This week, they raised the ridiculous bar. Charlie ran away, we have a new Rabbi character, there was a great ladder scene, and they weren’t prepared, as usual. My name is Kent, and for Fear The Walking Dead, I only ask 5 questions and some final thoughts to make this blog a little more compact your reading pleasure. 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. Now they have introduced a Rabbi (Jacob Kessner) who lost faith and had a story about his congregation. Let’s start off with a simple lighthearted question before the fun begins. Is the Rabbi a good addition to the show based on the first impression?
Bob: I enjoyed the addition but really, to what end is this addition? The rabbi is an interesting character. I felt like they tried very hard not making him like Gabe – over the top. (I can’t tell if I like the actor or the character more. That’s the issue with my rant is that I really enjoyed the guy. But, as you say, to what end?)
Raylene: My First impression is this storyline was similar to how we got to know Gabe in some aspects. Although the Rabbi is more of a badass then initial Gabe was. I am excited to see what they do with him. (Rabbi is definitely more badass than Gabe, initially. So maybe this guy can stick around to be as badass as Gabe currently is.)
Kent: Remember how in season 6 & 7 of TWD, they just started introducing an insane amount of characters and then most of the main characters suffered because their character development was reduced to a crawl and it took 3 seasons to go over like 2 weeks of real-time? I hope that Fear isn’t making that same mistake because it will get canceled. I have zero doubt. I say all of that to say that I like this guy. I like Wes. I like these new people, but you have to really put a cap on how many people you add.
Let’s compare this to grape Kool-Aid. So you put the Kool-Aid mix in and the requisite amount of sugar. Now you add water. Last season, they filled the container 92% up and shook it and it tasted amazing. This season, they weren’t paying attention and the water has started overflowing. Suddenly, the taste isn’t as potent, it’s very watered down. That’s what will happen to the characters that we like. They will get diluted.
So while I like this Rabbi, either add him or Wes. There’s no need for both, plus the girl and her son in the midseason premiere. We haven’t even had time for the Wendell, all those kids, or even much of Luciana and Daniel. Hell, I barely know anything about Logan so I am having a hard time disliking him, which should be a focus. And not to dwell, but I’ve already written an essay here. Look at the IMDB ratings for each episode this season. One episode from the first half got lower than a 7 out of 10 and it was a 6.8 and it deserved it because it was dumb. This half-season has the following ratings: 5.5, 6.8, 6.0, and a very early 7.0 which will absolutely go down a bit if history is to be believed. Some people need to get got to save the show.
2. Did it really make ANY sense for Charlie to have run away? Aside from needing a new story, of course.
Bob: I truly felt they just needed this aa a reason to pull the group apart. It seemed fake to me and Charlie’s acting almost agreed that it is contrived. (Hahaha, you’re right about her acting. Almost like “I can’t believe that they are making me do this.”)
Raylene: It was confusing I mean I know she wanted a safe home base. If she saw the light she should’ve told the others so they could’ve scoped it out together. (What? Why would somebody work within the group confines and not put themselves in imminent danger in the ZA? That’s just silly.)
Kent: Nope, not at all. She supposedly wanted a supportive loving group. Now she’s not happy with that. I swear that last year we were discussing if Charlie was potentially the evilest character. I’m starting to think about this. Her involvement isn’t great and it sucks because when she’s good, like with Daniel, I really enjoy her character. But this made no sense and now I fear for Daniel’s well-being.
3. Honestly, did you think that John and June’s ladder idea was a good idea?
Bob: Glenn. There are so many better ways to handle this. Liiiiikke drop the ladder, make some noise and go out the front doors. Garbage cans. (Hahahahaha. I miss Glenn.)
Raylene: I was yelling at the tv no way this truly works in real life. For one, the cars were just perfectly placed. No, that’s bs! Then the walkers all at their feet they would’ve been pulled down. Such freaking garbage. (How strong can those walkers realistically be? By now, most should be very rotted and have little strength. Of course, we see them grab and hold on tight all the time, so you aren’t wrong. Just sayin’.)
Kent: At first, I scoffed and was adamantly saying no. But then I remember that I once did a rope course and was incredibly agile for a man of approximately 350 pounds. I say that to say that this was quite doable. The only issue was the known cliche that someone was going to fall or slip or something was going to give way. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad, right Meatloaf? In all seriousness, I just double-checked to see if the same director did this and the Glenn episode. Shocking, one of the better directors in the TWD universe, Michael E. Satrazemis directed this. Yes, I know it is the writer’s fault anyway.
4. Has John and June become the best relationship couple in the Walking Dead universe, so far, in your opinion?
Bob: John is pretty weak in the relationship, just always wants to support her. It’s nice he has that love for her but it’s that kind of imbalance that will be their undoing. (The other big couples typically had better balance, so good call. At some point, he needs to say “This is the play we’re gonna make and I hope that you follow me on this one.” That would be nice.)
Raylene: I say I like Carol and The King the best. (I was really enjoying them. They may make a comeback, you never know.)
Kent: It’s not like they had much competition. I think it is safe to eliminate Shane & Lori, Rick & Lori, Beth& her boyfriend for that one episode, Governor & Andrea, Governor and Tara’s sister, Shane and Andrea, Carol & Ed, Bob & Sasha, Eugene & Negan’s wives, Carol & Tobin, Rick and the ghost of Lori, Rick & Jessie, Carl & Enid, Enid and what’s his face, Carol & Ezekiel, and Abe & Rosita. By my very accurate calculations, that leaves us with Rich & Michonne, Glenn & Maggie, and Abe & Sasha. Abe & Sasha didn’t last long enough, so they’re eliminated and both got got. Rick & Michonne reminded me of every super sports team that was too indestructible, except Rick is on a helicopter and Michonne is leaving this season and all that we have to show for it is a stupid child named RJ. FAIL!
That leaves us with Glenn & Maggie which were always the main competition. They started in season 2 and lasted until season 7 when Daryl decided to anger Negan and then Maggie got her own show that FAILed. I like John and June because they seem to be working well together, they do things together. Like, Glenn and Maggie rarely did missions together. So I’ll give it to John and June…….wait a minute. A new challenger has entered the fray. Sorry, Reg and Deeanna were the best couple. Fact.
5. Okay, let’s be serious here. Did the FTWD writers lose a bet where they had to recycle storylines from TWD? We are up to at least 4 this season and we have 4 more episodes remaining and I know I just saw 5 people on horseback in the preview which made me think of the Highwaymen. Is this season discouraging to you on some level?
Bob: The villain it’s weak, even with the preview. There’s no one to last hold of and follow, not even Daniel. Skid Mark needs a more pivotal role, person his own episode. Like he wakes after being neutered to find the world has gone to crap with zombies and he can’t find his son Carl. He already knew his woman-cat special lady friend was sleeping around…. (I don’t know where to begin to correct the first half of this response as I am not sure 100% what is trying to be said. This happens a lot, but usually, I try my best to cover it up. This is just funny. And I would love to see that Skid Mark story. I bet he has a best friend named Skid Shane.)
Raylene: Ye,s like come on! Make some different situations; be original would ya? This season has been blah to me. (It’s been a downer, especially since I was let down by GoT, this season could have really been huge.)
Kent: Yes, they clearly lost a bet. They probably have to include at least 5 or 6 callbacks to TWD this season. Maybe the Rabbi will have a beloved name for his gun. Maybe they will find a homosexual colony of really annoying characters that serve no purpose. Maybe Wes will go out on a run with Luciana and never be heard from again. Rest assured, we are getting at least one more call back to TWD this season.
Final Thoughts – Alright, let’s have your nominations for the GMA (Glenn Memorial Award) for the most inane aspect of this episode.
Bob: The painful ladder scene. It was overdone. They knew the fence was bad. How did a walker not grab the rope on the ladder? How did they never left the ladder? These West coast zombies don’t but when it’s right there in front of them and they stop at elevator doors that open with nothing but good on the other side…. (It’s always wrestling-level funny how the walkers will respond to certain circumstances, much like a ref. Sometimes certain noises or scents will attract. Other times, nope. And they don’t just automatically leave you alone if they are physically touching you just to check a sound.)
Raylene: The Ladder was just ridiculous I’m shaking my head as I write this. Ok so if the fuel tanker is so important why don’t you have it hooked up refueling when you are stopped for a period of time. If you have to get away quickly and far uh duh..,…. (It is incredible that in an episode with so many stupid things, wasted ammo, the fence, the perfectly placed cars, and the ladder, none of them seem as stupid as the tanker situation.)
Kent: Broken record alert, but what happened yet again? John and June have ammo, so why not just use it? At no point were they getting dragged anywhere. All they had to do was stomp on any of the walkers’ hands and there goes that threat. Why did they use so much ammo on walkers that weren’t huge threats? But that isn’t even my nomination this week. My nominee is how they didn’t have the tanker truck refueled as soon as they settled down knowing full well that if Logan’s men found them, that the plan was for them to go out alone while everybody else went to the rendezvous point. Seriously, the whole plan is based on knowing that the tanker needs to be at maximum capacity in case bad things happen. I just don’t get it!!!!
I didn’t really see many opportunities to do any YouTube videos this week. Normally, I have too many. With that being said, I am going to post the end credits song to The Graveyard Shift. This is not to be confused with Afroman’s “Graveyard Shift” song. I don’t own the rights to this video, as you well know. Give credit to the rightful owners. Yeah.