This week, Daryl and Connie babysat Henry and Lydia while Beta reached a chokepoint. The other major story involved Carol making a deal with the Highwaymen. My name is Kent, and I ask 5 weekly questions and then people answer them. Any comments in BOLD are written by me. I hope you enjoy and if you or someone you know may want to do this blog, contact me, leave a comment, whatever. The contact info is at the bottom of this blog.
1. So the “Highwaymen” are now a thing. They must be a fan of films. Tell me what you think about this new group and the confrontation with The Kingdom.
Bob: I really enjoyed this interaction. They are a weaker group, and Carol read that. Carol hasn’t gotten soft, just read these folks. They are desperate for some normalcy, and frankly, being invited I to a community was more important to them. The movie was an excuse. (I think Carol continues to be the second smartest character in the show, and that’s a pretty big compliment. Eugene is still numero uno because of reasons.)
Raylene: I thought really!! That is what makes a group back down from doing a massacre a promise of a movie. (Yeah, but it truly depends on the movie. What if it’s Showgirls?)
Chris: I thought it was great. Carol has certainly changed a lot. In the
Kent: This was a good little story. It keeps The Kingdom in our minds. That was something I had been concerned with earlier in the season. I really like the leader of the Highwaymen, great voice. Carol needs at least one episode per season where we see her continued evolution. I am sure I could make that list if needed. I am too lazy at the moment, but if you have been watching the show…..awwww hell, here’s the list. Season 1 obviously doesn’t count too much, we need to see her evolution beyond.
For Season 2, Ep 4 – Cherokee Rose or Ep 5 Chupacabra – She started to come out of her shell.
In Season 3, it’s Ep 2 – Sick – This is where Carol really learns how to start defending herself.
Season 4 Ep 4 – Indifference – Rick exiles Carol because she tried to stop the spread of infection in the prison, and she owned it.
I’d go with Season 5 Ep 1 – No Sanctuary – Carol completely took out Terminus and absolutely her biggest episode to date, and one of the best episodes of the series.
Season 6 Ep 2 – JSS & Ep13 – The Same Boat – JSS was the Wolves episode which was Carol at her absolute best, saving Alexandria practically singlehandedly. The Same Boat was when Carol and Maggie were taken by some female Saviors at an outpost.
Season 7 Ep 13 – Bury Me Here – Benjamin is killed by the Saviors and they rush to Carol’s for medical help and she starts to work herself out of her funk.
Season 8 Ep 4 – Some Guy – You could argue for ep 14 due to her talks with Morgan in passing on what she learned from her alone time, but Ep4 was probably better. The Kingdom got mostly taken out with raiding an outpost and Carol just owned the Saviors.
2. At this point, does Daryl plan on backpacking across America with Connie and the young lovers? Seriously, what is his plan, in your opinion?
Bob: I am a little lost as to what Daryl is talking about. Maybe he figures they will die off? Or he has a thing for Connie… (I think the former more than the latter. Daryl seems like a dude that is fine with
Raylene: I figure he is just trying to keep all the communities safe by not having Lydia in any of them. Perhaps he stays close enough to keep an eye out for if or when the Whisperers are neutralized. (I think he is aware enough to try to keep the communities all safe. Obviously, we will learn more about the scars which may answer this question more thoroughly.)
Chris: Sure sounds like it. I think they are heading to Kingdom, but Daryl just hasn’t said it. It would explain why Connie is confused since she doesn’t even know about
Kent: I am unsure if Daryl has an exact plan, which would line up well with his character. Right now, he is in survival and saving mode. It’s very much focused on the present and not 2 days from now. Maybe he does have a plan. I wouldn’t bet on it being more than 5 days from now. There hasn’t been a ton of time to strategize. He is with a motley crew and he is stuck being their Dr. Feelgood.
3. Are you starting to like Henry and Lydia?
Bob: Lydia looks like my sister in law. Lydia is cool but Henry should die in an awesome way that redeems his annoying adolescence. (Yeah, I have nothing to add other than I want this to happen ASAP!)
Raylene: Not yet but maybe in the near future. I will only have to like one team: Henry death. (OK, so still hating on poor Henry. Good on you.)
Chris: Lydia is fantastic. The actress playing her is doing a great job. I just still can’t stand Henry. Plus he got owned by a random whisperer. Morgan would be so disappointed. Carl would have wrecked all of them, except Beta…. (Morgan would have to look away in disappointment. I have been thinking about Carl vs Beta. Sadly, I spend too much time considering “fantasy matchups” in the TWD universe. I want to say that Carl would be fast enough to make it really good, but I think Beta wins that one as well.)
Kent: I have seen Twilight. I hated Twilight. So now we have Henry Cullen and Lydiabella here and this is just not fun for me. Henry is just so bad and Lydia is so good. Lydia’s best scene was with Dog, this week. Jar Jar Henry simply cannot win. If I run out of questions for next week’s episode, I would like to know what Henry could do to make himself tolerable. What series of events could occur that would get you on Team Henry?
4. Will Beta get his vengeance in any capacity? If yes, give me your idea.
Bob: bye bye Henry.
(I don’t own any of the rights to this video, obviously. Here’s the legal info that I could find:)
Licensed to YouTube by SME (on behalf of Legacy Recordings); LatinAutor, Kobalt Music Publishing, ASCAP, AMRA, UMPI, and 20 Music Rights Societies
Raylene: Yes Beta chops Daryl’s arm off (That would just spark more rumors that Daryl is gay due to Aaron’s arm situation.)
Chris: Probably, but it won’t be Daryl. I hate to say it, but I bet Beta kills Dog. (Yeah, great Chris, that was going to be my response. Way to force me to try to be creative. Animals don’t fare well in the ZA and this will get more heat on Beta and may help Henry a bit.)
Kent: I definitely think that Dog is gon get got. Connie would also be a great choice. I say that because she’s a really beloved character now that most fans cheer on. This gets heat on Beta and also extends Daryl’s partner streak.
5. Do you wish that we got an episode revisiting Magna’s group’s journey?
Bob: No, I’d rather stick to the story. It is holding my attention on a few threads. (What color are the threads? You need to get to sewing.)
Raylene: I think they have done a good job so far giving us random tidbits of the groups journey. (In the words of Dave Bautista, I want AMC to “Give me what I want.”)
Chris: I don’t think I need Magna and co. backstory. I’m sure bad stuff happened, but they are not crazy or anything. They seem to have assimilated well and some of them are already important characters on the show. (It’s really a credit to Angela Kang and the writers as to how quickly and smoothly this group was assimilated. Compare it to how awkward Tyrese’s group was or the leftovers from Woodbury. They really did a great job.)
Kent: I wish AMC would go back to having short webisodes. If we could have gotten tidbits in shorter doses, that would have worked really well. The same could be said for other groups at various points in time. I think it is a missed opportunity to use internet videos to get more viewers to the website. A full episode isn’t needed, but I would like something. That is my compromise.
Final Thoughts – What are you looking forward to more: finding out the answers about the scars or the upcoming big season finale death/massacre?
Bob: Massacre. Period.
Raylene: I have to say the scars. We know that some big major deaths have been expected with this massacre for awhile now.
Chris: As much as I want to know about the scars, you know it’s the pikes.
Kent: I gotta go with the scars. There’s no wrong answer here. I prefer seeing a mystery solved, in this instance. This story will make so many things whole, finally. The massacre will be season-defining. It could very well outdo “The Negan Lineup”, but I have my doubts. Still, it will be unforgettable. I have been waiting months to learn what has Michonne so pissed off, and I’m hours away from finding out.
We hope that you enjoyed this chokepoint episode. Still, I fully admit that I have been overlooking these very good episodes in anticipation of learning about the scars. Finally, my friend Bitty sent me this image, which is pretty comical.
