Welcome back to the only Walking Dead blog that adds a 9 Deuce gimmick. I am your host, Kent, and this week I am joined by Bob and Briana. So far, I am digging this half season of the show, and fully expect this coming week to be solid. But before we can get to that, let’s talk about the week that was. Any comments in bold are from me.
In case you aren’t familiar with this blog, I ask 9 questions that are episode specific and then 2 bonus ones that can be anything Walking Dead related. If you like what we do, please check out the Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/9deuceblog/. You can also follow us on Twitter @official9deuce and Instagram which is also Official9Deuce. Finally, if you want to email me because all of those options weren’t charming enough, write me at Kent@9deuce.com. Sorry, I hate all of this promotion as much as anyone else. Finally, this is a stain on my buddy Tom’s floor at work. I felt that you needed to see this.
The 9
- Was Richard’s idea about killing Saviors and leading them to Carol a good idea or bad idea, in the grand scheme of things? As he said “What we have to do requires sacrifice one way or the other.”
Bob: Bad idea. A life isn’t worth it to bring a plan to fruition that already has a low likelihood of occurring. Which reminds me of the car scene from the previous episode. (Bonus points for mocking last week’s nonsense!)
Briana: Of course we don’t want it to be the right thing because it’s Carol. So my emotional side wants to say no it’s a terrible plan but the reality is yes it’s a good plan for what he’s wanting to accomplish. It would absolutely work the way he hopes and get Ezekiel on board with joining the resistance. (You’re right, it does accomplish some things. I feel it’s one of those things that still wouldn’t have worked out well, no matter what.)
Kent: In theory, yes. The whole “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” applies here. Every once in awhile, someone is so exceptional though, that they are just too important. On top of that, Richard is showing that he is too much of a hothead and not good at being clever in his attack. His heart is in the right place, but his execution is garbage. Now if you told me that Carol and Daryl were going to be a 2 person wrecking crew, or Rick and Michonne, that would make more sense because they work well together. Whoever dies from the Kingdom isn’t as important as Carol, aside from Ezekiel. Remember, Carol rescued everybody from Terminus.
- Out of the 3 animal statues that we saw at the Scavenger’s base, which did you prefer: the cat, the rooster, or the pig?
Bob: The cat because it was the only one I remember!
Briana: To be honest, I believe I missed the rooster and pig! Haha! I’m sure I saw it but can’t remember what they look like so I have to go with the cat. Additionally it was super fun that Rick grabbed it for Michonne! I hope I’m right about the reference bc I had to explain to the rest of the household about the restaurant she and Carl went to where she found that funky cat. (It was during season 3, when Rick was still iffy about Michonne and they found crazy Morgan at the time. So you are correct.)
Kent: The pig was cool, but I guess I enjoyed the rooster. Really, this is what I am resorting to for questions?
- Why do the Scavengers talk so oddly? In theory, they are normal people who have survived this long in the zombie apocalypse, but they don’t seem to be foreigners or millennials.
Bob: Yeah they seem to have created their own culture based on their experiences and environment. They are on the line of being a cult, order they are. (It seems a tad odd that they have developed this in such a short time, but I concur with you.)
Briana: My theory on that is that they just became so used to this lifestyle over the past few years that they eventually turned completely over to the “we don’t bother” thing, Including complete sentences! Haha! (Hmmm, a society of lazy asses. That’s something that I can totally get…)
Kent: I know that the writers and or producers wish to give each group a unique enough identity, but the lack of full sentences was breaking my balls. Then the “up up up”, which I know people want to make a Stranger Things reference, so I will go with the Contra code reference instead. Janis almost talked normally, almost. These names, like what the hell? I feel that this was the epitome of style over substance. On the plus side, Polly McIntosh is awesome, and I have seen her in many things, including Exam, Let Us Prey (with the dude who plays Davos in Game of Thrones), and The Woman, which is a neat film. Glad to see her on board.
- Was Winslow, the spiky walker, the toughest walker to kill, as of this episode? If you say no, explain yourself. Also, shouldn’t Rick be in constant pain given all the injuries that he has suffered over this relatively short period of time?
Bob: No. Every person’s 1st Walker is probably the hardest to kill. There are two factors that play into this… first getting over the killing of another person albeit, they are dead it is still quite a hurdle. Second, the actually physically hardest to kill, which is Winslow, due to “add-ons” that other Walkers do not get the benefit of having. (I hadn’t considered that, but you are right. Also, we are led to believe that as walkers age, they are more “frail” so the earlier ones should have been more difficult.)
Briana: Yeah I definitely think it was one of the toughest walkers we’ve seen, maybe in the series! It really took a lot of thinking for them to come up with how to take him out. I was wondering why he didn’t consider just trying to get one of the posts out of it and use it. And I absolutely think Rick’s injuries are far fetched! In fact when he climbed out of the pit, I said “and two weeks later Rick died of infection” because come on! These guys haven’t dealt with any kind of problems from scrapes and cuts the way I believe they would if this were a reality. (This nonsense with how easily and fast that people heal, namely Rick, is mind boggling. I’m still trying to find out if scratches will, or ever did kill a person in this show.)
Kent: On one hand, you want to say yes, because it looks intimidating and appears very dangerous. Then you see it get taken out by pillows, and it doesn’t seem so scary. I will offer the walker that Abe and Eugene find in episode 14 of season 6, the one covered in lead, I believe. Also, the one in season 2, episode 11, the one who killed Dale was pretty bad ass considering how strong it was. Fortunately, Janis shoving Rick brought back great memories of The Stand when Stu Redman tumbled down the embankment. Seriously, pillows!
- Is Carol the linchpin to Rick’s group overcoming the Saviors? We have now heard some references about how Carol would have done this or that if she knew the truth.
Bob: Yes, as I have answered in a previous blog, she is the trigger for the Kingdom and Alexandria coming together.
Briana: I really think Carol would be a huge asset to the plan to take out the Saviors but is she completely vital? No. And I don’t say this lightly. Carol is my GIRL! But she’s not in the same mind frame she was when she took out Terminus. As much as it drove me insane, Darryl did the right thing not telling her about Glenn and everything else. We all have phases in our lives and right now, Carol can’t handle what’s happening around her. She will come back from this but I don’t think it will be right now. And they will do just fine with their new alliances. (Assuming they are able to confirm those)
Kent: It’s either her or Eugene. There is another obvious person that I won’t say, but maybe next week, it becomes more clear. Whatever Carol does will have some impact and meaning. Whether she lives or dies, it will have a big impact. I think the answer is yes.
- If Daryl and Carol ever hook up, or “shipped” for you braindead millennials, will that result in one of them dying soon thereafter, or would they be a power couple like Rick and Michonne, or Richonne for those of you with female body parts who watch the E! Network?
Bob: No one would die, so after Negan is over we can have Ezekiel pissed at the Alexandrians… long shot! (Man, that’s a reality show just waiting to happen. It would be interesting. In the books, Ezekiel and Michonne have a thing going, kind of, so with that obviously not happening, lots of possibilities exist.)
Briana: hmmmmmm…. I try not to actually consider the 2 of them hooking up. Haha! In the beginning I thought it would be cool but let’s face it, she’s AT LEAST 10-15 years older than he is. They have an extremely special bond but I don’t think it’s romantic. If it were going to be, it would’ve been by now. But to humor you, (hehe) I think they’d have to be a power couple. They’re both such important characters to the story at this point that it would be wayyyyy too much to put them together and then kill one of them. (I immediately had to look it up. She has less than 4 years on him. I’m as shocked as you are. Those years with Ed has aged her horribly.)
Kent: They have had so many opportunities to have Daryl and Carol hook up, practically every season since the second season. From Daryl looking for Sophia and saving Carol from the farm herd in season 2, to her bringing him food and wanting to fool around and him finding her in the prison in 3, to her and him flirting in the first episode of season 4, to her and him going to find Beth and being alone together in the building in season 5, to her and him having that last talk before she took off, the teasing has always been there. It seems like one of those plot devices that as soon as they finally give in, one will die because that’s what TWD does.
- Choose one. Who’s more right: Rosita (wanting to go out and get the guns now and finish this deal) or Tara (wanting to go back home to regroup and get healed)? Pick one, do not go in the middle because that shows a lack of reading comprehension and that you are probably a horrible person to go to a restaurant with, with your indecisiveness.
Bob: I am bad to go to a restaurant with. Tara, though. (You were always a treat to go to Friendly’s with.)
Briana: LMAO!! Honestly I see both sides so your question cracks me up but I know how to choose a side when necessary! As much as it pains me to say (because at this point I can’t stand either of them) I’ll go with Tara. While it is very important that they go out and find guns for the deal, they’ve been out for too long for what’s happening right now. They need to check the situation with the Saviors, Rick is injured, they need a plan, and where the hell has Judith been? Someone should check on the baby! However, I have to add that if Rosita wants to break off and go look on her own for a while, that’s completely justifiable and beneficial. But they just can’t ALL go out searching right now. (I could get behind Rosita going to scavenge, maybe bring Carl. Out of anybody in the group, she wouldn’t yell at Carl, I don’t think.)
Kent: In theory, Tara is right, but everybody just magically heals pretty easily, think about all of Rick’s cuts and stabs and shots, and whatever else, all over the course of like 3 years. So knowing that, Rosita is right, and I love her bitchy attitude at the moment. If only she had killed Tara, I would have been more pumped. Also, where’s Heath?
- Rick noted that Tara had been further out than anyone else. Do you think that we will see Oceanside or any of their members this season?
Bob: Maybe at the end?
Briana: Oh absolutely. This whole thing was a lead up to going back to Oceanside. Simply the fact that they wanted guns in the first place was a hint to me. Where else in this mess would they find guns for them? I don’t think it will be pretty by any means but there’s no where else to look. (I swear, we need a damn map, like Game of Thrones has. We have so many extra groups on the show that aren’t covered in the comics and I have no idea how many more are out there. The books kept it simple with Alexandria, Sanctuary, Hilltop, and Kingdom.)
Kent: I hope not. The group itself despises Tara and wants her dead, but also hates the Saviors. The motivation is there, and women power, and Ghostbusters 2016, fuck, most likely they will, and I will start bitching and moaning. I wish Negan and Lucille would just rape all of them to death. That would be the greatest episode ever.
- Why is Daryl leaving The Kingdom and going back to the Hilltop?
Sorry to cut Bob off, but listen to this music while thinking about the scene. You’re welcome.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzMSfaNXYZg
Bob: Daryl isn’t Daryl following orders or going along with the program. He’s leaving because he is not an idle person, ever. (SO what you’re saying is that he’s the antithesis of me?)
Briana: Because he’s an idiot who likes to put people in danger! Lol! No I honestly don’t know what the game plan is. I think he’s just not the type to sit around and wait for things to happen or wait to be told to do so. This is his way of jumping in and doing something even if it is the worst possible idea he’s ever had. (He does have a history of putting people in danger with his secondary storylines. There are actually quite a few, but the obvious one is staying around Woodbury for Merle.)
Kent: Honest reason is that it’s for drama and to give Daryl his own story so the ladies can continue to swoon. The reality is that it serves no purpose. He knows that the Hilltop people are willing to fight, and I can see that he could potentially help train them, but that place is terribly unsafe with Gregory in charge, and the Saviors do come inside the Hilltop. He is way safer in the Kingdom, and he has a job, which is to wear Ezekiel down. So Daryl is just being as dumb as Richard is. He’s not thinking clearly.
Bonus Deuce – The past 10 days, I have binge watched most of the TWD franchise, and it has gotten me thinking quite a bit, so let’s analyze a bit.
- Who has hurt Alexandria the most since we first laid eyes upon the settlement: A) The Wolves (The slaughter), B) The Saviors (Abe, Glenn, Denise, Olivia, Spencer, taking supplies), C) The Walkers (Various deaths, plus the herd that killed Deanna, Carter, Jessie, Sam, and Ron, plus Carl’s eye), or D) Rick’s Group (How much of this happens if Rick’s group never goes to Alexandria, Pete would be alive, Morgan would be wandering, Aiden, Nicholas, and Reg may still be alive)?
Bob: E. The original Alexandrians.
Briana: Though all of these things have been devastating to Alexandria, I have to still go with the Saviors. They aren’t just killing some people, they’re finding every possible way to make their lives hell along with killing people. They’re taking away what little comfort they have, most of their food and ways to defend themselves. They’ve taken away their security where everything else has been manageable and there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.
Kent: I have spent hours thinking about this. It’s not D nor C. The Wolves present an interesting argument, so I will make it as Bri has done the Saviors one. We know that the Wolves killed at least 10 people, probably closer to 20. They were no name people by and large, people that we didn’t have an attachment to. Most of these people were not like Liam Neeson in Taken, they probably didn’t have a particular set of useful skills. But I think the Wolves caused, BY FAR, the most amount of deaths. Deaths of people that could have been trained. If you look at the Kingdom, they are training. Back at Herschel’s farm, Shane trained them. Had you not lost say 10 people, that could be 10 more people to help fight and scavenge, or learn medical stuff because they need medics. They need a new hairdresser. Yes, losing Abe was HUGE, as was Denise. Glenn was to an extent as he was great at scavenging, but he was kinda acting like a bitch towards the end. It really comes down to this, if The Wolves kill count was 15 or more, then I pick them, otherwise I go with Saviors due to Abe and Denise.
- Honestly, what purpose did the Wolves serve?
Bob: Removing the security and lack of preparedness of Alexandria.
Briana: For me, it was like just a brutal way to bring Morgan back. They find him, he keeps them alive and then they kill a bunch of Alexandrians. Otherwise, it seems they’re done and didn’t do a whole lot of anything. Maybe to also be the beginnings of Morgan seeing the fault in his life is precious bullshit. I saw no real purpose so I’m reaching for what I can! Lol!
Kent: I hate to get wordy, especially after my last response, but I must. Let’s go back to season 5, episode 9. Beth had just died. Noah want to go check on his old community, and in the process, Tyrese dies. While that is happening, Rick, Glenn, and Michonne say that going to DC is still the right call, and it’s about 100 miles from there. Shortly after, they discover walker bodies with the W carved in. So the Wolves were there. Our group travels north to Alexandria, 8.5 miles away from DC, so they traveled approximately 90 miles. Somehow, they end up right near where The Wolves ended up setting up shop. HOW CONVENIENT? Seriously? Bob is right, and really it’s that plus to add drama, and to show how much of a bad ass Carol is. It was also a device to get Morgan’s backstory and to see the why behind his “all life is precious” philosophy, which is what Bri brought up. The thing is, not all of the Wolves died. We never got closure. It’s worse than never getting closure on Morales or the Vatos in season 1. We never got closure on the boy and the girl that were with Lizzie and Mika when they grabbed Judith as Governor was attacking the prison with a tank. That boy and girl were never seen or mentioned ever again. The Walking Dead is chock full of convenient plot devices and alas, this was one of them, and it could have been so much cooler, but it came and went with a whimper rather than a bang.
Thank you to Mark for this lovely meme.
All of the pictures are the property of AMC, the producers, Robert Kirkman, and all of the other people who helped make this. I am simply using the images for review purposes.