This was the season 9 finale and it was a mixed bag. We did get snow, but it appears that Ezekiel and Carol are finished. Negan’s redemption arc continued this week. 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.
1. Carol and Ezekiel are, at the very least, taking a break and may officially be finished as a couple. Give me your thoughts on this. Did it seem wedged into the episode or did it make a lot of sense to you? Also, do you feel that Lydia played a role in Carol’s decision?
Bob: So here is some background on how I view shows entirely. I know this is a bad thing but I feel like with acting, the story should be readable or understandable in two simultaneous ways. Audibly and Visually. I switch between these frequently, usually doing both. My hearing isn’t the best so I depend on a show visually to explain what is going on even if I can’t hear it.
Back to the present. This was wedged in, for sure. I was listening and watching but if I could only watch it just seems like a break up of “I Love Daryl, not you.” The two interpretations did not match so I was left confused and frankly, this was not necessary at all in the way it was portrayed.
Lydia. Lydia. Lydia… I am sure the show wants us the believe that Lydia had an impact on Carol here – but maybe Kang isn’t good at this part of the show… (T
Raylene: I do feel it should’ve been in another episode. I’m sad that they seem to be all over but realistically that does happen to couples when a child is lost. I don’t think the King would ever come out and say he blamed Carol but he all but said the words to Daryl. I do think Carol will take Lydia under her wing but kids seem to be doomed with Carol hey maybe will get a Daryl, Carol and Lydia family. (Sooooo Lydia is totally screwed. Daryl doesn’t do
Chris: It wasn’t really established how much time has passed since the pikes, but it felt wedged in. It does make sense to me though. It’s easy enough to believe that Ezekiel blames Daryl/Carol for Henry’s death. I don’t know if Lydia played a role, but I think Carol will protect her because Henry loved her. (I would feel safe saying that the previous episode was in the fall based on the scenes in the woods. I’d say it is a fair guess to say 3-6 months. I agree that it makes sense while also feeling wedged in. Just last week, she signed as Queen Carol!)
Kent: This definitely felt unnecessarily wedged in, but they also needed content and conflict for the season finale, so I get it, I just didn’t really like it. I think that Ezekiel could have shown even more emotion toward either Daryl or Carol. The reality is that he had been raising Henry for a long period of time, and then Carol joined in and then put his boy in the hands of Daryl. It really is a natural feeling from Ezekiel’s perspective. The thing is, I got the feeling that Carol was the one who initiated it and that doesn’t feel right. I feel that Lydia did play a role in this. My guess is that Carol feels a bit of responsibility to help and protect Lydia as a way to honor Henry’s memory. Maybe she thinks that trying to help Lydia and have her around Ezekiel will make things worse.
2. Winter came and went. Were you hoping that we’d have more episodes in the snow, or was one episode enough for you?
Bob: SIGH. It was fine with one episode since that kind of winter is very unusual in the south. I just had an issue with zombies that could be busted apart because they were totally frozen solid and others are totally mobile and bled. They aren’t covered in fur, so no, the insulation argument is invalid. Also, we don’t find zombies that can walk ever just laying down and not moving, so this is an inconsistency that stood out to me. No Andrew Lincoln, maybe you left just in time if not soon enough. (I’m not even going to try to come up with a reasonable explanation for the walker inconsistencies. I know that people will say that it may have to do with time of decay, but I don’t really get it. Frustrating situation, for sure.)
Raylene: I’m not sure how North in Virginia they are but snow does happen there just not sure if they’d get something like that but I guess you never know. One episode was enough because exactly where did the Whisperers go did they travel farther south or were they in a cave. Were the frozen walkers just walkers or were they whisperers? (They are in Alexandria, VA. It is north and east. It’s close enough to the coast for people to say it’s within reason, I guess. Wherever they may roam, they are clearly nomads, they are wanderers, they are vagabonds. You can call them what you will, but they will take their time going anywhere. Yes, that was a Metallica reference.)
Chris: One was enough for me. If there were more, how on earth would they explain the whisperers surviving that? Plus the real winter is coming April 14. (Oh, I can’t wait for the 14th. I gotta get a group going for that blog, no matter how short the season.)
Kent: Initially I was hoping for more episodes of winter. Then this happened. I am glad that it’s a one and done. Half of me was thinking that this seemed like overkill on the wintery conditions, just a little bit, but I know that winter does happen there. The other half of me thinks that they needed to make it visually appealing so they amped it up more than necessary, and it’s showbiz, so why not just mindlessly roll with it. I struggle with mindlessly rolling with things, yet I like wrestling and horror.
3. Negan saved Judith and Dog. Negan wasn’t handcuffed in his scene with Michonne. When he is healed, will he go back to his cell or is this the dawning of a new beginning for a free Negan? Also, Negan had some funny lines, which was your favorite if you recall any?
Bob: When he is healed he will be under a watchful eye but I don’t think he will be in a cell any longer. I had to log into AMC just to find the quote I wanted… I have two:
- “That’s a very mature attitude Father…Not the father.” But what makes it is Eugene’s smirk! (The thing about the smirk, and yes, it totally sells it, is that you can interpret it one of two ways. You can say that he enjoys Gabe getting mocked in a way that Eugene could never pull off OR that there is a small part of Eugene that actually thought Negan was funny, even back in the day. I know most of y’all think it’s the former and not the latter.)
- “Seriously! Not one of you a******* is gonna untie me?”
Raylene: I think this is a new beginning for Negan only because Michonne actually comes back into the room to sit down and talk with him. The “Seriously not one of you assholes is gonna untie me?” was a good one. (It was interesting that she actually decided to have a conversation with him for once.)
Chris: I think he finally will be released! There were so many great lines, but I laughed when he said, “You know last time we were here together Rick just slit my throat open.” He almost spoke fondly of it. (I just want a Pepperidge Farms commercial made from that. Pepperidge Farms remembers.)
Kent: I think that he will be free, given the circumstances of the hell that is on its way. I agree with the watchful eye sentiment. I don’t think that necessarily will ever stop being a thing.
“I have memorized every square inch of this room. And it still feels like a never-ending party.” I liked it because it was still Negan but with this whole new perspective.
“Common enemy, common goal.” – Negan
“Or facing evil brings good people together.” – Michonne
“Same thing. It’s just that no one ever thinks that they’re the evil one.” – Negan.
I loved this quote because it worked for the scene, but it was almost breaking the 4th wall. Pretty much enough to say that if the audience followed Negan’s adventure, maybe we’d have been on his side. If we had followed the Governor or the Whisperers or the Terminus folks, we may have a different opinion. Not only that, that is just a quote on society in general. People hate to acknowledge their fault in things.
4. The group crossed the border and didn’t think that they would be spotted. They did this in the snow. Obviously, this will lead to a war. Still, was this a good way to reignite the Whisperer War?
Bob: Unless they were seen by the Whisperers (are we to assume this?) how would they know? The snows down south aren’t known for hanging around like in the Northeast or mountains so within a day or two, there would be no evidence – except a bunch of dead zombies…. But yeah, here comes the war. (I guess the question is, would the dead zombies provide sufficient evidence for Alpha to want to go to war?)
Raylene: I wouldn’t think they would have actually seen them. The only thing that may give them away is when it thaws they see all the Walker bodies and how they were cut up. We know that they have seen what weapons our people have. Yes, definitely this will wage the war on you hear the conversation with Alpha and Beta her saying I have to be ready for what’s to come and then proceeds to have Beta whip her. (The whipping scene was really good. I liked that a lot. Also, it is a good point about the weapons, if someone is paying attention.)
Chris: I don’t think they’d know. I doubt they were traveling much in that weather, and the wind and snow would cover footprints. (I’m curious about whether they travel or not. I would have liked seeing that more than Carol breaking up with Ezekiel.)
Kent: Reading everybody’s responses, I guess I am alone in thinking that there are Whisperers keeping an eye out on the border. The practicality of it is ridiculous, but I just want to add Glenn by the dumpster and the ambulance that Daryl and Carol were in. Sadly, you can apply that argument to anything TWD related. Even if they weren’t being watched, there is enough evidence that someone navigated in their territory.
5. We heard a voice on Eugene’s radio. Please wildly speculate on who it was.
Bob: I hope it’s Anne trying to find Gabe.
Raylene: I was just thinking it was Georgie’s community but perhaps it was Morgan although I thought they weren’t heading towards Virginia.
Chris: It would be cool if it was someone from FTWD, but I doubt it. Maybe Sheri? (Screw you, Chris! I was totally going to say Sheri and then I read your answer and I had to laugh. I was thinking, we haven’t talked about her in quite awhile. I’v liked her and I found her character interesting in the comic.)
Kent: Well, Chris pretty much stole my answer, so I am left with either Heath had a sex change or Oceanside. I know that the radio is leading to more story next season. But is it impractical for Oceanside to have a radio? Also, how are they doing in this snow? I need updates on this community since they are insistent that it exists.
Final Thoughts – I thought that this was a great season. Do you feel that this season saved the Walking Dead show and franchise in general? We know lots of people gave up watching this thanks to seasons 6-8. Also, last season of Fear The Walking Dead was considered a huge bounce back that probably saved the show. Do you prefer season 4 of Fear or season 9 of TWD?
Bob: AM I alone in thinking that I could stop watching the show right now cold turkey. This was a redeeming season but the last episode was a dud for me. Fear all the way. (I thought about what you said here. I could stop watching if this was the last episode. I’d also be about as angry as Jules in Pulp Fiction after Vincent accidentally shot Marvin in the face and they had to clean up the mess. This wouldn’t be a satisfying ending, but really, you can make an argument that it was sufficient. There aren’t a ton of loose ends at this point that requires definitive answers.)
Raylene: Easy for me, season 9 because it gave me The Whisperers I have been waiting so long just give me more Beta. I love Ryan. Season 4 was good too but Ryan was the only reason I tuned back into Walking. (Well Ryan loves Melissa.)
Chris: This season was great, even though the finale was a bit underwhelming. Yeah, ratings are down, but it’s still the top show on cable. With streaming and stuff, ratings are down across the board. All that being said, I kind of like Fear better. It feels fresher and explores more of the world. The new trailer looked awesome. (We are living in a unique time when you need more info to try to gauge viewership. Ratings obviously aren’t the end all be all metric anymore. I laugh when people who don’t like the show simply say “Look at how far the ratings have declined. That’s how you know the show sucks.” I just want to do violent things to ignorant people like that. As you said, everything is down from a ratings standpoint. Nature of the current beast. What you said about exploring more territory is tantamount to that shows success and why TWD feels bogged down too often. I’m just trying to think of all the locations in Fear and it’s cool. Season 1 in LA, 2 on the boat and Mexico at Strand’s man’s place, 3 at the farm and then by the dam, 4 the stadium and the gas station and hospital. That stuff makes the show very interesting.)
Kent: This season has been really good, but two out of the last three episodes were not that great, in my opinion. I still think the Scars episode was meh and this finale wasn’t their best effort. This season saved TWD from the fate that many great shows face in the waning seasons. Next season will be interesting how they continue with the Whisperer War and the radio voice. Will it be the last season? I have to agree with everybody here and say that Fear season 4 was better. The first half of season 4 was some of the best television that I have ever seen. This season was very good, but FTWD is the winner and with the newest addition to the show, I am very excited. Fear may have more very good to great characters than TWD does with 4 times the amount of characters. Interesting that both shows are left with the daughter of the main family with the mother, father, and brother are all dead. Yes, I’m referring to Shane.
Finally, I just want to thank Bob, Raylene, and Chris for helping out again. It’s nice to not talk to myself all the time, although I am doing just that as I type this. It’s great to get different perspectives, or you know those times when Chris steals my answer. That sort of thing. Hopefully, we will all be back in June for Fear The Walking Dead. Between now and then, come back for our Game of Thrones blog that may feature some of these and other people. FTW- For the Watch!