Over LYDIA????  What kind of deep fried fuckery is that?   When is somebody, ANYBODY going to frag that little punk and call it a day? His parents need to step up and get their spawn in check or is that where he gets his attitude from?  Maybe Michonne is right not to want anything to do with the other communities although she's got childcare issues of her own.  One would think that ensuring your child had self-discipline would be a top priority in the ZA.

[nodorothyparker]

I'm mostly curious what exactly has happened at the Kingdom that they're doing so poorly.  This is a community that was doing fairly well for itself even under the thumb of the Saviors and paying regular tribute to them.  I know a lot of their fighting force was killed during Rick's big all out war, for which Rick barely managed to give a damn, and a lot was burned afterward but they were shown to be working full bore on rebuilding during the first time jump at the beginning of the season.  That aging parts were breaking down and in need of repair was the entire pretext for sending Henry to Hilltop to learn blacksmithing in the first place.  True, he's been too busy running around like a numbskull to learn anything let alone go back and fix anything, yet now they're also struggling to feed themselves or keep the place going?

Also amused that Carol apparently never bothered to mention to Zeke or anyone else her firestarter extracurriculars with the runaway Saviors.  They're all puzzling whether they wrote the threatening note and she's just sitting there demurring "nope, can't be them."

[mightysparrow]

21 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

I'm mostly curious what exactly has happened at the Kingdom that they're doing so poorly.  This is a community that was doing fairly well for itself even under the thumb of the Saviors and paying regular tribute to them.  I know a lot of their fighting force was killed during Rick's big all out war, for which Rick barely managed to give a damn, and a lot was burned afterward but they were shown to be working full bore on rebuilding during the first time jump at the beginning of the season.  That aging parts were breaking down and in need of repair was the entire pretext for sending Henry to Hilltop to learn blacksmithing in the first place.  True, he's been too busy running around like a numbskull to learn anything let alone go back and fix anything, yet now they're also struggling to feed themselves or keep the place going?

Also amused that Carol apparently never bothered to mention to Zeke or anyone else her firestarter extracurriculars with the runaway Saviors.  They're all puzzling whether they wrote the threatening note and she's just sitting there demurring "nope, can't be them."

You're right. Before Rick appeared like a Biblical plague, the Kingdom WAS doing okay.  Now they're starving and the King is more concerned with movie night. 

If the purpose of the Fair is to bail the Kingdom out, not bring the communities together, I can see why Michonne would be reluctant, especially if Kingdom leadership has its head up its ass.

[nodorothyparker]

Without knowing what exactly the issue is, I'm not willing yet to say Zeke has his head up his ass or even that he's prioritizing wrong.  We know Zeke has always been a quality of life issues kind of leader in that how they're living is just as important as just living to him.  We were already told at the beginning of the season that anything within reasonable distance that could be scavenged has already been scavenged, so it's unlikely that it's only an issue of ranking projector bulbs above canned goods, and there's only so much sitting around watching crops grow you can do on any given day.  I'm actually interested in the nuts and bolts of what's going wrong.

Michonne listed that they're relatively isolated and that the surrounding roads are in bad shape as reasons for wanting to skip the fair.  This is where it would be helpful yet again to have any idea where any of these communities are in relation to each other and whether that's a factor.   Has trade completely broken down since Rick trap trap trapped off that bridge?  But yeah, while I'm sure the Kingdom crew prefer not being under the Saviors' thumb, they did bear much of the brunt of signing up with Rick just as they rightly feared they would.

[mightysparrow]

@nodorothyparker the biggest problem is we don't know. Before the time jump, Alexandria was starving and the Kingdom was not only supporting itself, it was paying tribute to Negan. What happened to flip the script?

I thought the search for the projector bulb was ridiculous.  The King is about THEATRE. Why would he have his people sitting on their asses watching movies when they could be busy building sets, learning lines and making costumes.  THAT would keep them occupied. There's a scene in 'Reign of Fire' (Christian Bale) where the adults act out The Empire Strikes Back for the  children. Its brilliant!

I understand that the Kingdom was gutted when most of the warriors were killed off, thanks to Rick.  But it's been six years, and people like Jerry should have more than comic relief to offer.

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, mightysparrow said:

You're right. Before Rick appeared like a Biblical plague, the Kingdom WAS doing okay.  Now they're starving

17 minutes ago, mightysparrow said:

Before the time jump, Alexandria was starving and the Kingdom was not only supporting itself, it was paying tribute to Negan. What happened to flip the script?

The war against the Sanctuary happened.  Remember the Kingdom’s role in that - when Ezekiel unwittingly marched his entire Kingdom force into a Gatling gun ambush?  Out of a group of some 50+ Kingdom combatants,  only Ezekiel and Jerry survived.  What did this mean for the Kingdom?

• By best estimate, the Kingdom at full strength was something like 150 people total - so in that ambush, the Kingdom lost approximately 1/3 of its pre-war population in the space of several seconds.
• These 50+ who died weren’t just soldiers, they were a militia assembled out of the body of the Kingdom citizenry - which also means that physically speaking, they were probably the ablest members of the population.
• The Kingdom’s fighting force appeared to have a healthy mix of both males and females in the 20s-to-40s age range - childbearing and child rearing age - so it’s extremely likely married couples who already had children were members of the fighting force, and died together.

...so in less than a minute, the Kingdom was reduced from a robust community and fighting force, to the physically weakest 2/3 of its population: the very young, the very old, and those who for whatever reason were previously deemed incapable of fighting in the war.  And in addition to picking up and carrying  on the jobs vacated by the deaths of their more physically able (and now deceased) neighbors, these survivors also have an added burden - caring for (dozens?) of instant orphans.  

So yeah, things are going to start sliding downhill.  The slide may not be immediate: the heavy lifting of that year’s planting had already been done, after all, and only required tending and harvesting - plus the tribute deliveries to Sanctuary had ceased, so the Kingdom can keep more of what it produces.  The next year, though, is going to be brutal - and the year after that - and the year after that.  

Plus, I’d be willing to bet that body of now-dead 20s-to-40s Kingdom population contained very close to 100% of the engineering and handyman labor which kept everything in the Kingdom running and in good repair; who’s going to pick up THAT slack now?  The more elderly members of the remaining population may have the know-how, and may in fact have been directing the others in the necessary work - but put a bunch of 50- and 60-somethings up on a roof to do reshingling or other repairs after a storm, and I’ll guarantee you some casualties out of the work party.

So crop yields will get smaller, houses will get leakier and less stable, and vital systems such as electricity and plumbing will break down and not get fixed.  All this will result in increased illness and injury in a weaker and less capable population- so yeah, I can see why the Kingdom is suffering in the long run.  That Gatling gun didn’t just kill a lot of people very quickly; it shot out the heart of the Kingdom community.

[Mu Shu]

Nashville would you accept this rose?

what don’t you know?  You must be a big shot down at the cracker factory.

[nodorothyparker]

Terrific breakdown as to the why of this, @NASHVILLE.  I've always had a super soft spot for the Kingdom crew because they were consistently the one bright spot of decency and irreverence in the utter joylessness that was the entire two YEARS of the Savior storyline, so I'm wanting to give them the benefit of the doubt on the tough road they've had these last 6-8 years.

I'm guessing their situation probably also makes recruitment of new members an uphill battle.  Sure, Alexandria has been closed off as an option for awhile, but the nearby Hilltop appears willing to take pretty much anybody who doesn't look set on immediately killing them.  Hilltop also shows all the signs of doing well and being able to support additional people.  In contrast, the Kingdom lost much of its able-bodied working and fighting force.  It's showing indicators of weakening and decay and did we mention that if you move in you'll probably have to pick up a lot of slack on the physical labor?  Unless you're really really into Ren Faire and community theater, you're probably going to Hilltop the moment they say they'll have you.