This week, we got some of the backstory on Lydia, kinda. We learned that Henry is just a simple teenage boy and Daryl has feelings. Oh yeah, Alpha and The Whisperers are at Hilltop and they want Lydia back. My name is Kent, and I ask 5 weekly
1. Who is Lydia’s biggest ally at the moment? You can interpret that in any number of ways. As long as your answer isn’t “the worm that she ate”, we should be good.
Raylene: I have to say, Daryl. Lydia touched a nerve with him or that’s her devious plan all along. (Hopefully, it’s her devious plan.)
Chris: I wanted to say Henry, but I’ll go with Daryl. He was able to more relate with Lydia on what she’s experienced. But you shouldn’t discount the worm, Kent. They provide valuable nutrition…. (Out of anything from this blog and episode, the biggest takeaway is not to discount the worm. I agree. That was my bad.)
Kent: It has to be Alpha, right? She has brought a posse with her. That speaks volumes to me. She wants Lydia back!
2. We kinda sorta got a backstory on Alpha, Lydia, and Frank. Did this satisfy you or would you have preferred something else?
Raylene: The background stories have been much better told lately.
Chris: I enjoyed it. It greatly helps explain, at least, why Lydia is so screwed up. That being said, I still would like to see what ultimately leads them to wear walker skin. (Yeah, the story was good for Lydia. I guess I cared to know more about what made Alpha into who she is. I was too harsh in my answer.)
Kent: Last week, Chris and I both talked about wanting some backstory. To be honest, this isn’t what I had in mind and it didn’t work too well for me. I would have preferred seeing where it went from the end of the story to how it was decided to skin the walkers and wear the masks. I did like how Lydia had the realization though.
3. Magna, Yumiko, Connie, and Kelly made the decision to go out to find Luke. Was this just a side story to kill time or did it help the story progress in any meaningful way?
Raylene: It was pretty stupid move like what did they think they were going to accomplish in the dark they aren’t super Daryl who can track anyone. (Man, can we see Super Daryl with Beth from season 4 again before she gets kidnapped?)
Kent: The only thing this did was make Tara look smart, which annoyed me even more. Seriously, this was just a way to set up the final scene. It was a waste of time, in my opinion. (I definitely won’t feel foolish after next week’s episode for saying this.)
4. Are you at all surprised that Tara is becoming a very good leader?
Raylene: She’s just awful like hello you sided with the governor to kill these people ages ago but I guess that’s all forgotten shit I don’t think anyone from that group is even in Hilltop. (Soooo if Dwight returned as a good guy, as he does in the comics and not like how it’s going down on the show, you would say that he is awful? He did kill Tara’s lover.)
Chris: Surprised? That’s one way to put it. This was the first episode in a long time I didn’t pray for a walker to parachute on top of her and eat her. (Yeah, I don’t like that I am agreeing with you.)
Kent: Yes, because she has been awful since season 4. That is so long ago. It makes sense that she finally got her act together, to a certain extent. Since this show doesn’t do much comedy, it makes sense for Tara to go this route.
5. Should Tara, or whoever has the final say, trade Lydia for Luke and Alden?
Raylene: If either decision leads to her death then yes. (Spoiler alert: It might.)
Chris: This is going to make for a great episode next week. There is going to be a divide. Henry and Daryl are not going to want to trade her after knowing what’s happened to her, but Tara and co. don’t know that info. We will find out who the true leader at Hilltop is soon. (Yes, we most certainly will definitively know who the leader is after next week’s episode. If you think about it, I think Tara is basically the leader or all because Hilltop seems to be the powerhouse. Tara is the new Rick.)
Kent: From what the show has taught us, Alpha seems to be abusive. Under normal circumstances, the answer would be a resounding no. On the other hand, Luke is involved. Now, if the trade was Lydia straight up for Alden, I definitely wouldn’t consider it. I think Lydia could provide some different skills. Still, trading her will piss off Henry, and I am all for that schmuck being sad.
Final Thoughts
What’s worse: Alpha’s accent or Henry’s decision-making skills? Also, are you interested in a Carol vs Alpha showdown?
Raylene: Henry is just awful for this. Carl should still be on this show but hey they know best. Not really I want to see Beta put her in her place. (You want Beta to put Alpha in her place? I don’t think that the Greeks would get behind that.)
Chris: You know, now that I’ve heard it more, I don’t completely hate the accent (Is it really that much worse than Ricks? He couldn’t even pronounce his son’s name….). Henry’s terrible decision making though, he’s keeping the walking dead tradition alive! (I miss Coral. You have to have at least one dumbass to make decisions that horrible affect a larger group. Without dumbass decisions, would any of the great modern era TV shows really exist? And yet…..screw Henry.)
Kent: Alpha’s accent, I think. Henry is thinking with his penis, and yes, it’s the apocalypse, but the male readers, you guys get it. We do dumb things. He may get rewarded for being the white knight. What reward does anybody get for Alpha’s accent? NONE! No, I am not really interested in Carol vs Alpha. I would much prefer the showdown in the comic, that I won’t ruin, but it is glorious. Carol’s best moments aren’t really one on one encounters in the traditional sense.
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- Circle of Confusion
- Valhalla Motion Pictures (as Valhalla Entertainment)
- Darkwoods Productions
- AMC Studios
- Idiot Box Productions
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