S05.E08: Is Anybody Out There?

[nodorothyparker]

Airdate: 2019.07.21

Quote

Morgan, Grace, and Alicia work to buy time. Dorie and Dwight race against the elements, and Sarah and Wendell get help from an unexpected source.

[raven]

So the first 8 eps of the season revolved around possible nuclear meltdown with radioactive zombies; finding Daniel; crashing, then fixing a plane to fly it again; picking up a group of children of the corn and meeting Max Headroom.

Oh and a marriage proposal.

There was some fun stuff mixed in too.  Also some boring stuff.  3 weeks everyone and we're back!

[nodorothyparker]

This show is such a strange animal.  Who knew you could just bank around a radioactive cloud in an open plane and it would all be fine?  Apparently we're back in three weeks where our Scooby gang is going to learn how to refine their own gasoline from Max Headroom.  I mean, they're already set up to make their own homebrew while Daniel gives everybody high maintenance haircuts.  Because sure, why not?  And now they're stuck with a whole bunch of extra random kids with questionable hygiene, I guess in the factory they were having a land deed dispute over in the beginning of the season?  Or maybe in Daniel's big warehouse o' scavenging at another conveniently nearby location.

Most importantly, has anybody seen Skidmark?

This really is the bizarro version of the mother show.  

[heisenberg]

Well... I will come back to it, in the meanwhile there are two things:

1-  Alicia took a shower and put regular clothes,  I forgot how beautiful she was.  Good!

2-  Only one person can claim to own Personal Jesus more than Depeche Mode and it is this guy:

Edited July 22, 2019 by heisenberg

[MrPissyPuppy]

9 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

Most importantly, has anybody seen Skidmark?

Skidmark was in his crate wherever the truck people were.   When Daniel drove up, lady trucker opened the crate and Skidmark went running to Daniel.   So Skidmark is alive and well at this point. 

[DrNowsWeightScale]

We've had some questionable, boring, and/or confusing story lines so far this season, but I have to admit I enjoyed last night's episode.

I had wondered why they had to fly every where lately (rather than just drive in cars), and in this episode, Max Headroom explained that the hurricane they had in last season's show knocked out and messed up a lot of roads, that, plus he lied about every thing.

The blonde trucker lady had Skidmark the cat - the cat was in a pet carrier on the back of a pick up or what not. The lady opened the carrier when Daniel showed up, and the cat ran out to greet Daniel.

They have left Alicia's fate murky. We don't know if that radioactive blood is going to eventually do her in or not. 

My favorite character, John Dorie, proposed to June in the episode. He made her a ring made out of gold foil candy wrapper. Awww. 

Edit. The show is supposed to pick up in three weeks, according to AMC's advertising - so I guess last night's show was the mid-season finale?

Via Forbes:

And So Ends Fear The Walking Dead’s Most Baffling Half-Season Ever

Edited to add more links

'Fear The Walking Dead' Season 5, Episode 8 Review: Predictable And Boring

Edited July 22, 2019 by DrNowsWeightScale

[TWOPrefugee]

Christ. If you are going to write in geography and weather related catastrophes, someone on staff needs to have just a little bit of knowledge of what the hell you're writing. I'm supposed to believe that last years gulf coast hurricane moved inland and traveled west towards the only mountains in Texas?

[heisenberg]

2 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

because "glow in the dark" character can't drive for shit.

🤣From now on this is her name.  Good thinking!

[heisenberg]

30 minutes ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

They have left Alicia's fate murky. We don't know if that radioactive blood is going to eventually do her in or not.

At least she took her first shower and change of clothes since season 3.  It must be a symbolic to show that she is a new person.

[heisenberg]

32 minutes ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

Via Forbes:

And So Ends Fear The Walking Dead’s Most Baffling Half-Season Ever

"This whole season has felt someone threw darts at a wall and decided to craft a storyline based on what they hit (“Planes! Nuclear plant! Kids!”)."

Yes.

[nodorothyparker]

50 minutes ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

Via Forbes:

And So Ends Fear The Walking Dead’s Most Baffling Half-Season Ever

While I don't quite agree with the reviewer that season 3 before the reboot was necessarily better, this review is great. 

"The group rebuilds their crashed plane from scratch, and then gets propellers from an entirely different plane flown over to them from their old base by a hot air balloon shaped like a beer bottle. It is exactly as weird as it sounds."

Hee.

[Mr. Sparkle]

2 hours ago, heisenberg said:

🤣From now on this is her name.  Good thinking!

Glowy? Spelled Gloe with an umlaut over the "o." 

Edited July 22, 2019 by Superclam
Grammar.

[Dodginblue]

For no particular reason I've thought this group was in Ohio.  I don't know why I thought that, other than it's a shout out in my mind to Zombieland (main character "Columbus" as in Columbus Ohio).  Anyway, I don't think there's a mountain range like what they saw once they were in the air, not in Ohio, so now I"m thinking they were in Missouri or maybe Arkansas.

It doesn't matter, not really, nothing about this show really matters to me and I'm really enjoying it now that I no longer watch TWD, I still need my zombie fix and it's pleasant to watch when I don't really know what's going on or who anyone really is (since I just started watching this half season other than a few episodes earlier on).

This show is very tame,like no one gets killed.   And the walkers aren't much of a threat.  And there aren't any human predators either, I mean, unless we count the kids and that guy at the end who nicely vacated their compound because he didn't need to be there anymore.  Not a Governor or a Gareth that's for sure.  Everybody's wanting to be a helper it seems.   It's a very Disney kind of world on FTWD.  

[DrNowsWeightScale]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

In all of the years of seeing walkers on both series, I don't recall if any of them wore jewelry.

I suppose it wouldn't be a good look if John killed a walker, chopped off the walker's finger, and then gave  June the ring from that finger. 

If I am not mistaken, I think that there was one episode on the original series where someone spotted a ring on a zombie's hand at the fence at the prison, and Glenn used that ring to give to Maggie when he proposed to her. I think.

I'm pretty sure that happened. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that.)

But given John Dorie's history with carrying candy around and loving candy, I was more than okay with him fashioning a make-shift engagement ring for June out of a candy wrapper. ☺️

[MrPissyPuppy]

1 hour ago, icemiser69 said:

I suppose it wouldn't be a good look if John killed a walker, chopped off the walker's finger, and then gave  June the ring from that finger. 

That's pretty much what Glenn did for Maggie's rings on TWD.  

https://ew.com/gallery/walking-dead-14-props-and-stories-behind-em/?slide=416760#416760

Ah!  And actual video.  I think he went up the line of walkers at the fence looking at rings first before selecting one.   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAdayzSsoPo

Edited July 22, 2019 by MrPissyPuppy

[DrNowsWeightScale]

28 minutes ago, Dodginblue said:

....  Anyway, I don't think there's a mountain range like what they saw once they were in the air, not in Ohio, so now I"m thinking they were in Missouri or maybe Arkansas.

....This show is very tame,like no one gets killed.   And the walkers aren't much of a threat.  And there aren't any human predators either, I mean, unless we count the kids and that guy at the end who nicely vacated their compound because he didn't need to be there anymore.  Not a Governor or a Gareth that's for sure.  Everybody's wanting to be a helper it seems.   It's a very Disney kind of world on FTWD.  

Mountains In Texas:

Another poster and I have had a few conversations about this in the last month in other threads. 

This group - on Fear - are in Texas. I lived in Texas for over 15 years (in the south east area, and I've been through part of the west as a kid, and I've been up through Dallas as an adult), and it's a pretty flat, non-mountainous (spelling?) area.

However, someone else on here who used to live or work out in the western part of the state said there is a mountain range or two in Texas in the western area of the state.

But the state of Texas geographically is really not known for having mountain ranges.

Re: Recurrent Character Deaths

As for nobody getting killed a lot on this show....

To be fair to the Walking Dead universe, a lot of people on fan forums and professional TV critics, seem to get tired of, or worn out by, so many characters getting killed off on the original TWD (I see folks complaining about this quite a bit, or regularly)....

...so, IMO, it's kind of a good change of pace to not kill any characters off for quite awhile.

Also, by giving us a lot of time to spend with these characters and getting to know them, I think this may make any deaths more impactful at a later date:

Because we've spent so long with June, Alicia, Morgan, Wendell the wheel chair guy, Charlie the kid, etc., then when or if they do get killed later, we might actually care about their deaths.

One of my issues with the original TWD is that they introduce a new character, but that new person remains in the background, we never get to know them well, they're in like 2 or 3 episodes, and BAM!, when they get killed, we're supposed to care - but I seldom do. Because I don't know that character well, so the stakes are low.

[foxfreakinmulder]

20 minutes ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

If I am not mistaken, I think that there was one episode on the original series where someone spotted a ring on a zombie's hand at the fence at the prison, and Glenn used that ring to give to Maggie when he proposed to her. I think.

I'm pretty sure that happened. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on that.)

You are correct. That's how Glen got Maggie's ring.

I haven't had the chance to watch this season yet, since I don't have cable/dish service I have to wait for HULU so I read the forum. I can't believe Alicia is okay after being sprayed with radioactive walker blood because wasn't there an episode on the other show where they were dipping arrows and blade tips in walker blood because it's contaminated? I think they made it where even if the person didn't die from the arrow or blade they would turn because it had been dipped in the contaminated blood? I could be remembering that wrong. Maybe Alicia will start to show signs of radioactive/walker blood poisoning before the end of the season.

I picture the writers room like this, it's a big party room with lots of booze and they are putting ideas on a dart board and throwing darts at them, which ever idea gets the most hits is the one they go with. Then they drink more and spend a lot of time patting each other on the back. I mean really, a giant beer bottle hot air balloon that they know how to work/fly and also how to repair a plane and fly that too. Give me a forking break.

[DrNowsWeightScale]

33 minutes ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

You are correct. That's how Glen got Maggie's ring.

I haven't had the chance to watch this season yet, since I don't have cable/dish service I have to wait for HULU so I read the forum. I can't believe Alicia is okay after being sprayed with radioactive walker blood because wasn't there an episode on the other show where they were dipping arrows and blade tips in walker blood because it's contaminated? I think they made it where even if the person didn't die from the arrow or blade they would turn because it had been dipped in the contaminated blood? I could be remembering that wrong. Maybe Alicia will start to show signs of radioactive/walker blood poisoning before the end of the season.

I picture the writers room like this, it's a big party room with lots of booze and they are putting ideas on a dart board and throwing darts at them, which ever idea gets the most hits is the one they go with. Then they drink more and spend a lot of time patting each other on the back. I mean really, a giant beer bottle hot air balloon that they know how to work/fly and also how to repair a plane and fly that too. Give me a forking break.

I keep wondering if this show (or the original) will go the route of MARVEL movies and have a character develop weird or super abilities (like flying or laser / heat vision or whatever) and say it's because they were exposed to radioactive zombies or what not. (Like Peter Parker was bit by a genetically altered spider and turned into Spiderman as a result.)

I've played enough zombie video games in the past (such as Resident Evil and others) that I also wonder if they will start introducing new types of zombies - ones that are smarter than others, or ones that are faster, etc. 

You said,

"You are correct. That's how Glen got Maggie's ring."

Ah, okay, thank you for the confirmation on that.

Edited July 22, 2019 by DrNowsWeightScale

[AngelKitty]

33 minutes ago, foxfreakinmulder said:

wasn't there an episode on the other show where they were dipping arrows and blade tips in walker blood because it's contaminated?

Yes, there was.

Don't get me started ...

6 minutes ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

have a character develop weird or super abilities (like flying or laser / heat vision or whatever) and say it's because they were exposed to radioactive zombies or what not.

Okay, so that would be cool.

[Starchild]

4 hours ago, Superclam said:

Glowy? Spelled Gloe with an umlaut over the "o." 

Glowia! (pr. GLOW-ee-ya)

[heisenberg]

1 hour ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

I also wonder if they will start introducing new types of zombies - ones that are smarter than others, or ones that are faster, etc.

Well...  We were talking about naked ones, that would be a good start I guess...

[meep.meep]

4 hours ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

Mountains In Texas:

Another poster and I have had a few conversations about this in the last month in other threads. 

This group - on Fear - are in Texas. I lived in Texas for over 15 years (in the south east area, and I've been through part of the west as a kid, and I've been up through Dallas as an adult), and it's a pretty flat, non-mountainous (spelling?) area.

However, someone else on here who used to live or work out in the western part of the state said there is a mountain range or two in Texas in the western area of the state.

But the state of Texas geographically is really not known for having mountain ranges. but I seldom do. Because I don't know that character well, so the stakes are low.

I'm the someone else.  Yes there are mountains in western Texas.  I mentioned the Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Guadalupe Peak, also known as Signal Peak, is the highest natural point in Texas, with an elevation of 8,751 feet above sea level. It is located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park, and is part of the Guadalupe Mountains range in southeastern New Mexico and West Texas.

It's very mountainous around El Paso and down the Rio Grande at Big Bend.  The area around Ft. Stockton, is high elevation, so you get the trees, but not a lot of mountains.  Some of the shots they showed from the upcoming episodes look like they are shot at Ft. Stockton.

But....what there aren't are areas in Texas with big mountains and a nuclear power plant.  Because the places with big mountains don't have many people and there's no point in putting in nuclear power plant unless some one needs the electricity.

I'm torn about this show because I like most of the characters.  But the plot and how they are spinning things along are just so totally ridiculous.

[Dodginblue]

4 hours ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

Mountains In Texas:

Another poster and I have had a few conversations about this in the last month in other threads. 

This group - on Fear - are in Texas. I lived in Texas for over 15 years (in the south east area, and I've been through part of the west as a kid, and I've been up through Dallas as an adult), and it's a pretty flat, non-mountainous (spelling?) area.

However, someone else on here who used to live or work out in the western part of the state said there is a mountain range or two in Texas in the western area of the state.

But the state of Texas geographically is really not known for having mountain ranges.

I know there's an area called the Hill Country which I think is down around Austin so maybe that's where the group is supposed to be.  But I'm also trying to account for Morgan and Dwight being there, like how long would it have taken to get from Alexandria. This group moving East, those characters moving West, where would they meet up.  But then I don't really know what the timeline is.

[FishyJoe]

Hmm, so there is some hidden refinery out there, even though every map and telephone book would have the location of refineries. Not to mention you need a team of qualified engineers to operate a refinery or you'll likely blow it up. But hey, they rebuilt a plane that would normally require highly qualified aircraft mechanics, spare parts and technical specifications, so why not? 

And the plot of the show is sounding kind of familiar. World running out of gas. Refinery taken over by survivors fighting off bad guys. A plane rescuing children from certain death. All we need is a more car chases, a punk gang with a deformed roided leader called Humungous and a guy named Max. 

[Dodginblue]

5 hours ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

Re: Recurrent Character Deaths

As for nobody getting killed a lot on this show....

To be fair to the Walking Dead universe, a lot of people on fan forums and professional TV critics, seem to get tired of, or worn out by, so many characters getting killed off on the original TWD (I see folks complaining about this quite a bit, or regularly)....

...so, IMO, it's kind of a good change of pace to not kill any characters off for quite awhile.

I agree that TWD specializes (still? I don't know)) in killing off its characters, which I was not a fan of, except that it did make sense to me as part of the over-all bleakness of that universe, how effed up everything is.  And I think FTWD kind of started out the same way, based on the early episodes I saw.  But given the ones I've seen this season, it has a totally different feel to it.  These characters on FTWD are much more psychologically stable than just about anyone on TWD.   At least as of the time I stopped watching that show.  

[Haleth]

It's better if you just enjoy the ride and not overthink.  If you accept radioactive zombies it doesn't matter if anything makes sense.  Radioactive zombies.  The beer bottle shaped balloon was just icing on the cake.

[OoohMaggie]

23 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

They fly off in the plane when it is still light out.  They only have to fly  over the mountain, and when they have to land the plane on the other side it is dark out.  Something does not add up.   it wasn't as though they were flying for several hours

It certainly felt like they were in the air for hours, which makes Strand's propeller delivery even more amazing, the beer bottle balloon goes where the wind takes it and not having access to weather / wind reports he sure was a lucky puppy that day.

If Max's group are so bad ass, why didn't they just shoot Sarah, or even make an appearance when she blocked their path with the truck?

[OoohMaggie]

Apart from the contrived threat from the Walkers, it wasn't that bad an episode. Once again, a little more thought put into things could have given us a decent 45 minutes of entertainment, I just don't get how these 'professional' writers can so consistently get it wrong. Its about time we had a 'Fan' written episode!

[DrNowsWeightScale]

8 hours ago, Haleth said:

It's better if you just enjoy the ride and not overthink.  If you accept radioactive zombies it doesn't matter if anything makes sense.  Radioactive zombies.  The beer bottle shaped balloon was just icing on the cake.

How about a radioactive zombie shaped like a beer bottle?

Or a beer bottle shaped hot air balloon that is radioactive and has zombie passengers on it?

[Gobi]

I liked how breaking off part of Morgan's zombie stick eliminated the radiation threat. It's nice to learn sciency stuff on TV.

[MrPissyPuppy]

If they really want to go for the absurd, they should steal the Viagra zombie idea from Z Nation.    I think that was at some pharmaceutical manufacturing company.    

[Mr. Sparkle]

20 hours ago, Gobi said:

I liked how breaking off part of Morgan's zombie stick eliminated the radiation threat. It's nice to learn sciency stuff on TV.

They should go to Chernobyl and break off all the sticks. Clean that place up in a matter of weeks. 

[DrNowsWeightScale]

11 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

How about some "big bad" flying in a bottle opener shaped balloon, going after the beer bottle balloon, trying to open it? 

I like it! LOL. ☺️

Someone needs to come along in a hot air balloon shaped like a big pretzel (to go with the beer)

[DrNowsWeightScale]

8 hours ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

If they really want to go for the absurd, they should steal the Viagra zombie idea from Z Nation.    I think that was at some pharmaceutical manufacturing company.    

It's been awhile since I've seen an episode of that show. They actually had zombies on viagra??

Anyway. I really like the John Dorie character, but his character deserves so much better - he's either missing from some episodes altogether for several episodes on end, or they have him in hokey story lines.

His initial episodes with Morgan from season 4 were okay, and I loved the episode where it was just him and "Laura" (June) in the cabin - where he just sits around watching movies and playing scrabble. That was an excellent episode.

Now they have him in a gang of people who use hot air balloons shaped like beer bottles. It makes me want to weep.

[MrPissyPuppy]

4 hours ago, DrNowsWeightScale said:

They actually had zombies on viagra??

Oh yeah!   Here's a not so great clip of it: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1czfwAIgz0

I mean, at least they didn't take themselves seriously like this show does.   

[OoohMaggie]

3 hours ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

Oh yeah!   Here's a not so great clip of it: 

Mmm mmmmm, Roberta Warren is the only Viagra i'd be needing 😍

[AngelKitty]

5 hours ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

Oh yeah!   Here's a not so great clip of it:

Wow, look how young 10K is. I miss that show.

[Haleth]

7 hours ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

I mean, at least they didn't take themselves seriously like this show does.   

I'm not so sure they take it very seriously anymore.  There have been some pretty absurd plot points beside the ones mentioned in this thread.  Remember John's split bullet?  

Radio.active.zombies.

I have to say I'm enjoying all the craziness.  It's a lot more entertaining to me than anything going on with the mothership.

[foxfreakinmulder]

3 hours ago, Haleth said:

It's a lot more entertaining to me than anything going on with the mothership.

I agree. I haven't watched this season yet I'm waiting for it to it HULU but I liked last season. Morgan bugs and the crazy lady with mud on her face was a joke, but I like the revamp and new characters, especially John Dori.  I stopped watching the mothership because of Negan, he ruined that show for me so now I just read the forum.

[MrPissyPuppy]

I think most of it is really bad writing and not planning out plot lines.  I have no confidence the show runners know where they are going with this.  And IMO most of the actors are capable - I don't think I've disliked anything Garret Dillahunt has done even when he's played a psycho - Lenny James, Ruben Blades, Colman Domingo are standouts too.  Hell, I'm quite willing to roll with the absurd (note my affection for Z Nation) if it's fun to watch.  This is just a mess and the dull filter they use to shoot it doesn't help.  If I wasn't "invested" in the series and had just started watching randomly, it sure wouldn't hold my attention & I would have removed it from my season pass which I'm sure strikes terror in the hearts of all the networks out there. 

[Ohwell]

On 7/25/2019 at 5:49 AM, icemiser69 said:

This series was poorly cast, written, acted from the start.  There wasn't ever any real chemistry/intimacy between Madison and Cliff, two people that were engaged to be married.  It steadily went down from there with even more poor casting and even worse writing.   It was seriously written, no comedic elements at all. 

I was pissed off at the very beginning because for the life of me, I couldn't understand why Cliff left his nice, beautiful nurse wife for dull as dishwater Madison.

If they had shown the wife to be a bitch or adulteress, then yes, I could have understood.  But she was very likable and a good mother.

[enoughcats]

On 7/22/2019 at 7:50 PM, meep.meep said:

But....what there aren't are areas in Texas with big mountains and a nuclear power plant.  Because the places with big mountains don't have many people and there's no point in putting in nuclear power plant unless some one needs the electricity.

There's another real world reason not to have a nuclear power plant out there  (two reasons, actually)

The mountains are really close to the Rio Grande rift valley and there is a problem there.  Nobody is quite sure how dormant the block faulting is in that area.   Relatedly, the Rio Grande is a scrawny river that really doesn't have enough water to cool a nuclear plant.

On 7/23/2019 at 8:00 AM, Haleth said:

The beer bottle shaped balloon was just icing on the cake.

This has to be a serendipitous addition.  I can't believe that the writers know that the US's major Helium reserves are in west Texas and that they could fill a Helium balloon out there with a lot lower level of "science" that it would take to rebuild an airplane.