The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 14 – “The Grove”

Who would have thought when this show started that Carol would turn out to be the strongest character?  She was this meek, mild scared woman when we first saw her and now she knows what needs to be done and makes the hard decisions that others can’t.

I had thought all along that Lizzie was the one feeding the rats to the walkers.  I had also (maybe not in print but definitely in my head) said that she needed to die.  A person like that, child or adult, that has no concept of the difference between a walker and a human, is dangerous to everyone around them.  If she’d been an adult, the choice would have been obvious.  I never in a million years thought the show would go there with a child.  I thought that her obsession with walkers would get her bitten and she would die that way.

Did they make the right decision?  Hard to say.  Could Lizzie be rehabilitated after killing her sister?  Put that together with the fact that she was pretty obviously mentally disturbed to start with.  I could see how a child could be confused about walkers but if they have any bit of sanity, they should be able to understand when it’s explained to them over and over again.  Not to mention the fact that she’s watched them kill people she knows.  Judith could never be safe with Lizzie around.  Without tying her up at night, no one could ever sleep soundly around her.

Having Carol tell Tyreese about Karen and having him forgive her was unexpected.  I don’t think he could have forgiven her so easily if she had confessed before everything went down with Lizzie.  I don’t think Tyreese could have killed Lizzie.  Even though he thought it was the right decision, I don’t think he had the stomach for it.  Seeing Carol be able to do what needs to be done, no matter how hard or how it affects her, I think helped him see why she killed Karen.

Photo Credit:  tvtag.com and AMC

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 13 – “Alone”

I almost didn’t get this posted this week but I have a couple of questions/predictions I wanted to get up before the next episode.

Why they got to keep taking stuff away from my Daryl?  It’s like, because he’s a fan favorite, let’s see how miserable we can make him.

The scene where Daryl was escaping from the mortuary was awesome.  I thought for sure that Daryl was a goner or Beth was going to come back and save him.

I knew we’d see “Joe” again.  Like I said, you don’t bring Jeff Kober in for an episode and not give him anything to do.  I know the show has cast fairly well known actors (Aldis Hodge, Michael Raymond-James) for one episode but they had big parts in those episodes.  I already don’t like Joe’s group.

I still can’t get a handle on Bob.  I understand that he’s glad not to be alone again, but he’s too damn happy.  Also, he was so adamant about going after Maggie so she wouldn’t be alone but he was perfectly willing to leave Sasha alone.  Did he think his kiss was so good that she’d tag along eventually?

So a couple of questions/predictions:

• I don’t think a bad person took Beth.  I think someone rolled up in the car and told her to get in but she tried to go back for Daryl and they just forced her in to save her.  That would explain her dropped bag.  Keeping my fingers crossed.
• I figure Joe’s group is the one who killed the people in that camp earlier in the season.  Why hasn’t anyone run across them before?
• I think Daryl will go with Joe’s group initially because a) he wants to live and b) he suspects they took Beth.  I also think he’ll take the first chance he gets to escape.
• How did a one-eyed dog survive this long?
• How far away is Terminus?

Photo Credit:  tvtag.com and AMC

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 12 – “Still”

Wow!  The actors on this show are knocking it out of the park this season.  This was Norman Reedus’ best episode since “This Sorrowful Life.”  I actually think he was better in this episode.

We finally got to see Daryl and Beth deal with their grief over what just happened.  As I said before, Daryl was shutting down.  Better not to care than to have feelings.  It never occurred to me that he blamed himself for Hershel’s death and the loss of the prison.  If he’d kept looking for The Governor though, and something happened while he was away, he would have blamed himself for that too.

Beth’s feelings, on the other hand, manifested themselves in her needing to do something she’d never done before.  I think she’s decided that she’s going to die and she wants to make sure she experiences everything before she does.  She’s always been Daddy’s good little girl, rebelling against that is a way for her not to feel the grief of his death.

I read in another review that Daryl is a mean drunk.  I don’t think that’s true at all.  First, I doubt he would have been drunk off of few sips of moonshine.  Second, I think all of the feelings he’d been tamping down just came to a head when he thought Beth thought he was a loser before the walkers came along.  Daryl seems to have a pretty low opinion of himself and it always seems to surprise him when anyone else values him.  Playing that game just brought back all those feelings and bad memories. Beth led a sheltered, happy life before so I think there’s a bit of jealousy there as well.

Setting fire to the shack didn’t make much sense from a safety standpoint but I see why the characters did it.  They had both come to terms with the past and are moving forward from it.  I just don’t understand why they couldn’t have waited until morning.

Photo Credit:  tvtag.com and AMC

Related:

http://piecesofdarkness.wordpress.com/2014/03/04/tidbits-of-the-dead-still/

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 11 – “Claimed”

This was a pretty tense episode.  I think Andrew Lincoln did some of his best acting in the scenes while trying to escape from the house.  No dialogue at all, just using his body.  Laying under the bed, shaking in fear.  I don’t know about you, that’s not something I can do without feeling that fear.  Obviously, we’re going to see that group of marauders again.  You don’t have Jeff Kober (China Beach, BTVS, Sons of Anarchy) come in to play the leader for one episode with no dialogue.

Now that Michonne has made a conscious decision to truly live in this world, it’s nice to see her open up.  When she told Carl that her child wasn’t a secret, she meant it.  Up until now, she just couldn’t talk about him.  I like the relationship that’s developing between Michonne and Carl.  They seem to be softening each other up.  Sometimes having a friend will do that.

I’m glad to see that Glenn isn’t giving up on finding Maggie.  Abraham gave a pretty convincing speech about saving the world but Glenn is determined.

How can that Eugene guy have made it this far without knowing how to operate a gun?  Frankly, the way he handled that situation was odd to me.  Why wouldn’t he have just yelled “Walkers!” to get everyone’s attention?  Maybe he purposely disabled the truck, but why?  I got a slightly detached vibe off of him as well.  Possibly he has Asperger’s?  Not that I think that’s something that would be addressed on the show.

Photo Credit:  tvtag.com and AMC

Related:

http://tomandlorenzo.com/2014/02/the-walking-dead-claimed/

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 10 – “Inmates”

I totally called it.  Tyreese didn’t know about Carol and, of course, that’s who he meets up with.  It’ll be interesting to see what happens with this.  As far as I remember, Daryl, Maggie and Rick are the only ones who know what Carol did.  Depending on how long it takes for the rest of the group to catch up with them, Tyreese may become pretty attached to Carol.  That “Oh, shit!” look on Carol’s face when Tyreese ran up to hug her was priceless.

Lizzie is a psycho!  She killed those bunnies for no reason.  If she’d told Tyreese, that would have been different because they could have eaten them.  She also would have killed Judith if Carol hadn’t shown up.  I still think she might have been the one feeding rats to the walkers.

If Beth hadn’t been with him, I think Daryl would have completely reverted back to pre-family Daryl.  Beth had been the one who said she couldn’t take any more death but I think it’s Daryl.  I can see him cracking.  Hope they find the others soon.

Bob seems pretty happy.  I think it’s because he’s an addict.  He’s an alcoholic and had been sober but when things were relatively calm at the prison, he wanted to start drinking again.  I think the adrenalin rush he gets when things are chaotic takes the place of the alcohol for him.

Poor Maggie and Glenn!  I didn’t see Glenn get off the bus I guess.  He’s just lucky.  What killed everyone on the bus?  Did one of them succumb to the illness?  I thought that they were all better, Glenn seemed to be the worst one and he’s fine now.  Did one of them get bit?  Even so, you’d think some of them would have been able to get off the bus.  Maggie thinks she’s lost everyone.

I haven’t read the comics yet but know enough about them to know who the new people are.  Can’t wait to see what the show does with them.

Photo Credit:  tvtag.com and AMC

Related:

http://allthingshorror666.wordpress.com/2014/02/17/the-walking-dead-inmates/

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 9 – “After”

I was glad that my question about what happened to Hershel’s head was answered, but I was sad to see him as a walker.

I understand that Michonne’s first pets were docile because she’d had them for a while and they were weak from hunger (I doubt she fed them) but what about her new pets?  Even though she cut off their arms and jaws, they wouldn’t know the difference.  Why didn’t they keep lunging for her?  Also, if just having the two walkers on leashes kept her masked from the other walkers, couldn’t a person quietly walk amongst a herd?

Carl’s a little shit.  I realized he was really mad at Rick but he was walking way too far ahead of him.  Rick could barely stand, if a walker came up from behind, Rick could have been bitten or dead before Carl got to him.  I think it was good for Carl to get all his anger and frustration out, he seemed to come to a realization about the fact that he still needs his father.

I half expected Rick to die.  While I know it wouldn’t have gone along with the comics, it wouldn’t be the first time the show has deviated from them.  It could have been really interesting to see what Carl would do without Rick.  I’m glad he didn’t though.

If I had eaten that much pudding (especially chocolate) on an empty stomach, I would have been throwing up everywhere.  Yuck!

Michonne totally has Carl’s shoe, right?  Why else would her appearance be so funny?  Or the door for Carl?

Can’t wait to see what everyone else is up to next week.

Photo Credit:  tvtag.com and AMC

 

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 8 – “Too Far Gone”

I didn’t write about last week’s episode because there wasn’t a lot to say about another Governor show.  I realize that those two episodes were standalone to give the rest of the cast time to attend ComicCon, but I feel like they had a missed opportunity with them.  I think the story could have been a lot more interesting if Phillip realized he couldn’t keep his new family safe where they were and went and begged Rick to take them in.  I think it could have been interesting to see a character try and come back from the horrific things they’ve done.  Instead, we just got reinforcement about how insane The Governor is.

I think we all knew when The Governor captured Hershel and Michonne that something bad was going to happen to one of them.  The sad thing is, I think The Governor thought he really had changed.  In his mind, he was just doing what needed to be done to keep people safe.  He killed people he thought were bad leaders that were going to get people killed.  He’s insane so of course he didn’t realize the flaw in that logic.  I thought for a second that Rick’s speech was getting to him.  I guess it did but not in the way Rick was hoping.  The Governor called Rick a liar because, in that moment, he realized that he couldn’t come back from the things he’d done.  He may not have originally planned on actually killing Hershel but that realization sent him over the edge.

I find it really hard to believe that no one from The Governor’s camp (except Tara) was the least bit squeamish about killing a bunch of sick people and children to get the prison.  Yes, “Brian” had told them that bad people were living there, but they could see with their own eyes that Rick was willing to make compromises to keep everyone safe while their leader was willing to kill people to get what he wanted.  Other than Mitch, they all seemed like decent people yet no one objected.

I know some people were surprised that The Governor didn’t kill Michonne.  He probably had plans for her later (I don’t think it occurred to him that he might lose) but he chose Hershel for the emotional impact.  If he had threatened Michonne, he knew Rick wouldn’t cave.  It was a tactical error on both of their parts.  I don’t think Rick thought The Governor would actually kill Hershel either.  They underestimated each other which seems pretty stupid on Rick’s part.

Where did all the walkers go?  Last week, there were so many they took the fence down and this week there were none?  They started coming after the noise from the fight started but before that…nothing.

Intially, I thought (and even tweeted) that Michonne should have put her sword through The Governor’s other eye.  I see her reasoning for not killing him though.  She was subjecting him to the same fate that he’d given Andrea.  By leaving him there, she hoped that he would suffer being eaten alive.

Did anyone go back and kill Hershel’s head?

At the end of the episode, everyone is scattered.  I’ve tried to figure out where everyone is/who they’re with.

• Glenn was on the bus.
• Sasha, Maggie and Bob were together.
• Tyreese went after the girls. (Where did the other kids go?  They ran the other direction but the bus was gone.)  Rick didn’t have time to tell him about Carol.  Wouldn’t it be ironic if Ty and the girls met up with her somewhere?
• Daryl and Beth were together.
• Rick and Carl went off into the woods.
• Michonne?  Didn’t see her after The Governor.  I hope that she took Judith.
• Where did Tara and Lilly go?

Photo Credit:  Get Glue and AMC

Related:

http://allthingshorror666.wordpress.com/2013/12/03/the-walking-dead-too-far-gone/

http://tomandlorenzo.com/2013/12/the-walking-dead-too-far-gone.html

http://acollectivemind.com/2013/12/04/the-walking-dead-fear-the-living/

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 6 – “Live Bait”

I don’t have much to say about this episode.  It wasn’t the most enjoyable I’ve ever watched.  In fact, I found myself bored during parts of it.  As excited as I was to see The Governor show up at the end of the last episode, I didn’t really care much about what he’d been up to the last six months.

Should we take The Governor’s seeming change of heart at face value or is it just another one of his ploys?  I can see the situation being that he snapped and that’s what caused him to do all those horrible things at the end of last season.  Possibly, he’s come back to himself and realizes what he’s done.  That could explain his near-catatonia.

Even if that’s the case, it’s been mentioned a couple of times this season that you can’t come back from the things you’ve done.  It almost seemed like the show was trying to redeem The Governor last night but there’s no way that can happen.  It would take a lifetime of good deeds to make up for the atrocities he’s committed.

I don’t think that’s what’s going on though.  I think most of his “change” centers on not-Penny.  The Governor never does anything without an ulterior motive.  I think he’s realized that he needs people to protect to feel like he has any worth.  Remember, he wasn’t “important” before the walkers.  This family looks up to him and makes him feel important again.  Nothing selfless on his part.

Photo Credit:  Get Glue and AMC

Related:

http://piecesofdarkness.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/tidbits-of-the-dead-live-bait/

http://allthingshorror666.wordpress.com/2013/11/19/the-walking-dead-episode-6-dead-weight/

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 5 – “Internment”

Hershel is a bad ass.  That is all.  I could have written just those five words and it would have been enough for this episode.

I see a lot of speculation online that Hershel will die this season.  It seems that whenever an episode focuses on a character, that character meets their end.  Last week’s episode was Carol heavy and she was banished.  Given that, I was worried for Hershel this whole episode.  This was a great heart-thumping, fingers-crossed, jumping up and down in my seat episode.  It definitely kept me on edge and every time things seemed safe, I expected something bad to happen.

I feel like this week’s episode should have had last week’s title, “Indifference.”  There were so many instances of hesitation and mistakes being made.  The walker threat for these people is greater than ever since anyone inside the prison could die and turn and they still don’t seem to take it that seriously.  Do the cells even lock?  I’m pretty sure I saw Hershel close the door on the same person at least twice.  If they can open the door when they are alive, what’s to stop them after they turn?  All they would have to do is accidentally push it the right way and it would open.  Hershel was in such a rush to help Sasha, he didn’t close the door on the dead girl.  They hear a gunshot and Maggie doesn’t immediately go to help?  Rick had to convince her?

Just when I think Lizzie may be making progress in her thinking toward the walkers, she goes and does something weird like play with the puddle of blood.  Where’s her sister, by the way?

Carl is one the best shots they have and Rick still doesn’t want him to help with the walkers.  He only did this week because he had no other choice.  This is the world you live in now, Rick.  Everyone needs to learn how to protect themselves and others.

The Governor!!!  I bet he’s been watching the prison for a while and  leading the walkers to the fence.  He’s not exactly hiding, why hasn’t anyone seen him standing there?

I’m glad Rick and Daryl didn’t have the Carol conversation this episode.  It was already so full, there really wasn’t time to devote to it.  But, I can see a scenario where The Governor attacks before they talk about it and the group gets split up in the chaos.  Maybe they will meet up with Carol without anyone besides Rick, Maggie and Hershel knowing.

I may have more to add to this later, I fell asleep during my second watch while I was taking notes last night.

Favorite Lines:

• “I propose we have Spaghetti Tuesdays every Wednesdays.  First, we have to find spaghetti.” — Hershel

 

Photo Credit:  Get Glue and AMC

Related:

http://allthingshorror666.wordpress.com/2013/11/11/the-walking-dead-internment/

The Walking Dead: Season 4, Episode 4 – “Indifference”

Carol‘s just gone?  At least she’s not dead.  She can (and I suspect will) come back.  I don’t think we’ll see her again at the prison.  I do think that something is going to happen to make the group have to leave the prison eventually and we’ll see Carol then.  Rick told her to find a new group and I bet that’s where we will see Carol again.

I wonder if exiling Carol is what Rick had in mind from the start of the trip or if spending the day with her is what prompted it?  She kept wanting to talk about what she did when Rick clearly didn’t, like picking at a scab that won’t heal.  It was clear from the look on Rick’s face that several of the things she said during the day disturbed him.  Rick, if anyone, should understand where she is now.  For a time, he was hard and cold, making difficult decisions.  Realizing he needed to rein it in for the sake of his kids brought back his humanity.  Carol doesn’t have a child anymore.  She’s not completely cold (she fixed Sams’ arm), she just does what she thinks is in the best interest of the group.  I think her blase attitude about Ana and Sam may have been what clinched it for Rick.

I also can’t believe Rick went off and left the sick people in the prison with only Maggie and Carl for protection.

It will be interesting to see what the reaction of the group is if Rick tells them the truth.  Tyreese will probably be mad because Rick let Carol go.  He very obviously wanted to deal out justice to the killer himself.  What qualifies as justice in times like that, though?  The rules of what’s right and wrong are so very different.  Carol did the wrong thing for all the right reasons.  She thought she was ending their suffering and protecting everyone else.  Does that mean she deserves to die?  Daryl was closest to Carol of anyone and he’s taken the time to get to know everyone else.  He’s tired of losing people and he wasn’t okay with the deaths of Karen and David when he didn’t know who did it.  How will he feel when he finds out it was Carol?  I feel like more people than Rick thinks will be okay with what Carol did.  They may not have the stomach to do it themselves but could see that it maybe needed to be done.

Bob and Tyreese are dangerous.  They are too unstable to go on runs.  Tyreese is volatile and unpredictable.  He lets his feelings get the better of him and endangers everyone else.  Like I said before, Bob is an alcoholic and the need for a drink gets in the way of his better sense.  I was so sure there was medicine in that bag he was so desperate to hang on to.  He could have gotten himself or someone else killed and then he threatened to pull a gun on Daryl.

Daryl staring Bob down like the alpha dog in a pack was great.  Bob cowed down to him just like a submissive dog would.  I’ll say again how far Daryl has come.  Before, he was content to follow along and help but he’s definitely stepped into the role of a leader.  He may even be a better leader than Rick.

Why did Sam and Ana split up?  What happened to Sam?

Someone said the veterinary school was about 50 miles from the prison.  Under normal circumstances, that would take 1 – 1 1/2 hours to drive.  Why did Michonne say it would take them seven hours to get home?

Favorite Lines:

• “You can be a farmer, Rick, you can’t just be a farmer.” — Carol
• “You take one sip before those meds get in our people, I will beat your ass into the ground.” — Daryl

Photo Credit:  Get Glue and AMC

 

Related:

http://allthingshorror666.wordpress.com/2013/11/06/the-walking-dead-up-to-episode-4/