The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 8 - "Coda"

Blair Fink (Twitter: @BlairMFink, Instagram: @BlairFink)

Steve Bethel (Twitter: @the_lazy_gamer, Website: steveisthelazygamer.blogspot.ca)

Maggie suddenly remembering she has a sister.

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 8, "Coda"

FEELINGS AND MISTAKES

Ain't nobody got time for that.

So there we have it everyone, I hope you're happy! You got your midseason finale and look what happened!

Let's play a little Good Cop, Bad Cop, which seems appropriate given the content of the episode. Steve liked this episode a lot so he can be Good Cop. I was less than impressed so I'll be Bad Cop.

So somehow Rick has discovered Bob has managed to slip out of the watchful grasp of Sasha. I'm assuming that he questioned where Sasha and Bob were, realized that Sasha going off alone with him was probably a stupid bad idea and went to investigate. Either way, he's in hot pursuit! We see Rick try to give Bob a second chance, he gives him ample opportunity to give up and come back, all is forgiven. A nicer, Rick, trying to play well with others. At the same time, can you blame Bob? He has no reason to trust Rick, his instinct is to survive, running seemed like a good idea. So do we see Rick shooting him as a mercy kill or a cold blooded Rick moment? Has Rick ever asked himself the three golden rules recently?

How did Rick find out? This is glossed over and, while pretty trivial, still bugged me a little. Bob didn't get far so Rick couldn't have been far away and Sasha was out cold. Doesn't quite add up. I'll let it slide. I guess.

Rick seems to have become emotionally exhausted with the burden of making the right and moral decision in so many situations that he just wants to take the easy and less risky way by being brutal and violent.

We find the Preacher is still wandering around aimlessly. Did he head to the school specifically to look for Gareth's camp or was it coincidence/subconscious? Either way, finding Bob's leg and coming to the realization that he is in a dark world that he can't handle alone came quickly. Back to the safety of the church! The most powerful part, to me, when he got back to the church and was banging on the door was what he was screaming. "LET ME LIVE WITH IT!!" Powerful! His desire to survive was far out weighed by his guilt for forsaking all of those people he was tasked to shepherd.

I found Father Gabriel's wanderings tedious. "Let me live with it!" is a great line, I will give you that, even if I'm not particularly invested in him as character at this point. Despite this, I am very excited at the opportunity here for a long, redemptive character arc where Father Gabriel starts as a guilt-ridden, helpless preacher and slowly becomes a capable, confident member of the group who maybe sacrifices himself in a final redeeming act in a season or two. The potential is there and I think Seth Gilliam is up to the acting task.

Back in ATL we see that everyone is on the same page and both parties just want this trade to go smoothly. "Bob got got by rotters. That's what I saw." Ya, totes what I saw too." I enjoyed the trade talks on the parkade. Rick "alone", the two cops, "Where are you people?" SNAP to the walker's head, "They're close." HOWEVER, from the angle that it showed their overwatch from the scope perspective I would think they should have been on the roof of the parkade behind Rick...clearly seen by the two cops as they drove up. But that might be nit picking. We also got a bit more back story with Dawn and the previous leader. After Dawn and Beth have their little heart to heart and team up on O'Donnell I was afraid that Beth was starting to turn team Dawn and would maybe refuse to go back with Rick. They had a bit of a bonding experience, although Beth did see it as she was doing all the dirty work.

I've never really bought Dawn as a character. The performance and dialogue always felt a little flat and one-note. I wish she could have been a little more charismatic or multi-dimensional. While I never like the hospital setting or the new characters it introduced, I did enjoy how it built up Beth's character.

I've noticed a lot of call backs to season one in this season, we get another mirror with the doors of the church, once Michonne, Carl and Preacher get outside. "DON'T DEAD OPEN INSIDE" And just when I think "Well shit, now they are going to be separated from Rick because there is no way they are going to wait here out in the open for Rick's team to come ba...OH LOOK WHO IT IS!!" Just in time! At least we FINALLY get to see some emotion from Maggie regarding Beth! I do kind of understand her not bringing Beth up a lot in the past as I'm sure it's something she tried not to think about, so it was good to see her react. As happy as we are were to look forward to them being reunited I suppose we should have seen the foreshadowing…

Don't even get me started. They're going to rescue Beth! "Beth who?" is basically what Maggie should have said. When she was separated from Glenn last season she was on an unwavering mission to find him. Beth disappears? Meh. She'll rescue her if we run into her and it's convenient. I have this feeling that they're going to play up Maggie's sadness in the back half of the season and it's going to ring a lot more false to me than if they'd just laid the tiniest bit of emotional groundwork in previous episodes.

I don't even...I can't. So I went into the last 15 minutes of this episode with high hopes. This is calm, everyone is calm, I'm calm. This is good. 15 minutes, what could happen? Ok, trades go, one at a time, very civilized. Calm. Dawn, why you gotta be greedy? Find a new ward! Ok, Noah takes the high road. Beth, I know you have those scissors, don't be silly...Everything from that stab on is amazing. I watched the scene twice actually. Dawn's base reaction is to shoot when stabbed but you see instantly that she didn't want this. Rick's shock and the look on his face as more of his sanity and hope dies a little. Daryl's unhesitating swift retribution, pain and anger. Carol's face and strength to stop Daryl from totally going AWOL. Rick and Shepherd defuse the situation quickly, making me think this might have been some what premeditated. Based on what Shepherd says. The final scene when Maggie is reunited with Beth is also pretty powerful. I mean you can go on thinking she is alive and not be affected by it but to go from learning that she is alive, to seeing Daryl carrying her out is crushing. I think she will be broken now, which works towards my comment last week of her being phased out.

Okay, I'm ready to go Good Cop on this part. The final scene involving the deal in the hospital corridors was very well executed. Everything that comes before it I'd probably grade a C+ while I'd give this part an A. The whole situation was very tense because you know it's going to go bad but when and how? It was so tense I forgot about the scissors Beth slipped into her cast earlier despite making a mental note to remember that it was going to come into play later based on the rule of Chekhov's Gun. And Beth…stabbing Dawn in the shoulder? Weird choice. Ultimately, I did appreciate the irony of Beth finally becoming strong and capable only to die because of this very development in her character.

That is it until February, time for Blair and I to get a well deserved break from each other!

I'm sending you an I (heart) Sasha t-shirt for Christmas, Steve.

All in all I thought the episode was damn good. Not in the barn scene intensity but it had weight, cliffhangers, questions.

I had high hopes after how great the show has been this season but alas, final scene excluded, this one landed with a clunk for me.

TIME FOR A NEW SEGMENT CALLED 

FIVE WHO WON'T SURVIVE!

We have each picked five characters who we think won't make it out of the season finale (episode 16) alive. We aren't allowed to revise this list and we'll be marking off names as appropriate going forward. At the end of the season, we'll see who got the most correct out of five. The loser has to make a video of themselves getting a pie to the face (which will be posted in the finale recap).

BLAIR'S PICKS
Noah
Tara
Abraham
Eugene
Sasha

STEVE'S PICKS
Noah
Tara
Abraham
Maggie
Father Gabriel

Our first three cancel out so it's basically down to Eugene and Sasha vs. Maggie and Father Gabriel.

In the event of a tie:
Eugene, Sasha, Maggie and Father Gabriel all survive. NO LOSER. Consequence carries over to next season.

One of Eugene/Sasha dies and one of Maggie/Father Gabriel dies. THE CHARACTER WHO DIES LAST LOSES. In the spirit of picking deaths, the earlier the death the more it's worth.

Both Eugene and Sasha die and both Maggie and Father Gabriel die. THE CHARACTER WHO DIES LAST LOSES. Same as above.

Let us know who you agree with in the comments.

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-How rough of shape is Carol in? Is this going to be a problem with the mobility of the group in the subsequent episodes?
-Does anyone from the hospital join them? Noah?
-Yeah, only Noah leaves with them. He's outside when they meet up with the G.R.E.A.T.M. gang.

-Where are they going now?
-It's really wide open headed into the back half, isn't it? The trailer for February has Michonne lobbying to go to a camp or something. So far, they haven't had the best of luck with camps and towns.

-Funny how we brought up Morgan last week, does he catch up?
-Well, he picks up the map with Rick's name on it but isn't that map showing the way to Washington? I was surprised how long this post-credits scene was. Maybe these scenes will get longer and longer until the show is only about Morgan wandering alone, Cast Away style.

-Blair, I know you don't watch this on cable but I assume you have checked out the Better Call Saul preview that we were blessed with at this commercial break. If not here it is;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ds4FZmVG908
-Thanks for the link. Aw, a Meet Cute between Saul and Mike! Fun stuff. I'm looking forward to this show but am keeping my expectations at a reasonable level.
-The first half of the season was light on Michonne and Carl. Let's hope we get more of those two in the second half, but only Carl if it's with Michonne. They have great chemistry.
-How long before the group splits up again? An ensemble this big is going to be really tricky to write for.

Blair's Rating: B-

Steve's Rating: 5 out of 5 surgical scissors to the shoulder

Blair's MVP: Beth

Steve's MVP: Rick

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Noah

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Maggie

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 7 - "Crossed"

Blair Fink (Twitter: @BlairMFink, Instagram: @BlairFink)

Steve Bethel (Twitter: @the_lazy_gamer, Website: steveisthelazygamer.blogspot.ca)

"Pew! Pew!"

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 7, "Crossed"

G.R.E.A.T.M. EXPECTATIONS

With the penultimate midseason episode we were obviously going into it knowing that it would be mostly a set up episode. With that said things seem to be setting up nicely. Rick's group is next door ready to come a knocking. Dawn is undoubtedly now aware that they are there (nicely done there Sasha, you idiot). Glenn's group has mostly recouped from the crushing blow from Eugene. So let's dig deeper.

I don’t have a lot to say about this episode because you’re right, Steve, it’s basically a table setting episode for next week’s midseason finale. All the pieces (in Atlanta, at least) are moving into place for an explosive confrontation. As ready as I was to call Sasha an idiot, I couldn’t do it. I really appreciated how they laid some groundwork that explained, as ill-advised as it was, her dumb move. She’s reeling pretty hard after losing Bob and feels compelled to transfer Tyreese’s compassion onto the cop. As long as the characters aren’t making out of character stupid choices solely to create conflict or further the plot, I’m fine with them being dumb once in a while. People are dumb and flawed. I’m just glad they’re not the same group of assholes making terrible decision after terrible decision they were in earlier seasons. It made me feel angry when they did dumb things then. Now, I feel more sympathetic to their mistakes.

I found the start of this episode to be very solemn. While everyone was doing the prep work to fortify there was no music. Which always makes it creepy, all you hear are the sound effects. Sasha smashing a pew still trying to work her shit out over Bob. Nails being pounded, organ pipes being dismantled. Fingernails scratching! Keep scrubbing preacher, that blood isn't coming off. Not off the floor or your hands. You'll burn for this.

Maybe this is a stretch but I thought the dismantling of the church parallels the unravelling of Father Gabriel’s defenses a little bit. He seems to be easing off some of his protests against violence (as evidenced by actually fighting the walker) and at least entertaining notions of defending himself.

G.R.E.A.T.M. Is this supposed to be indicative as to the power structure in this new group? Glenn leads, Rosita seconds? I felt that Glenn and Rosita were getting a little close this episode. They shared a few moments together that may cause problems down the road with Maggie. 'E' is still out cold. 'A' is totally lost. Perhaps when Eugene is back to the world of the living (dead) they might have more words with each other. Tara has always been a tertiary character while Maggie seems to be taking a bit of a back seat as of late. The conversation Glenn, Rosita, and Tara had regarding Eugene using the only skills he had to stay alive was interesting. Glenn wasn't so convinced though. Will that cause problems moving forward for this group if he does take the leadership role.

I’m not reading into the order of the letters at all. I think the team name that Tara proposes is awesome. While I haven’t been the biggest Tara fan, she lightened the mood this episode and it was great. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by the single focus episodes in recent weeks were you can really get invested in one story but it felt awkward jumping back and forth between storylines, mostly between the two converging Atlanta stories and then this stalled one. They weren’t going at the same pace and it was jarring to alternate between. That being said, it was nice to see Rosita get a little more backstory and development. She really needs it.

“I think we’d look super badass if we rolled our pant legs up to about…yay high.”

With Rick's group now in ATL we see some divide between the group. Rick hatches a plan to go the bloody route that he always does and gets static....by more than one person from the group. Maybe it's time to reconsider your tactics Rick, then again we'll see how the finale goes. Maybe Rick's way would have been better...time will tell. I think the cop trap was pretty well executed, other than the daring rescue. As they were driving away the first thing I thought was why doesn't anyone shoot out the tires? They unload on the car, it's only Sasha (who is actually a good shot) who takes out the tire at the last second.

It’s taken Rick longer to embrace the need to kill to survive but now that he has gotten more comfortable doing so, everyone else has gotten tired of it. I like how they haven’t been making a big deal of it this season but it keeps coming up here and there in minor confrontations.

Whatever happened at that FEMA camp was brutal, wether it was an explosion or a napalm strike, seeing those bodies burned up into the asphalt was pretty graphic. It did provide a hell of a fight scene for Daryl though, which I always enjoy seeing. Daryl gets him with the ol' zombie bowling ball head smash move. Classic. I was convinced Rick was going to blow him away, perhaps he is trying to turn a new leaf? Or maybe Daryl is his better side of judgement. Without Daryl would we have an even more brutal Rick? Daryl stops him from shooting the cop and seemed to be the one that convinced him to change the plan, Rick wasn't having any of Tyreese's subordination.

Outer turmoil! Inner turmoil! SO INTENSE! I get the feeling if Rick had to go solo he’d quickly devolve into a nasty piece of work. He stays sane with a little help from his friends.

I'm not sure where the preacher is going. I understand that he has too much blood tied to the church but where on Earth does he think he will go? He clearly isn't prepared for this world. I will say that the body slam he does to that walker was pretty impressive. We weren't sure about this next point in my house, but was there some significance to the preacher stepping on the nail? Some metaphor to Jesus and being nailed to the cross? Paying for his sins maybe? Either way is this the last we see of him? Or will Michonne and Carl go off on a (mis)adventure to go find him?

I have no idea what Gabriel’s plan is or if he even has one beyond getting away from these violent heathens who have invaded his sanctuary. I wasn’t sure about the nail (With his heart full of guilt and his foot full of nail, Gabe’s too unskilled to venture down any walker-filled trail) either. Was it just symbolism or do we see tetanus in his future? Better visit Grady Memorial. I hear they’re accepting new patients.

Everything these cops say to the group is shady....I don't know who to believe. One thing I do know for sure is that Sasha is probably the dumbest person in the world. Falling for that shit sob story. Helping this Bob isn't going to bring you peace with your Bob. Didn't that massive Tyreese big bear hug not make everything better? I'm pretty sure a bear hug from Tyreese would make anyone feel better. But really, how far is that cop going to get with his hands bound? Does he get out? Does he make it back to Dawn? Does the group catch him? From the preview for next week we see that Sasha is ok, which I hate when they do that.

Whoa. Whoa. WHOA. Cut Sasha some slack, man! People make mistakes and she’s having a tough time. Sure we saw it coming a mile away but Bob Lamson was a smooth talking, soft spoken, empathy inducing son of a gun. She’s also one of my favourite characters so we’re going to have a problem if you talk anymore trash about her.

Thanks for joining us and remember…

…with G.R.E.A.T.M. power comes G.R.E.A.T.M. responsibility.

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-I didn't touch on the hospital activity as I wasn't too enthralled by those scenes.
-I enjoyed the hospital stuff if only because I found Beth more captivating here than in her solo episode. It's as though since she got Noah out she realizes she is capable of a lot and is now getting. shit. done. Strawberry bribes!
-How are they going to get Carol out when she doesn't look like she is going anywhere soon?
-Carol is obviously faking it and will be going Rambo when the right moment presents itself.
-Abe's yoga game is strong! How long has he been in that pose? Perfect posture! That is discipline!
-I really enjoyed the performance of Maximiliano Hernandez as Sgt. Bob "Sasha Crasher" Lamson. It took me a while to place him: Agent Jasper Sitwell from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (he appeared briefly in multiple Marvel movies, in a few Marvel One Shot short films and in a few episodes of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).
-Will the preacher come back? Or is he another one of those Morgan characters? Just gone…
-Gabriel will be back for sure. His arc isn't finished. He's been too one note so far: sweat, guilt, sweat, guilt. Let's see something else. Maybe he runs into the aforementioned Morgan? If not, when does Morgan show up?
-How will Glenn's group get in on the midseason finale episode?
-I have no idea. They seem so detached from the Atlanta narrative, both geographically and thematically. It's weird.

Blair's Rating: B+

Steve's Rating: 4 out of 5 zombie head bowling balls

Blair's MVP: Beth

Steve's MVP: Daryl

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Steve, for badmouthing Sasha Noah

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Maggie (bold call but I feel like they are phasing her out)

Steve is doing Movember again this year, so if you want to kick in a few shekels, head on over to his page: http://mobro.co/stevebethel121

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 6 - "Consumed"

Blair Fink (Twitter: @BlairMFink, Instagram: @BlairFink)

Steve Bethel (Twitter: @the_lazy_gamer, Website: steveisthelazygamer.blogspot.ca)

"Beth, I hear you calling…"

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 6, "Consumed"

WE DIDN'T START THE FIRE

“Sometimes I just don’t know what the hell to think.”



Where there’s smoke, there’s Carol, the girl who played with fire. So, this episode slathered the fire symbolism on pretty thick but I didn’t mind. It almost became a game, trying to pick out all the uses of fire and smoke in the episode. Did you catch them all? There were the two big fires at the prison and at Terminus, each billowing smoke. Then there were the various little fires throughout the episode, like the bodies Daryl burned (as well as the bodies Carol controversially burned), the paper they used to distract the walkers, the cigarette Daryl smokes and the flaming dumpster as another decoy. Let me know if I missed any. And those were just the physical ones. There were a lot of metaphorical fires burning as well. Flame on.



When the episode opened with Carol leaving with an ominous revolver and sheriff brown pants in the foreground I was super stoked to think I had nailed it and I was right about it being a post kicked out Carol we see in the hospital...but alas I was wrong. This flashback, and all the others, were merely to point out the metaphor that Carol explains to Daryl in the women's shelter, in case you didn't get it. If all the smoke and fire it showed in all the flashbacks wasn't enough: Carol is a phoenix. Born again, stronger, from the ashes of the previous version. 

This episode really highlights all the things that have made Carol who she is now. This isn't the dainty, timid, beaten housewife of season one. This Carol has been forged in the blood of everyone/thing she has killed or lost. All the flashbacks help to show all these things that have made her stronger. Rick giving her the boot, her seeing the prison in flames thinking all she knew is dead, burning the bodies in the prison, burying the girls. As well as the less obvious call back to her daughter, shown by the mother and child locked in the room of the courthouse (or whatever building they were in). This show rarely shows zombie children, but when it does it is powerful and Carol is involved. Her daughter, the girls from the prison and this faceless one in the room.

The scene in the shelter with the silhouettes of the mother and child walkers in the next room and the obvious effect it has on Carol was so great. Dear writers of The Walking Dead: MORE PLEASE. That is the kind of “show don't tell” that brings shows like this up a tier. It trusted the viewer to understand and remember why this might be particularly upsetting for Carol without immediately broadcasting it. It's easy to forget what Carol was like early on in the show's run and the journey she's taken to who she is now.

So we're back in Atlanta. We know it's Atlanta because it had all our favourite things from season one: the long stretch of deserted freeway, the dirty tattered city, and the TANK!! At least that gave us some hope that Rick was still a part of this show...it's been a minute since we have seen a Rick focused episode.

I'm impressed the show has had the guts to go away from Rick for three straight episodes. In the past this would have been a recipe for disaster (not that Rick has always been the most riveting character but still) but now I think this foray has only made the show stronger. The characters around Rick are getting strong enough and developed enough that we don't need Rick to drive the show by himself. It answers the question about whether or not The Walking Dead could survive without Sheriff Grimes. Now that the answer seems to be “yes,” that only makes scenes where Rick is in danger that much more tense. Rick. Could. Die. I don't expect him to anytime soon but it might make me think twice the next time he finds himself about to dance the grim fandango.

So we didn't get as much excitement as we were hoping. I suppose that's what we get being two episodes away from the midseason finale. I don't think we need four episodes of slow, boring build up but I'm not a show runner so who knows. So we can all assume the storming of the hospital is going to be the big bang for the midseason break. Which leaves next week’s episode to put all the pawns into position. Don't get me wrong, I say this was a slow episode in the sense of what's to come in two episodes. I really enjoyed this episode for what it was.

I loved this episode. We got more of a slow burn episode, something the show tried to do in the past and failed, but this time they pulled it off. It helps that Carol and Daryl and great together and both strong characters. They can easily carry an episode while Beth can't (at least not yet). I would also totally watch a show starring Carol and Daryl. The Walking Dead: Care Dare Countdown! Each episode features them critiquing a different painting while a song about fire plays in the background. Gold, Jerry, gold!

We see some more bonding between Caryl and Darol. Talking about their pasts, more so Carol, (we do catch a glimpse of Daryl's rebirth when the book about child abuse falls from his bag later on). There is the lingering scene on the bunk bed and the scene with the mother and child that Daryl stops her from dispatching. He sends her off and we see him the next day burning the bodies (more Carol phoenix referencing?) I'm starting to fall away from the romantic with these two, it's become a more brother/sister support system.

I am also backing off the romance push for these two. They are just really good friends that care about each other. Burning dead zombies so it won't bring back past trauma? That's what friends are for! The only concern I have is the possibility of this clearing the way for a Beth-Daryl (“Bethyl”? Got a nice ring to it, eh Steve?) romantic pairing down the road, something I am not on board with at all.

Like all team ups we need a cutesy name for these two; Caryl? Darol? ...clearly this is only a team up name that will translate in type form only...



CareDare. Dare2Care! Dare II Carez?

Well I guess it's true, Everybody DOES Hate Chris...I mean Noah. Pretty bold of him to jack these two, and spring the camper zombies on them. If only he knew what they were capable of...which he almost finds out as Carol goes for a shot, only to be stopped by Daryl. As I assumed, in the episode that Noah got away from the hospital, he isn't very well suited for life outside. He has trouble with a few solo walkers, rather than kill them and move on he leaves a trail of dead crumbs for Darol to follow. This time Daryl is the one that wants to let him die, and Carol is the sympathetic one. Good thing too because they find out about Beth in the process, and what they're up against.

Everybody Hates Noah shows up and in a real dick move, leaves our loveable greaseballs nearly weaponless to combat some intense in tents walkers. I can't see how Noah fits in with the show's future. I just don't think he joins the group and makes it through this.

Too bad that's where the good news ends. We close on Carol getting T-boned, Noah explaining why now isn't the time, and Daryl driving back, with a very determined face, to rally the troops and go on another "destroy everything good that another group has" killing spree. Where does that put Abe/Glenn's group? Do they get found along the way? Or will they stay as their own spin off now? I would assume so as they were heading in the opposite direction to DC.

I’ve been slightly confused as to the geographic location of recent events. I thought they were north of Atlanta but CareDare follow the car…north to Atlanta? I perused the internets and found this map indicating that Terminus is roughly by Macon, GA which is southeast of Atlanta. Which way did Honest Abe's troop go? Were they headed northeast to bypass Atlanta? We need some Indiana Jones-style map hopping transition scenes once in awhile on this show!

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-Don't get me started on the van falling from the bridge. That was bad physics, they should have landed on the roof. When it landed tires down I scoffed.

-Yeah, seemed questionable but I’m perfectly okay with chalking it up under “reasonable suspension of disbelief”. The entire sequence was great otherwise, with the bridge jumping walkers raining down after. Reminded me of a great scene in a great movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where, faced with no other option, Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) are forced to leap off a cliff and into a river below to escape the lawmen chasing them.

-Is the hospital going to be our base of operations for the second half of the season?

-I’m on board only if we get a voiceover narration like Scrubs.

-Will Dr. Steven stay alive? Will Dawn and a handful of cops make it out and become the big bad of the second half of the season?

-I kind of hope not. I hope they keep mowing through plot and lay waste to the hospital.

-Will the two groups ever converge again?

-I think some of them will for sure. But which ones?

Blair's Rating: A

Steve's Rating: 4 out of 5 Jean Greys rising from the ashes

Blair's MVP: Carol

Steve's MVP: Caryl/Darol

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Noah

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Tara

Steve is doing Movember again this year, so if you want to kick in a few shekels, head on over to his page: http://mobro.co/stevebethel121

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 5 - "Self Help"

Blair Fink (Twitter: @BlairMFink, Instagram: @BlairFink)

Steve Bethel (Twitter: @the_lazy_gamer, Website: steveisthelazygamer.blogspot.ca)

"Call AMA."

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 5, "Self Help"

EUGENE, YOU GENIUS

Can we just spend this whole recap talking about everyone’s hair on the show? I’ve brought up my Needs a Haircut Power Rankings (Carl's Cousin It is still leading but Daryl's Greased Weasel is not far behind) before so when the conversation early in the episode turned to Eugene’s mullet, I was all ears. The most important element of this was it showed how welcome a little humour can go a long way in a show as bleak and miserable as this one. I can’t remember any jokes or lightness in the early seasons whereas they’ve been sprinkled in more often recently and it’s been so great. This was why I’m concerned about who is going to fill Bob’s role of positivity and humour going forward. Finding that perfect balance of interpersonal buoyancy and gut wrenching drama is key for this show to remain at the high level it’s started out this season at.

Eugene hair, his Tennesee top hat. That made me laugh out loud, I've never heard that term before*. Eug, your hair has become so much of a talking point to fans that it has broken the fourth wall and is now a point of contention to everyone else! Considering the attacks on the poor man's choice of hair style he is still coming off as super sketchy. We found out more later, for now let's talk about Abe.

Abe had a family. Fairly safe to assume that was a possibility. However these in and out flashbacks didn't give us much information about them. Why were they in that store? How? Why were they afraid of him? Was it because he raged out and beat those men to death? Was that not to protect them? Is there more to him, that we were never shown, that would explain why they were afraid. Why they, a frail woman and 2 young kids, would take their chances out there alone without Abe? Will we learn more? Probs not...



At first I found the flashbacks a bit intrusive to the narrative and generally unnecessary but as the episode progressed and what it was trying to show us about Abraham’s character formed into something more coherent, I was sold. They were great, mostly because they were so vague. I hope that’s our only glimpse into his past. They were accents to the present day portrait of Ford, and thankfully not a long winded origin story that this character doesn’t really need. Abraham Ford is a simple man. He is barely more than an instrument. He is a hulking, violent instrument that you wind up, point towards a goal and let loose.  Without a mission, without a purpose, he is useless and lost. Will that become his character arc? Will his journey be to become someone who is comfortable in his own skin and useful to those around him even if he doesn’t have a goal to blindly obsess over?

CRAZY THEORY: The woman and children who Abraham was protecting weren’t his family but his surrogate family, someone he adopted to protect. Although this would mean that, judging from the wedding ring he still wears on his finger, his real wife would have already died before the grocery store events. Maybe this is what caused him to break and mash in all the shoppers’ faces in with a can of bean medley. 

PROBABILITY OF THIS THEORY BEING TRUE: Pretty low. And does it matter?

Back at the bus we see Eug and Tara building a relationship. Good thing they became friends otherwise who would he have told his secret to later on? We also see just how useless Eug is. Later at the library/book store we get more Eug and Tara, we get a very real fear from Eug. It’s the same fear that Dr. Steven had last episode: "If I'm of no use, will they get rid of me?" Maybe, maybe not. As well, we get his partial confession. More and more coming to light as we find out what Eugene really is, or more so, isn't. 


Not a scientist.

I can’t say I was surprised at Eugene’s big revelation.  I was shocked, however, despite growing evidence that this season is going to be hurtling through plot at a breakneck pace (The Speedwalking Dead?), that came up now, so early. I keep waiting for things to slow down and the plot to start spinning its wheels so the big events and cliffhangers are clearly taking place at the midseason and season finales. Eugene revealing his whole scientist shtick was a bag of hooey was the kind of bomb that I was sure was going to be saved for when they reached Washington or at the end of one of said finales. Nope, let’s blow this whole Washington arc to smithereens in episode five with everyone just standing on the road arguing over routes!

As despicable as Eugene’s snowballing lie was, I really felt for him and how brave he was this episode. He is obviously someone who is controlled by his fears and for him to make that small confession to Tara almost as a litmus test for how his ultimate confession might go over was a big step for him.

Abe hits his breaking point. Road block after road block he finally snaps. You get an understanding for his break down once Eug gives his reveal. Prior to Eugene's confession he lists the amount of people that have died to get them this far. In a flash back we see Abe and Eugene were the original 2 of their group. After taking up Eug's "mission" because everything else Abe had lived for is dead. To protect him that long, carry him through that much blood and death. Ya, I feel for Abe. You'll also note that Abe still wears his wedding ring. That was clearly showcased against his busted knuckles that he used to beat Eug with. His family died so he helped Eug, now that dream is shattered. What's left for Abe? He made protecting Eug his sole purpose.

Honest Abe’s going to need some therapy after this gut punch. Also, are we assuming Eugene isn’t going to die from facial devastation? He looked kind of rough at the end there.

So where do they go now? Do they continue to DC? Do they go back to the church? Will Rick still be there if they do? Do they go back to the bookstore/library? Will they ever join back up?



I say they turn the fire engine into a Mad Max-esque apocalypsemobile with spikes and a bulldozer blade and just battering ram their way to the capital. Oh who am I kidding? They should definitely hang out in the book store and read books. Especially if the books are in as good of shape as the copy of H.G. Wells’ The Shape of Things to Come that Eugene is reading. Beautiful cover on that book. I thought at first it was from The Folio Society but it wasn’t. If anyone’s looking for gift ideas for me for Christmas, anything from The Folio Society would be awesome. ;)

*A brief excursion into the internets resulted in these other names for mullets:

Mississipi Mudflap

Kentucky Waterfall

The Canadian Passport

Squirrel Pelt

Nape Drape

Camaro Crash Helmet

Shoulder Sweeper

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

- It's nice that Maggie is concerned about the rest of the group....even though she so easily wrote off her sister.

-That is driving me crazy. Seriously, would it have been that hard for her to mention Beth ONE FREAKING TIME during this episode?

- I've decided that a fire truck could possibly be the best zombie vehicle. Size, water, room, brilliant.


- Just a few badass modifications away from being unstoppable.

- Is Abe broken? Will Glenn have to step up?

- I actually think (and hope) this is Rosita’s window of opportunity to shine. She got the tiniest bit more to do this episode, even if it was solely based on whether or not she supported Abraham.

- Will Carol & Daryl bring some action back to this show?

- Looking forward to The Carol and Daryl Show. Let’s hope it’s SUPER ROMANTIC. *kissy sounds*

Blair's Rating: A-

Steve's Rating: 3 out of 5 peeping Eugenes

Blair's MVP: Eugene

Steve's MVP: Abe

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Noah

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Based on the preview, Dawn from the Grady Bunch

Steve is doing Movember again this year, so if you want to kick in a few shekels, head on over to his page: http://mobro.co/stevebethel121

The Walking Dead - Season 5, Episode 4 - "Slabtown"

Blair Fink (Twitter: @BlairMFink, Instagram: @BlairFink)

Steve Bethel (Twitter: @the_lazy_gamer, Website: steveisthelazygamer.blogspot.ca)

"That's the final script for this episode?"

The Walking Dead, Season 5, Episode 4, "Slabtown"

SNEAKIN' OUT THE HOSPITAL

So here we are, back in Atlanta! I really thought the group was farther out than that. I know the cop said they "got a lead on some guys" (whatever that means), but it still seems a long way from ATL. If they did in fact get a tip...how? How could news from where Daryl and Beth were make it all the way back to ATL? Why would they (the cops) be that far out of the city? Was someone sending smoke signals? Carrier pigeons? It doesn't add up. I had a tough time with this part of the episode...actually I had a few issues with this episode. And I know if I had issues then I can't imagine how Blair feels about it...let's dive in.

I'd rather not dive into this steaming pile of poop but I guess if I've waded in this far, there's no going back now. Okay, so, this episode kind of stunk. After some thought, I think I've boiled it down to two main problems. First problem: Beth. With ole Anime Eyes being the only regular cast member in this episode (aside from Carol's brief cameo), she is the de facto lead. She has to carry this episode all by herself which is, unless I'm misremembering, something this show has yet to really try with anyone (it's very much an ensemble show). The problem is that Beth isn't really that interesting of a character and while I appreciate the effort to give her her own adventure and develop her character now (the juxtaposition of her suicidal scars against her determination to escape is effective if not particularly subtle), it falls a bit flat. This brings me to my second problem: the situation. If Beth isn't carrying the weight of the episode, the plot better be gangbusters. But it's not. It's not terrible, but it's mostly predictable. It's a hospital run by police offers but to no one's surprise, they're creepy, controlling and essentially villains. Was there ever any doubt that this place was going to be a place that Beth needed to escape from? If they were bringing in more survivors and saving more people, a good cause Beth could be a part of, maybe that could have provided a little more inner conflict for Beth and whether she wanted to leave or not. But instead we get: “Hmmm, seems creepy.” Later: “Yup, creepy!”

While the patrol picking up Beth didn't make sense, what does make sense is that they are scavengers. They go out looking for people. Not in the same sense that Gareth did. Gareth was a hunter, the Grady's are scavengers. Scavengers. They find the weak and force them into helping. They get the promise of being able to leave once they repay their debt. However the longer you stay the more you consume, the more you consume the more you owe, the more you owe the longer you stay. Not a good place to be in.

I'm a little disappointed Joan didn't stick around. I was pretty pumped to see Whale Rider show up and kind of expected her to play a bigger role than she did, what with her being an Oscar nominated actress and all. But no, we're stuck with Young Chris Rock instead. Sigh.

Suckers. Who has suckers anymore? That's something you don't see everyday in an apocalypse. So Noah gave Beth a lolli, that's nice. I trust him right of the bat, I can't say that for the rest of the hospital staff. The creepy/dark factor comes in shortly after with the help of Beth's sucker. At first you think, ok, sure these people must be getting lonely, a new pretty girl shows up it's a good bet that someone with an alpha personality, like a cop, would get a little rapey. Then Beth get the "pep" talk from Dawn, where she essentially says the "scrubs" are there to "take care" of the officers. Dirty. Throw in the entire jar of suckers on Dawn's desk and it hits you. Noah has probably had a rough past year. It's also a good bet why Joan wasn't too happy to be back around Gorman.

Gorman turning his encounter with Beth into a “You Owe Me” video made my skin crawl despite how cliched it was. Dawn tried to explain that Beth should rather be safe in the hospital than out there with the walkers but when Gorman made it clear what kind of interactions he expected to have, Beth was like “NOPE. I will take my chances with the walkers, thank you!” Fast forward to the escape plan.

What a botched escape plan that was. The kid is going to be screwed anyways. Living the "good life" in the hospital for the last year and then to be thrust into that. He was limping BEFORE he fell in the elevator. He has no chance. He'll come crawling back.

Yeah, he is definitely walker fodder unless he runs into someone that could protect him. Someone with a leather vest, maybe? Someone with a leather vest with wings on the back, maybe? Someone with a winged leather vest who is in desperate need of a haircut, maybe?

So, final scene, we think Beth is going to flip shit and destroy everything, as the people of the Rickpublic tend to do. Carol. Now, up to this point I was having some trouble with the time frame of this episode. I was under the assumption that scenes were days/weeks apart. I mean they want to catch the audience up with Beth and be on the same timeline as the rest of the survivors. This was contested in my house after the episode, but I think this is post Rick-kicking-her-out-of-prison Carol, not currently-searching-for-Beth-with-Daryl Carol. Then again could be a trick/trap by Daryl/Carol to get Beth out.

You think this is pre-Rambo Terminus destroyer Carol? No way. That wouldn't make sense. She's obviously going to interact with Beth in some capacity in the hospital and then somehow she returns to join up with Tyreese and the girls and the rest of the group but never mentions Beth at all? I think (or at least hope so, so much) that this is another Rock 'n' Roll Carol operation to get inside the hospital before going all John McClane again to rescue Beth. If Terminus was Carol Hard, this is Carol Hard 2: Carol Harder. Looks like we're going to have to hold tight on that front, though, as the previews for next week looks like the episode will be focused on the Mr. Ford Goes to Washington gang.

QUESTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS

-Rick waking up vs. Beth waking up:

- The strongest character in this episode was Dr. Steven Edwards. He has no delusions about his place and shortcomings. He does what he has to do to make sure he survives and while he obviously doesn't feel good about himself doing it, is unapologetic.

- If you were in the position that a person was going to come into your group that was more skilled than you in your area of expertise would you kill them?

- Only if my area of expertise was Writing about The Walking Dead.

- Dawn has OCD. Not sure if/how that will be an important plot point but I feel the need to mention it.

- I still love the fact that every group has a different name for the walkers, “Rotters” in this case.

- Has anyone called them zombies yet?

- Three teams to follow now! This is getting confusing!

- I'm curious as to how they're going to handle this. Will each group get an episode and then will they start cutting back and forth?

-Where the title of this recap comes from:

Blair's Rating: C+

Steve's Rating: 2 out of 5 candy apple suckers

Blair's MVP: Dr. Steven

Steve's MVP: Dr. Steven

Blair's Deadpool Pick: Rosita

Steve's Deadpool Pick: Rosita