This was a huge episode and required a bigger blog. I apologize to Bob, Raylene, and Chris for what amounts to be almost twice as much blog. This was the big episode that we have been waiting for, and it delivered. Mainly because the two worst characters ended up decapitated
1. King Ezekiel and Siddiq made great speeches in this episode. Which one did you prefer and why?
Bob: Siddiq’s speech. I truly believe because it was AFTER….
Raylene: They both inspired the people but Siddiq showed us that in the face of this horrible tragedy that it would be easy to give up and be fearful but that’s not going to make them survive in this world now. Virginia Strong because that’s what we do when something happens let’s not forget the hashtags and T shirts of this Virginia Strong fuck yeah…
Chris: Siddiq. They did a lot of closeups of his eyes. He did a great job of showing fear and resolve.
Kent: Normally I would try to make a compelling argument for the one not chosen, in this case, Ezekiel’s, but Siddiq’s was possibly the best one in the show’s history. Ezekiel mentioned Rick and Carl, and it was amazing, a top 10 for this show. Yes, this show gave me two of my favorite TWD ever. The thing that I must say about Siddiq’s speech is that his was insanely passionate, but more importantly, his speech had the advantage of being able to see that fight. I admit, seeing Carol react to Henry did nothing to me on an emotional scale, but Siddiq’s speech did get me for a second on my second watching. The first time, I was too elated.
2. They did the boundary reveal in this episode. Would you have preferred the reveal in the season finale in TWD traditional fashion, or did you like this strategy better? We may still get a season finale death. What percentage or odds do you think that it’s likely? For example, I think it is 92% likely that someone dies in the season finale, although that number may alter between now and the time I post this.
Bob: I really like the way this episode rolled out. It was shocking and I marvelled at the end. I’m not convinced anyone important will die.
Raylene: This was definitely different compared to anything I kinda liked it no cliffhangers must know now. I saw perhaps there will be two big name deaths just don’t know who it will be I don’t want to state the obvious rumors.
Chris: I like that they did the deaths in this episode. The pikes don’t cause the whisperer war. A bunch of stuff happens after. I don’t want this to drag out like the war with the saviors. Plus we don’t have to wait months to see how everyone is coping.
Kent: This is a stupid question, Kent. I can’t really say until I see the season finale. I like that they tried something different. Not many seasons offer so many “must see” episodes. This one provided, at minimum, 6. The season premiere, Rick’s finale, midseason finale with Jesus’ death, Scars, this episode, and season finale. SO that is a big plus. I don’t think that we will get a major character death, but we can still afford to lose someone like Gage. I’ll go with 80%.
3. Okay, I think it is safe to say that Alpha is officially the most ruthless person on the show as of yet. What was Alpha’s ultimate scene this week? There are many including: Alpha with Lydia, Alpha crying and stabbing the Whisperer, her chat with Ezekiel, her chat with Daryl, the slaughter scene at the end, or perhaps something else.
Bob: I and most people knew that the Alpha had to kill the interloper. It’s the move of a person desperate to maintain power and control, under fear.
Raylene: I do enjoy her chat with The King just showed how she could just blend into a community so well no questions raised. The killing on the fellow Whisperer was definitely good too. You can’t show any emotions in the animal kingdom, that’s weakness.
Chris: To be honest, every scene was great. Alpha has gotten better and better each episode. My favorite was when she cried and killed the whisperer. It really helped sell that she understands to be the “alpha” she can’t let people see her emotions. It also showed that despite how deranged she is, she does love her daughter. I also liked when she spoke to Daryl and said she hopes they can protect Lydia.
Kent: This was the Alpha episode. How often does a character get this many great scenes? The Ezekiel scene was my favorite because it genuinely made me fear for Ezekiel’s life, and just seeing her morph was awesome. The crying was also really solid.
4. Connie and Kelly had a conversation that led us to believe something happened with Connie and a baby in the past. Do you think that this may be explained later? Do you have a theory on what happened in the past?
Bob: Forgive me. BORING. The world has moved on! (No, you’re right. It’s been 9-10 years of the ZA. What’s done is done.)
Raylene: Originally I thought she had a child and perhaps lost it like the way Michonne did. Now I’m leaning towards her and Kelly suffered child abuse when they were younger. Perhaps there was a third sibling that died by the hands of a trusted adult they couldn’t protect.
Chris: It might be, but I don’t think it needs to be. It depends on if they become very important characters. I think Connie is already on her way there. I can only assume they were abandoned or foster kids.
Kent: I think it will get explained because things like that aren’t said without being explained or elaborated upon later on. I think they dealt with bad things as kids rather than as adults, well aside from the whole zombie apocalypse.
5. Yumiko went with Carol, Daryl, and Michonne. Did that seem like an odd choice for the show? Will we ever see how Magna survived? She was part of a group that got attacked, right?
Bob: I don’t think it was odd, I think they are trying to raise up new characters.
Raylene: I didn’t think she was didn’t Alpha just pull people from the fair. I thought Alpha said the group that went to Hilltop was safe. I think Yumiko was just a body filler not too many main characters left.
Chris: I felt that the only reason they did that was so we could see that Yumiko and Magna are an item. I don’t think we will see a backstory on Magna, unless Gimple takes over again. Then we’ll get 4 episodes on it…. (Your thoughts are terrifying. Just say no to Gimple.)
Kent: I am unsure about whether Magna’s group was attacked or not, but I feel like they were, possibly. Realistically, how far away were the Highwaymen and the group Magna was in when the attack happened? I read somewhere that Yumiko was supposedly the leader of her group, but I always felt it was Magna, so I felt that Magna and Yumiko should have reversed. Plus Magna and Michonne have already had chats and whatnot.
6. Michonne had Gabriel sign the charter instead of her. Was this just a good gesture on Michonne’s part, or is this foreshadowing bigger things to come for Gabe? Also, did anybody else find it funny that Carol signed it as Queen Carol?
Bob: This was a good gesture, to the utmost. I laughed when I saw Queen Carol. That was sweet of her. She has bought into the Kingdom.
Raylene: I think Michonne sees Gabe as her head counsel and he’s invaluable to the progression of Alexandria. Finally Carol has accepted herself as the Queen too bad she can’t keep kids alive that get close to her.
Chris: I think it was just a gesture. I thought Carol’s signature was funny, if only shiva was alive to put her paw print on it.
Kent: Sure it was a kind gesture, but I think it’s definitely a sign of things to come. Hell, I’m not sure if Michonne is all that great of a leader. I thought the Queen Carol thing was the funniest thing in this episode, not that this episode required much humor. Jerry with Judith was also funny to me.
7. Okay, I have stalled enough. Let’s talk about the heads on a stick. Which one(s) surprised you the most? Are there characters that you were surprised that didn’t end up on a stick?
Bob: I never saw Henry coming. I was underwhelmed with Tara. I think I may have wanted to see her death. Once more, she died heroically… I was not happy at all about Enid.
Raylene: None really surprised me I cheered when I saw Tara. I feel none of the characters were essential in the progression of the show.
Chris: Enid. I guess only because she didn’t get much screen time this season. Usually a lot of screen time equals death. I am glad Ezekiel wasn’t one of them. I think he’s a character than can be explored a lot more.
Kent: Frankie, duh. Wait, who was Frankie? Henry and Enid both really surprised me. Henry more so because I thought that they wouldn’t just leave Lydia alone after all of this. Who is she gonna bond with? Daryl is my assumption. Maybe Carol and Ezekiel will try to take her under their wings. Enid was the only one that really upset me.
8. Do you think a bigger named character should have been on there to add impact? DId this lineup provide enough impact to you? Aside from killing off two annoying characters and a bunch of red shirts, I think a lot of people expected a different out, so talk about it.
Bob: Redshirts! Yay! I enjoyed the effect of the lineup.
Raylene: The lineup was lackluster for me. Bigger impact The King, Daryl, Michonne, Eugene, Gabe, Siddiq and Enid that would leave them with no doctors huge one would’ve been Judith.
Chris: I don’t think you always have to kill a “main character” every time. It was definitely impactful. The way the revealed the deaths and the reactions were spot on. The only thing I didn’t like was that they showed Lydia running to Ezekiel, which meant you knew Henry was dead before they actually showed it. If anything, it showed how dangerous Alpha really is. They were able to infiltrate a fair, kidnap and kill 10 people, and leave without anyone knowing. I also am slightly annoyed that they introduced the highwaymen basically to kill them.
Kent: I would have killed off another big name. I’m quite surprised that Magna’s group went unscathed. I truly thought Ezekiel or Jerry was going to be up there and provide some true hate for the Whisperers. Right now, I can’t possibly hate them. I really thought Rosita was also gonna go because she’s got the long time connection, but I guess Tara and her came around the same time frame, so that was the alternative. I just don’t see Tara as an impact character, and I know that she is, but this was so nice.
9. I didn’t anticipate the reveal this week. As I was watching, I was making a list so that we could make a game out of this, with some predictions. We now know the names and faces. Still, just for fun, Kentertain me for a moment. Here are the pairings. If they had held off on the reveal, who would you have chosen in each pairing to lose their heads? Have fun with this!
- Luke or Alden
- Tara or Rachel
- Jerry or Ezekiel
- Earl or Tammy
- Gage or Rodney
- Connie or Dog
- Siddiq or Gabe
- Henry or Lydia
Bob: A) Luke, B) Rachel, because Tara cannot die, C) Jerry because I love him so, D) Tammy because she got a new baby to care for, E) Rodney, F) Connie, because only Carol lives being close to Daryl, G) Siddiq, gotta keep killing off doctors, H) Henry because he stole Lydia.
Raylene: Alden,Tara, Jerry, Earl, Rodney,Connie, Siddiq, Henry
Chris: A). Alden. Let’s be honest…. wasn’t he supposed to be Maggie’s love interest? They didn’t know what to do after Maggie left, so threw him in a relationship with Enid. (Yeah, I have been thinking that as well.)
B). Tara. Because I have been waiting for this since the prison. Her character sucked so much, she never felt like a part of her show to me.
C) Tara (sorry got sidetracked) This one is mean. Jerry because I like Ezekiel too much.
D) Tammy. Earl is too important.
E) Rodney.
F) Dog. This is more because Connie has been my favorite newcomer, which I was not expecting. Plus Daryl would have cried and his face when he cries is hilarious.
G) Siddiq. He’s a doctor. Need I say more?
H). Henry. I find Lydia so much more interesting. It’s nothing against the kid that plays Henry, but he was just shoehorned in as Carl’s replacement and it didn’t take.
Kent: A) Alden – I totally didn’t think that Enid was gonna get it. B) By the end, I went with Tara despite being the 4th leader of Hilltop being killed this year. Rachel didn’t do enough and wasn’t super paranoid. She’s also useless. C) Ezekiel because of him chatting with Alpha. “My name is Debbie” was a terrifying moment. I really thought he would be the big reveal because he offered Daryl a place to live. D) Tammy only because Earl serves a huge purpose, or at least did, as the blacksmith. E) Gage only so I could make the Pet Sematary joke that has probably already been referenced by the time that you read this. Still, Jud Crandall saying “Is that you Gage?” will always make me happy. F) Dog because pets do as well in this show as doctors do. G) Siddiq mainly because him and Ezekiel, along with Judith, seem to be the ones trying to keep Carl’s dream a possibility. H) Lydia was my guess here. I honestly didn’t think that they would do Carol like that.
Bonus Deuce – Sorry, but this was a HUGE episode with tons of ramifications.
1. Lydia has now been taken in by the group. Will anybody blame her for what happened? Will Lydia seek vengeance against the Whisperers? Most importantly, if Lydia had yelled when her and Alpha were talking, would Alpha have killed her daughter?
Bob: I will say no blame will be laid at her feet. Maybe she seeks vengeance if it lands in her lap. No, Alpha would have disappeared in a crowd of confusion.
Raylene: Yes people will blame her and shit some should blame Daryl for bringing her back. Again Daryl causes deaths Glenn…. I don’t think Alpha would’ve killed Lydia perhaps but perhaps she’s maim her. How about slice her tongue off.
Chris: I think Carol will have some resentment, but Ezekiel will get through to her. I don’t think she’ll seek vengeance, but she will go back into her shell because she will blame herself. And yes, if Alpha had to, pretty sure she’ll kill anyone.
Kent: I can see someone like Michonne or Alden being a jerk to Lydia. I think Lydia knows vengeance would be a terrible idea, considering her knowledge of the group. I don’t think that Alpha would have killed Lydia. This is one that I am probably wrong on, but based on everything that the show has given us, I don’t think that she would.
2. We have all seen the previews for the season finale, I hope. If not, visit AMC’s website. Things have gone so badly that it appears that the group is making a trek in the snow and vacating the Kingdom. Do you have any ideas how things get THAT bad? It seems like a very big situation.
Bob: Maybe the new trade route is too difficult and I would believe that supplies are a major problem.
Raylene: Andre Linoge comes for a visit. That’s all I need to say. (I saw a name with an A and an L and though that the real life Andy Lincoln would randomly join the show, which made me laugh.)
Chris: Blizzards are bad. I have to assume it’s mostly supply related. Kingdom had mentioned several times they were low.
Kent: The supply situation feels like a given. But they had been surviving for 6 years, so something has to be different. I think the border is the bigger issue.
Final Thoughts – We now know that Winter is coming, both on AMC and HBO. Give any bold predictions for what you anticipate seeing in the season finale. Also, the other big reveal happened and I didn’t get around to asking about. The movie was “Quack-A-Doodle-Doo”. Did you enjoy this choice?
Raylene: I was pretty sure the movie cartoon showed a beheading so that was interesting. I would’ve also like some type of looney tune cartoons as well
Kent: Well obviously I expect to see a White Walker in both shows. I am super excited to see this group dealing with weather issues. They tried the weather route on Fear and that storm really wasn’t the story that it could have been. I think that the snow will be a big part of this and I am a big fan of what Angela Kang has done so far. I have faith that this will be good. I haven’t felt this kind of excitement in a while in regard to this show. A nice fresh look
