S09.E07 Stradivarius

[Nashville]

3 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I thought she was using a knife to cut his hair? 

Yep, Carol was using a knife - and judging from how Daryl was wincing, the knife was overdue for a good sharpening.

 

3 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I was wondering why she didn't have scissors.  But then it occurred to me, if she ever got chased she wouldn't be running with scissors, so she probably left them at home.

<rimshot>

 

3 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

I don't know what kind if snake Daryl killed. Was it poisonous?  He probably wouldn't stick the snake's head in his pocket if it was.

No, the snake wasn’t poisonous; round nose will strike you no blows, but triangle head will leave you dead.

The SFX guys missed a golden opportunity with that snake, though.  A snake is a low-enough class of vertebrate that even if you cut its head clean off, its body will continue moving for upwards of 20-30 minutes afterwards.  When Daryl took the snake’s body off the tree and draped it around his neck I was SO hoping for a visual of the snake’s body continuing to writhe, and was sorely disappointed.

[amazinglybored]

15 minutes ago, hacman00 said:

I think the implication was that Carol set up the whole dog/zombie drama.  They show her hiding in the bushes, bow and arrow at the ready in case things get outta hand.  Daryl mentions that Dog never got caught in a trap before.

Am I correct in assuming that the title refers to both the violin and Carol playing Daryl like a fiddle?  It certainly fits her character history.

 

Yeah, that makes sense. Screw her for betraying Dog and putting him at risk. Unacceptable.... and the people... well, not Henry...

 

You could also say that the talk about building society being what killed off the Neanderthals was the point. Daryl needs to get his ass back to society because you can’t go it alone (common theme with the show) and the communities need to be a more unified society to push out whatever is going on. The violin is broken by Michonne and their communities have some rift going on. Something from before and a symbol of what the guy (who reminds me of Josh Gad who I can’t stand) was talking about got destroyed. Art is a part of people bonding, growing and making a society, which is our strength. The thing is that the Stradivarius is rare, precious and they have no means of repairing or replacing it.

[shirazplease]

Quote

Not too worried about Daryl's dog (yet), apparently Norman's been lobbing for one for awhile so I suspect now that TPTB have given in they're not going to kill it off after just a few episodes.

Cudlitz seemed to indicate on TD that the dog was fine.

[JackONeill]

I hope I can say this here: Cudlitz said he asked his friend C Thomas Howell to appear as a favor. I think it's just a one-shot thing.

37 minutes ago, shirazplease said:

Cudlitz seemed to indicate on TD that the dog was fine.

If an uncooperative actor!

[nodorothyparker]

I like that there's a couple of mysteries going on in this episode even if I don't have the greatest confidence that show can pull them off satisfactorily.  Clearly something happened between Alexandria and Hilltop, or at least between Michonne and Maggie beyond their fight over to kill or not kill Negan that's spilled over onto their entire communities.  I'm not sure how they go about resolving that if Maggie is no longer on the canvas because she's off doing whatever with Georgie Porgie, but it's interesting that it's gone on for awhile and that it's apparently personal enough that it doesn't involve the Kingdom that's trying to play peacemaker.  We also now have the mystery of the X goes where the kidney should be scars on at least two leads.  From the look Carol and Daryl exchanged when Henry asked about Daryl's scars, there's obviously a story there.  Who else has them and why?  Were they attacked by someone else in the six-year jump and that's why Michonne is so closed off to outsiders?  And of course we have all the new behavior from the walkers with Daryl commenting that he's suddenly noticing more of them than he had in awhile.  Unfortunately, given the show's usual structure of making the midseason and season finales all about the Big Spectacle, I don't know how much resolution we'll be getting on any of this until the back half of the season.  

As always, Carol and Daryl have the loveliest chemistry and I was surprised as anyone to find myself not hating that they made Henry a part of it.  Even though she's gone off and made a family for herself, Daryl will always be one of her boys in whatever capacity that means and she was back in the shadows watching over them ready to step in to save the day if need be.   My hunch is that whatever happened to ensnare the dog in the trap is connected to whatever's going on with the walkers as there was a sense throughout the episode of our various groupings being watched.  It feels almost negligent how sheltered Henry has been these last several years considering the dangerous world they all still live in, but I can only assume that was overcompensating on Carol and Ezekiel's part after the much younger version of Henry lost at least his father and brother and then ran amok to run a grown man through.  It's actually not a terribly uncommon thing among people who have lived through horribly traumatizing experiences to want to overprotect their kids.  That she didn't disagree with Daryl saying Henry would have to toughen up and learn the way they did suggests that she at least understands this.

I like that our new people aren't inexplicably yet another group that doesn't know how to fight or survive after years and actually seems quite capable when allowed to prove themselves.   They've all really got to get better about being mindful of protecting their horses now that they're pretty much the only transportation they have.  Hilltop at least is starting to look within the realm of plausibility as a self-sustaining agricultural center.

Also, Siddaq?  Considering that it was your nonsense about "freeing souls" of walkers that got Carl killed pointlessly, maybe don't be invoking his name to try to get the closest thing he had to a mother at the time to do anything.

[Whimsy]

15 hours ago, MrsRafaelBarba said:

Don't care much for C. Thomas Howell, always irked me.

 

4 hours ago, Daltrey said:

It's funny, I didn't see his name but recognized him right away because I've seen him in a bunch of stuff the last two seasons or so. He seems to play antagonists most of the time so my immediate thought was "Hey!...What are you up to or what are you going to get up to down the line, Mr?" lol. Should be interesting; you don't hire a name actor to be a simple gate guard and errand boy.

54 minutes ago, JackONeill said:

I hope I can say this here: Cudlitz said he asked his friend C Thomas Howell to appear as a favor. I think it's just a one-shot thing.

4 hours ago, Lady Iris said:

I saw his name in the credits and was all like woo hoo! Pony Boy! But if it wasn't for this thread I wouldn't have known who he was or played so thank you.

 

I swear if this isn't the truth. My personal theory is that Norman Reedus doesn't want to be the pretty boy hero so he goes the PigPen route to keep the lusty wummin folk in line.

 

I have always loved C. Thomas Howell since 1983.  I embarrassingly watch Secret Admirer about 30 times (I was 13 so give me some slack). I don't find him swoon worthy like I once did, but I still feel he is a real solid actor.  I didn't notice the credits (I never do), so I had no idea he was going to be on this but the second I saw his scraggly face I knew it was him right away.  It helps that he was pretty scraggly when he just did his guest role on MacGyver.  If it wasn't for the Cudlidtz/Southland connection I would've assumed he was going to have a meatier role coming up, too.  But, alas, IMDB also just lists this one episode with his character listed as "Hilltop Resident". 

 

I also subscribe to the theory that Norman Reedus didn't want to be a "heartthrob" (not my cuppa, so I never saw him as that) and has deliberately made himself as gross as possible since like season 2.  Obviously, that is not deterring a lot of people who still find him dreamy.  Go figure. 

[maystone]

6 hours ago, dvil said:

So the Hilltop is music central? Too bad Luke didn't have time to form a Hilltop orchestra to greet Daryl with a live performance of Easy Street.

Oooh, that's cold. Really funny, but cold :)

5 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

So Maggie  and Hershey are now with Georgie.  How did Maggie know where to find Georgie?

Georgie has been keeping in touch with Maggie, and trying to convince her to come with Georgie to help new communities get started. Looks like Maggie finally said yes. Off screen.

4 hours ago, JackONeill said:

Did anyone else notice Daryl, after cutting the head off the snake, put the head in his shirt pocket?

I did, and so did Carol. Did you catch her look? I have no idea what he's going to do with it. One of my uncles lived out on the desert in Arizona. He had a big-ass piece of plywood to which he had attached the rattles off of all of the rattlesnakes he'd killed. Hey, everyone needs a hobby.

2 hours ago, Nashville said:

No, the snake wasn’t poisonous; round nose will strike you no blows, but triangle head will leave you dead.

The SFX guys missed a golden opportunity with that snake, though.  A snake is a low-enough class of vertebrate that even if you cut its head clean off, its body will continue moving for upwards of 20-30 minutes afterwards.  When Daryl took the snake’s body off the tree and draped it around his neck I was SO hoping for a visual of the snake’s body continuing to writhe, and was sorely disappointed.

I'd never heard that little rhyme about snakes before. I grew up in an area that had loads of timber rattlers and copperheads, so we all knew enough to avoid the hell out of them. I wish the Cudlitz had gone with his baser instincts and had the dead snake wriggle, just to watch Henry's reaction if nothing else.

[nodorothyparker]

2 hours ago, Nashville said:

The SFX guys missed a golden opportunity with that snake, though.  A snake is a low-enough class of vertebrate that even if you cut its head clean off, its body will continue moving for upwards of 20-30 minutes afterwards.  When Daryl took the snake’s body off the tree and draped it around his neck I was SO hoping for a visual of the snake’s body continuing to writhe, and was sorely disappointed.

Learning seemingly random stuff like this alone makes these discussions worth it for me.  I like people who know stuff.

[Ohwell]

3 hours ago, Nashville said:

The SFX guys missed a golden opportunity with that snake, though.  A snake is a low-enough class of vertebrate that even if you cut its head clean off, its body will continue moving for upwards of 20-30 minutes afterwards.  When Daryl took the snake’s body off the tree and draped it around his neck I was SO hoping for a visual of the snake’s body continuing to writhe, and was sorely disappointed.

As a kid, I was in a car one time and we accidentally ran over a snake.  I was in the back seat and looked back and saw the snake actually stand up straight before it went down.  I'll never forget that.  I think they called it a coachwhip snake. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

I also subscribe to the theory that Norman Reedus didn't want to be a "heartthrob" (not my cuppa, so I never saw him as that) and has deliberately made himself as gross as possible since like season 2. 

I'd seen him in other stuff prior to TWD, he's always looked pretty scruffy and greasy. Never understood the appeal. You could send him to Vidal Sassoon and put him in James Bond's tuxedo and I'd still find him unattractive.

I'm not warming up to the new people, at all. I really don't think the show needs them. I know the show thinks they need them because of all the other regular characters they have written off (or are about to). But they really don't. There are still plenty of other cast member to focus on and do more with. They've never really done much with Rosita, for example - she always felt like an appendage of Abraham to me. In fact, aside from Michonne and Carol the show usually does a fairly poor job fleshing out the female characters. 

There are already so many recurring and background characters that have been hanging around for about three seasons, so why do we need these newcomers? They feel very tropey and cliched. 

[meep.meep]

4 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

They hired Zach McGowan to have around 3 scenes and say about 5 lines and then get bumped off. That one still puzzles me.

They did the same thing with Brett Butler.  Why?

I actually like the new people.  At least they don't talk idiotically like Eugene.

[Whimsy]

2 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

They did the same thing with Brett Butler.  Why?

I actually like the new people.  At least they don't talk idiotically like Eugene.

Since this show is so popular I think that actors are asking to do small roles just to have fun on the zombie sets. 

[AngelaHunter]

1 hour ago, Whimsy said:

I also subscribe to the theory that Norman Reedus didn't want to be a "heartthrob" (not my cuppa, so I never saw him as that) and has deliberately made himself as gross as possible since like season 2. 

He doesn't? That bitch modeled for Prada and did a bit in a very sexy music video. Anyway, doesn't matter how filthy and gross he is. He still figures in the fantasies of a huge female contingent who finds him irresistible. 

 

18 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

There are already so many recurring and background characters that have been hanging around for about three seasons, so why do we need these newcomers? They feel very tropey and cliched.

Amen. I don't even know the names of people who have been in and out for the last few years. We didn't need a whole new gang of stereotypes.

[JackONeill]

7 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

Since this show is so popular I think that actors are asking to do small roles just to have fun on the zombie sets. 

I fully expect to see a Property Brothers version of TWD. God knows, the houses could use some work.

[mandolin]

This is two in a row I didn't hate. I'm shocked, I tell ya. I didn't care for Dog being trapped or the horses being left alone (really?), but I was glad to check in on so many people that I care about. Well, not Tara, I don't care about her. I am enjoying the new group for the most part, as well. 

Maybe with Rick gone, I don't mind seeing other people since I know I'm not "missing" him, if that makes sense. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by mandolin

[amazinglybored]

18 minutes ago, AngelaHunter said:

He doesn't? That bitch modeled for Prada and did a bit in a very sexy music video. Anyway, doesn't matter how filthy and gross he is. He still figures in the fantasies of a huge female contingent who finds him irresistible. 

 

Yeah, I think he’s more kind of weird than anything like not wanting to be a heartthrob. Not in a stay away from that guy way but he’d probably find it fun to go full mountain man with that character while execs at AMC cry. He clearly put on muscle after season 1 and that at least is a point against avoiding it completely.

 

He does it for me in that dirty hot way fictional characters can be that you wouldn’t irl. Idk. Maybe a therapist will unravel this one day. I still think they’ve taken it too far with him, though.

[GreyBunny]

If they want to kill off more people, I nominate Daryl, Michonne, and Judith. It’s been over seven years since Coral croaked so who cares about any stupid, impractical promises to him, and it’s been six years since Rick disappeared, he’s either dead or can’t be bothered to crawl back to Alexandria so he’s as good as dead so they can stop mooning over him now. As for Judith, I liked her better when she was stacking cups.

Edited November 19, 2018 by GreyBunny

[AngelaHunter]

2 hours ago, amazinglybored said:

He does it for me in that dirty hot way fictional characters can be that you wouldn’t irl. Idk.

Well, he's not a pansy-assed sissy millennial, which these days is my only criteria, and maybe if you don't think too hard about the fact he probably hasn't washed his privates in who knows how long. Personally, since I'm not a 14-year old virgin as it appears most of the fanfic writers are who are so hot for him, I do think about such things and recoil with a  "No way!" Ew. 

[iMonrey]

I just don't understand if Carol was going to cut his hair why she didn't cut it. I mean, he looked basically the same as he did before the haircut. Would Daryl really go "don't take too much off!" if she said she was going to trim that nasty shit? Clearly he's not concerned about how he looks. 

[dvil]

5 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

We also now have the mystery of the X goes where the kidney should be scars on at least two leads.

 Daryl had an additional X and some straight lines. His scars resembled Roman numerals.

For all we know, someone buried treasure inside Michonne and Daryl.

[AngelaHunter]

12 minutes ago, dvil said:

 Daryl had an additional X and some straight lines. His scars resembled Roman numerals.

For all we know, someone buried treasure inside Michonne and Daryl.

I thought maybe those two, in their inconsolable grief, used each other's backs as maps and "X" marks the spot where the Mighty Ricky G. croaked in a blaze of glory.

[nodorothyparker]

26 minutes ago, dvil said:

Daryl had an additional X and some straight lines. His scars resembled Roman numerals.

I forgot about that.  I vaguely remember thinking the straight lines were from the prison season episode where Daryl and Merle go on walkabout as evidence that Daryl had been an abused kid, but now I think you're right that this is an entirely different set of scars.  And I'm really not interested in doing a freeze frame of Daryl's bare back to think any more about it than that.

[amazinglybored]

48 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

I just don't understand if Carol was going to cut his hair why she didn't cut it. I mean, he looked basically the same as he did before the haircut. Would Daryl really go "don't take too much off!" if she said she was going to trim that nasty shit? Clearly he's not concerned about how he looks. 

 

I think it was supposed to be more of her takng care of him than a good haircut. Saying he hadn’t fixed his boat, asking when the last time he at everything was and grooming him. A trim would have been something for her to feel like she was doing something to help. 

 

They may be trying to show depression or obsession. Dude never had any coping skills at the best of times and someone probably should have gotten him after a few months. Maybe the Xs and MvM are related to it.

[FishyJoe]

It really bothers me that they seem to be fabricating everything. There should be a ton of stuff they could use that would more useful than the useless crap they build for themselves. The junkyard alone should have enough supplies to make blacksmithing completely unnecessary. There should be a crap ton of building supplies and tools all over the place. I really don't understand why they decided to become Amish. If I see them blacksmithing nails, I'm done. They can't be that stupid. 

And again, what happened to all their guns??? I thought Eugene was a bullet making genius? If any bad guys show up with guns, they are in big trouble. At this point, guns should be almost as important as food and water. 

[AngelaHunter]

18 minutes ago, amazinglybored said:

I think it was supposed to be more of her takng care of him than a good haircut. Saying he hadn’t fixed his boat, asking when the last time he at everything was and grooming him.

Yes, because Old Wise Woman Carol is like his mommy when she's a few years older than he is. Let's emphasize that, including given her long gray locks to age her further, so fans don't start wanting a hookup again.

[econ07]

So all that had to happen for every major character to survive six years in the ZA was kill Rick?  When Rick was alive, people died at an epic clip.  After he "died," the biggest problem seems to be angst between the communities (again, for six years).

[amazinglybored]

19 minutes ago, AngelaHunter said:

Yes, because Old Wise Woman Carol is like his mommy when she's a few years older than he is. Let's emphasize that, including given her long gray locks to age her further, so fans don't start wanting a hookup again.

 

I didn’t think it was maternal, tbh. She essentially brought her kid over to give him something to do and they’re two of the old guard of characters still around. It would be messed up if no one made sure he hadn’t died every once in awhile and try do something. I’d say it was maternal way back when (she got a child substitute after Sophia and he got a mother figure for a bit) but now they’re friends with a history and a strong bond. Idk why people want it to be romantic. The show would make a disaster of it and they’ve always been better at platonic and familial relationships.

 

I don’t think shippers care either way though. 

 

 

The hair. Idek. I’d expect them to use her short, grey hair to make her sexless but she had Ed the bastard, flirted with Tobin and married Ezekiel. The longer hair looks awful but I’m not sure it’s to make her look older or less likely to hookup (she’s married but whatever, that’s never stopped anyone or the internet). I think someone watched LotR and got inspired more than anything.

[nodorothyparker]

33 minutes ago, econ07 said:

So all that had to happen for every major character to survive six years in the ZA was kill Rick?  When Rick was alive, people died at an epic clip.  After he "died," the biggest problem seems to be angst between the communities (again, for six years).

It doesn't really speak well for Rick's leadership, does it?  Or maybe it says something about what a disaster CBD were for each other as well as nearly every group they ran across when they were all together.  Dispersed among a couple of communities in small numbers they mostly seem to be doing well for themselves.

[Ohwell]

I hadn't watched this since Rick left (not that I'm sad about it) but I did a drive by last night for the last 20 minutes or so. 

WTF is up with the hair?  I didn't think it was possible for Michonne's 'do to be any worse but, by god, it is.  And Carol looks like some old witch lady.  Darryl is so disgusting, I can't even say anymore.

I don't care about the new people at all.   I would like for Jesus and Aaron to hook up though.

I'm pretty much done with the show but I'll do another drive by sometime later, just to see if the hairstyles have improved.  I doubt it.  

[econ07]

15 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

It doesn't really speak well for Rick's leadership, does it?  Or maybe it says something about what a disaster CBD were for each other as well as nearly every group they ran across when they were all together.  Dispersed among a couple of communities in small numbers they mostly seem to be doing well for themselves.

No ... I think he would be fired if he had to go through a corporate performance appraisal.  

You would think the writers would have killed off a couple more characters at least, and then fill in the details with flashbacks.  Doesn't seem realistic to not lose anyone.

[Daltrey]

9 hours ago, AngelaHunter said:

They hired Zach McGowan to have around 3 scenes and say about 5 lines and then get bumped off. That one still puzzles me.

Touche...I'd already forgotten about him, lol. It's a good point but at least he was somewhat crucial to the plot development. Sounds like this is just a one off because he's buddies with Micheal Cudlitz.... Too bad, he would make a decent, nuanced villain, I think.

Quote

They did the same thing with Brett Butler.  Why?

I actually like the new people.  At least they don't talk idiotically like Eugene.

Since this show is so popular I think that actors are asking to do small roles just to have fun on the zombie sets. 

It was a small role as well, but again, integral to plot progression. I forget who played her husband but he's had a fairly established career as well, and we didn't see them die so they could return.

This last statement could very well be the answer to the mystery; they take a small role just to say they were on it and have the experience. Maybe Zack was a fan and just wanted the opportunity to play a zombie.

[oakville]

1 hour ago, nodorothyparker said:

It doesn't really speak well for Rick's leadership, does it?  Or maybe it says something about what a disaster CBD were for each other as well as nearly every group they ran across when they were all together.  Dispersed among a couple of communities in small numbers they mostly seem to be doing well for themselves.

Rick has been a bad leader since the Prison years. His biggest mistake was trying to lead he herd of walkers out of the quarry and through Alexandria. He also screwed up in dealing with Negan.

[Colorado David]

Daryl is a resourceful guy, i can't believe he can't come up with a better place to live than just an open campsite. I'd figure he have an elaborate treehouse setup by now, complete with improvised vines for swinging away if necessary. and of course elaborate traps on the ground for dispatching walkers, or flinging them away (see the game Orcs Must Die 2 for trap concepts.)

Edited November 20, 2018 by Colorado David

[maystone]

5 minutes ago, Colorado David said:

Daryl is a resourceful guy, i can't believe he can't come up with a better place to live than just an open campsite. I'd figure he have an elaborate treehouse setup by now, complete with improvised vines for swinging away if necessary.

Daryl was in a depression because of Rick's death. If I want to go all armchair psychologist on it, I'd say there's a certain amount of survivor's guilt. He left right after the explosion to hunt for Rick's body, then kept looking for months, then just never went back. I think Dog has helped, and connecting with Carol has helped.

[Lakebum]

12 hours ago, Nashville said:

Yep, Carol was using a knife - and judging from how Daryl was wincing, the knife was overdue for a good sharpening.

 

<rimshot>

 

No, the snake wasn’t poisonous; round nose will strike you no blows, but triangle head will leave you dead.

The SFX guys missed a golden opportunity with that snake, though.  A snake is a low-enough class of vertebrate that even if you cut its head clean off, its body will continue moving for upwards of 20-30 minutes afterwards.  When Daryl took the snake’s body off the tree and draped it around his neck I was SO hoping for a visual of the snake’s body continuing to writhe, and was sorely disappointed.

Correct that it was a non-venomous Snake (looked like a Black Racer, acted more like an Eastern Rat Snake) but that rhyme --like most snake-related rhymes --is NOT reliable. 

For the sake of their meal, I hope it was a rat snake; that would be much meatier than a racer. 

[amazinglybored]

2 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

It doesn't really speak well for Rick's leadership, does it?  Or maybe it says something about what a disaster CBD were for each other as well as nearly every group they ran across when they were all together.  Dispersed among a couple of communities in small numbers they mostly seem to be doing well for themselves.

 

Rick wasn’t a great leader or even a good one. He just always found a way into leading. He was good at being charismatic, willing to step into the role and good at taking action during a crisis. The actual decision making where he had to stop and think, not having breakdowns and being consistent, not so much.

 

My rewatch has gotten to Alexandria and dear god. Those people who successfully built a functional, walled community were soft losers because they hadn’t been through the hell CDB had been and needed the Ricktator to save them. Then he doesn’t see it coming or understand that they all wouldn’t welcome it after things started going wrong when his group got there and he finagled his way into power. Georgie and Deanna spoon fed him future plans for Alexandria between the two of them, too.

He keeps Negan alive because his dying teenaged son with, idk, a 5th grade education said to. In doing so he goes against the alliance and he brought an obviously traitorous garbage group into it.

He made the guy who was tortured at Sanctuary go be in charge of the place, makes people the saviours tormented work with them and didn’t see it coming that others would have massive, lasting issues with that. There’s never any kind of war tribunal with the saviours either but it was never clear why.

He unilaterally made Carol leave the prison because she unilaterally made a decision and Tyreese would become an out of control rage monster if he found out.

The quarry has been mentioned, not going on the offensive with Negan when the saviours were trapped, he had a psychotic break in the prison that everyone glossed over, had another meltdown in Alexandria, instead of letting his failed bridge go he tried to save it and got “cornered” by 2 herds.

The prison grew (as stupid as they were with securing it) when he was on his farming sabbatical as well.  Where his pigs may have been the flu’s bridge to people because of course they were.

He was so busy sucking up to Hershel on the farm that he didn’t realize no one was watching his stupid kid and went along with Hershel’s crap for too long. He wouldn’t stick with killing Randall.

 

I’m going to laugh if what happened between the 6 years is related to him. I’ll say that right now. But no shit they got more done without him.  Breaking up the CDB clique probably helped (most of them are dead now anyway), but Rick was great in a crisis with an immediate threat and a problem the rest of the time. It was a really consistent part of the character.

[enoughcats]

Real world snake story:

A minor tornado came down the river and turned west and went over our house.  It uprooted one large old tree and snapped the upper third out of a walnut. It damaged other trees near the house. 

Our insurance agent called a tree man out to handle the mess, and one tree that was still standing had a limb big enough to be a trunk broken off about 25 feet up. They cut it off properly below the break. 

Except in the middle of that trunk was a black snake's resting place. 

Half of the black snake (the front end) was still up in the air.  The other half was somewhat chopped up and fell out of the trunk half on the ground. 
The tree man's wife and son had come over to bring he and his crew lunch, and the six year old son was totally mesmerized by all these pieces of snake moving. Moving independently of the other pieces. 

My snake was a lot more robust than WD's snake.  Mine could have fed three easily.

[knitta please]

Dog, totally Dogmeat from Fallout. I'm okay with that. But if they kill him off like Shiva? I'm going to be so angry.

As for why people love Darryl so much, I think his loyalty and willingness to risk his own safety and wellbeing for those he loves speaks to many. He was so unwilling to want any connection, and Carol broke that wall down. Personally, I don't find him attractive, Lord knows there are so many other sweaty, greasy guys I also do not find attractive on the show either, but none quite equal his filthy appearance. Jesus and Aaron? Good solid values, wear far too much clothing in sweltering heat and still manage to look attractive.

I'm enjoying the new characters to a degree so far. I'd lost my love 2 seasons ago, so this time jump and new people is interesting.

[Nashville]

1 hour ago, Lakebum said:

Correct that it was a non-venomous Snake (looked like a Black Racer, acted more like an Eastern Rat Snake) but that rhyme --like most snake-related rhymes --is NOT reliable. 

It is in the South, where it came from - covers everything but coral snakes.  :)

[Butless]

On 11/18/2018 at 11:17 PM, AngelaHunter said:

Hilltop's local Amway distributor.

The only thing worse that this character, is the pair of matching assholes who accompanied her.

Edited November 20, 2018 by Butless

[Butless]

On 11/18/2018 at 11:43 PM, Anela said:

What does it mean to be marked with an X? I deleted the episodes from my DVR, to make room for other things. I guess I'll google. 

I've got you  one better: Who cares?

 

I m sick to death of every. fucking. thing. in this show being a big mystery. I didnt start watching this show because I wanted to watch a mystery. I fucking hate mysteries.  And when you make everything a mysterry, then nothing is compelling as a mystery! 

This is classic hack writing syndrome, where they are not writing a story, so much as trying to cover their asses as they go along. And not even doing it mildly well.

This is a cash grab for TPTB . How sad. Just 3 years ago, things were stil wonky, but the fandom still looked fun. Now it looksl ike what it is: a cash grab by greedy fuckers who want to wring everything thye can out of this franchise, with scant respect to content or viewers. I have LITERALLY zero cares about how those Xs came to be. I care THAT little about the characters I had some interest in, not that long ago.  Im sick of being played by some very unsubtle hacks.

[Butless]

On 11/19/2018 at 12:06 AM, walnutqueen said:

Great.  Now all I'll be doing is worrying about DOG.

So, Maggie is just far away, with Hershel and Georgie.  No nice send-off for her, it would seem.

Dont worry. Shell be back when her foray into that series fails, soon enough.  They obviously hired her on her cache with WD fans, because she cant act her way out of a bag.  But real nice how they play this all with the WD viewership.  Shes beenon since season 2 (not that I ever understood WHY), but they just ...disappear her, as far as the WD watcher is concerned. Dont even bother to explain it in any way that is meaningful, at all.

Remind me again?  Why anyone should accept any new characters, even, when this is the way they are so shittily handled, eventually? They give you absolutely no reason to emotionally invest yourself in this farce.

On 11/19/2018 at 12:07 AM, apollonia666 said:

UGH after all these seasons someone finally gets a pair of scissors to feral Daryl's head and THAT'S all she does with it?! I don't know why AMC and Norman Reedus are so damn determined to make him look like the physical manifestation of rancid swamp ass.

They think the hair in his face obscures the fact that he is as old as Melissa, which is ridiculous.  If anything, it makes more shadows on his face and makes him look older than her. 

Edited November 20, 2018 by Butless

[Butless]

19 hours ago, dvil said:

So the Hilltop is music central? Too bad Luke didn't have time to form a Hilltop orchestra to greet Daryl with a live performance of Easy Street.

And again TPTB pick music based on their own musical taste and not the show Jesus and Mary Chain were a good band, but dont fit here to describe the Hilltop. I think everyone competent was hounded off this show long ago.

[OoohMaggie]

Are those X scars on the characters from a cut or burn?  

‘Abraham’ talking about the marks, no spoilers.

https://www.businessinsider.sg/walking-dead-what-is-x-on-michonne-daryl-back-2018-11/

[OoohMaggie]

12 hours ago, FishyJoe said:

The junkyard alone should have enough supplies to make blacksmithing completely unnecessary. There should be a crap ton of building supplies and tools all over the place.

The fencing around Alexandria was originally surrounding a shopping centre construction site, the site must be rammed with materials, never mind the JCB diggers and loaders that were shown at the time. 

They want to portray a new world now though, so all the modern stuff has to be pushed quietly out of sight and out of mind. You mention the guns, Dianne on gate duty with a bow and arrow? Carol & Kid leave Kingdom with bow, arrow and a stick, why? So the ambush scene worked, which it wouldn’t if Carol was holding her AK.

It’ll be interesting to see how the ‘new threat’ will be fought, whether they can rustle up some fire irons or resort to a touch of Robin Hood in the woods.

[amazinglybored]

I wouldn’t be surprised if Alexandria stopped sharing their bullets/guns, or they lost the guns or ability to make ammo because  “something happened in those 6 years and changed everything!” 

[nodorothyparker]

14 minutes ago, amazinglybored said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if Alexandria stopped sharing their bullets/guns, or they lost the guns or ability to make ammo because  “something happened in those 6 years and changed everything!” 

This makes me realize that aside from little Judith, we haven't seen a single character with a functioning gun since the time skip.  Even the renegade Saviors who robbed Carol and Henry either had spear guns or guns that looked like they had been jury-rigged to fire something else.  On rewatch, a couple of characters my eye initially assumed were packing in side holsters only had knives in them or what appeared to be flare guns.  So we can add what happened to Eugene's bullet making operation in those six years to the pile of mysteries our new world order is presenting.  If they really did somehow lose their capacity to make more ammo, Michonne's irritation with Judith rescuing and bringing back strangers also gets another layer if she knows she wasted whatever limited amount of bullets they have to do it. 

[Colorado David]

26 minutes ago, icemiser69 said:

Slingshots don't have a sight on them.  How in the world can they be used accurately to eliminate walkers?   I suppose finding ammo wouldn't be much of a problem.  I would thing ball bearings and glass marbles would be the best ammo. 

Practice practice practice, just like a bow/arrow. Or in my case, a frisbee. I can probably nail a target at 30 yards, 50 if I'm having a good day. I get your point tho, drift due to the shape of the rock would mess up the flight trajectory.

[amazinglybored]

44 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

This makes me realize that aside from little Judith, we haven't seen a single character with a functioning gun since the time skip.  Even the renegade Saviors who robbed Carol and Henry either had spear guns or guns that looked like they had been jury-rigged to fire something else.  On rewatch, a couple of characters my eye initially assumed were packing in side holsters only had knives in them or what appeared to be flare guns.  So we can add what happened to Eugene's bullet making operation in those six years to the pile of mysteries our new world order is presenting.  If they really did somehow lose their capacity to make more ammo, Michonne's irritation with Judith rescuing and bringing back strangers also gets another layer if she knows she wasted whatever limited amount of bullets they have to do it. 

 

Well then, the child really shouldn’t have the gun. I suppose it could also have something to do with treaties depending on what went down or more emphasis on stealth. Maybe it’s a philosophical thing possibly stemming from whatever happened or trying to protect/hide the guns until they’re really needed. So many question and so much need of decent answers.

[AngelaHunter]

8 hours ago, Butless said:

I m sick to death of every. fucking. thing. in this show being a big mystery.

You can almost smell the desperation of the TPTB to keep people tuning in: "If we do something all mysterious, like, I dunno - put a big "X" on a few backs, the viewers will be dying to know what it means and will keep coming back, won't they? Won't they??"

A few weeks ago (or 6 years ago) Michonne was sitting on the bed, wiping away blood on her arm. We were shown this in a very deliberate fashion as though it had some major significance. But, well, I guess it didn't. The fake-outs, the cheesy cliff-hangers, the never-explained mysteries - all so trite and tacky but they seem to be working. I won't mention the cringe-worthy, amateurish, artsy-fartsy crap they've inflicted on us.