The Walking Dead Season 5 (1 Viewer)

[joshEH]

Holy shit...gah...for some reason, the thread must've cached incorrectly in my browser right before when I posted that -- I went straight to the last post, and it was still MarkMel's. I swear, Lou's post wasn't even showing up!


(This also happened to me earlier this week, too...what with all the board-issues going on right now, I guess I shouldn't be shocked.)

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The problem with Deanna is that she's so concerned with what's going on inside the walls that she doesn't give enough attention to what's happening outside the walls. She thinks people like Rick Grimes are the worst that she's going to have to deal with. That being the case, she doesn't realize that the time's going to come when she needs a Rick Grimes to take care of things. What makes Rick such a unique and important asset is that he's able to walk that line of becoming a monster without quite stepping over it.


The guy who plays Pete did a great job flipping the switch from pathetic drunk to abusive nightmare. Seeing him and Rick in that feral place was something to behold.


I really liked Carl's afternoon out in the woods with Enid. She's probably the best child actor/actress the show's had so far, and I really liked the glimpse into the ways of someone who has made it this far through an entirely different survival strategy. Rick's group has always been about strategic offense and defense. It was interesting to see the way Enid emphasized stealth. She had eyes on Carl even when he didn't know where she is. She knows how to walk and move quietly. She understands the utility of distractions and misdirection to evade rather than confront the walkers. She's probably had to kill plenty herself when it came to it, but her strategy (and therefore like the group she came from's strategy) means that she was in that situation a lot less. As for the moment in the hollow tree: hormones amidst the zombie apocalypse.

 

[ScottH]

Great episode, although the Sasha story line really dragged it down.


Can't blame the Alexandria group for wanting the new people gone. While they may be what they need for long term survival, it's been nothing but chaos and death since they got there.


Rick really handled the Pete situation poorly. I don't think he could have handled it any worse.

 

[joshEH]

Carl and Enid, sittin' a tree...


S


T


A


B


B


I


N


G

 

[joshEH]

Man, can you imagine how awkward the beginning of the episode would have been if the mix CD had been something like Screamo? All while Aiden's family shed tears at their loss.


The Rick/Pete-fight that served as the episode’s climax was pretty cool, though. And it led to a breakdown for Rick that throws the whole, "I’m gonna take Alexandria over"-plan in jeopardy.


Rick has been on the edge for a while now, but it’s fascinating here to watch him rant at the townsfolk, because part of what he’s saying (like the fact that these people are absolute shit at going on runs outside the fence, unless it’s Aaron on a recruiting trip) is legitimately true.


That still doesn’t make him sound reasonable or even sane, but it also makes him impossible to dismiss. You either die a Dale, or live long enough to see yourself become the Shane.


COMICS SPOILER:

Spoiler

Enid said the knife came from her mom. If the "W"s are coming from The Whisperers, how much do you want to bet that Enid is this series' Lydia?

 

[joshEH]

Two seconds later:

 

[doug zdanivsky]

it's been nothing but chaos and death since they got there.

Not really.. They lost 4 people in the last month on runs.. They would have lost at least one more if Ford hadn't been there..

 

[MarkMel]

First off, the cold open with NIN - awesome! So cool to hear them used on this show where every episode could be a NIN video.


Second, what's up with Michone knocking Rick out? Was it because she knew that Rick was digging a hole that he'd have trouble getting out of? Does she still buy what Rick is selling? Or is she starting to see a different path?

 

[ScottH]

Second, what's up with Michone knocking Rick out? Was it because she knew that Rick was digging a hole that he'd have trouble getting out of? Does she still buy what Rick is selling? Or is she starting to see a different path?

When it happened I thought it was to just keep him from digging a deeper hole, but now I'm wondering if she just doesn't want Rick to screw it up for everyone else and she's warming up to this idea of a community.

 

[TravisR]

First off, the cold open with NIN - awesome! So cool to hear them used on this show where every episode could be a NIN video.

Yeah and they went for a lesser known (though awesome) song like Somewhat Damaged.

 

[Quentin]

Great tension, excellent gore last week, fun stuff waiting in the wings...and, then this week.

1) typical TWD...no mention or sight of Gabriel after basically being one of the big pivotal pieces last week. Not even a MENTION this week.
2) WTF is up with Michonne? I thought she was a badass? WHY would she do that go Rick...but the big question is HOW?? Does she have magical stealth zombie powers? He didn't see her cross the 10 yard cushion he had? No one else saw her moving in and said something (Carol)? She punches hard enough to take Rick out?
3) the big one...Rick goes to Deanna and says "we have a problem"....well, shit...of COURSE she knew! The problem is, I thought she was a big time leader of men? But, she doesn't know what to do about this guy?? How many times does she ask Rick "and then what?"???? Um...YOU'RE THE FUCKING LEADER! YOU TELL ME! But, since she is now too stupid to know how to lead a town and Rick no longer has any ideas beyond "I kill him", I have a list for them:

1) how about you KEEP THE FUCKING BOOZE AWAY FROM HIM!!!??? In a rationed town, I would think this could be accomplished.
2) move him to another house until he gets permission to come back.
3) public flogging.
4) public stocks/shaming.
5) jail/solitary

All MUCH better measures to consider before you kill your only doctor! This is basic survival 101. Rick may have become more feral in his time 'out there', but he hasn't become retarded - oh wait...yes he has, because that makes it easy for the writers to get their desired outcome quickly. KILL THE DOCTOR BECAUSE THAT'S HOW IT IS NOW!!!

No...only if you want to quickly escalate tension between you and the townspeople with no other idea how to do it...

 

[TravisR]

3) the big one...Rick goes to Deanna and says "we have a problem"....well, shit...of COURSE she knew! The problem is, I thought she was a big time leader of men? But, she doesn't know what to do about this guy?? How many times does she ask Rick "and then what?"???? Um...YOU'RE THE FUCKING LEADER! YOU TELL ME! But, since she is now too stupid to know how to lead a town and Rick no longer has any ideas beyond "I kill him", I have a list for them:

1) how about you KEEP THE FUCKING BOOZE AWAY FROM HIM!!!??? In a rationed town, I would think this could be accomplished.
2) move him to another house until he gets permission to come back.
3) public flogging.
4) public stocks/shaming.
5) jail/solitary

Yeah, Pete is a piece of crap but it seems pretty ruthless to kill the guy at all and since he's a doctor, it's moronic to even consider killing him. Separate Pete and Jessie and if he doesn't stay away from her, lock him up and only let him out when they need a doctor. If he refuses to use his medical knowledge as a way to be freed or get back together with Jessie then kill him.

 

[joshEH]

"Why do you care?"
"Um...you people made me the fucking Sheriff??"

In the beginning of the episode, Deanna and family are mourning Aiden. As soon as that song comes on, you can see in their faces they all miss him just a little less.


I don't think Deanna is going to throw Rick out. I think she's wondering more about Nicholas and Gabriel. She actually did catch Nicholas in a lie, and she trusts Maggie, and Maggie will likely tell Deanna about Gabriel, and how unstable he is.


Part of the problem with the Pete-storyline here is that we've only been told he's a doctor. All we, as the audience, have seen of him is him being a jackass in his domestic life. A scene or two of him being a competent surgeon would have gone a long way towards humanizing him as a person.


Rick is now back to his alpha-male mentality of when Shane was around, fighting over a married woman, only Rick is now the guy on the outside. It's been suggested that everyone being infected with the zombie virus has made everybody a little crazy, stupid, and paranoid, and this seems to get heightened when people's hormones are involved.


That said, I'm glad the show had the sense to not make it, "Deanna's people always wrong; Rick's people always right," because while most most of her group do seem useless, I find I still mostly agree with pretty much everything she says.

 

[joshEH]

Oh, and calling it now that Sasha is gonna finally pull a Roger-in-Dawn of the Dead PTSD freakout next week that gets her killed once and for all, leading the way for totally new black people to join Rick's crew.

 

[TravisR]

Oh, and calling it now that Sasha is basically gonna finally pull a Roger-in-Dawn of the Dead PTSD freakout that gets her killed once and for all, leading the way for totally new black people to join Rick's crew.

That seems likely. Despite cracking up, Sasha is the one person who is doing the best thing by wiping out zombies. The more zombies they kill, the safer the world is. Presumably, the number of them is unfathomable and it could decades to kill them all but they should always kill everyone they see.

 

[ScottH]

1) how about you KEEP THE FUCKING BOOZE AWAY FROM HIM!!!??? In a rationed town, I would think this could be accomplished.

This goes along with what I've been wondering since we met the Pete character. How is it even possible that there is an alcoholic in this world? Besides the fact that alcohol is probably the first item every single living person would go after in a post-apocalyptic world, there's no way anyone could ever have enough alcohol to actually be an alcoholic (err, at least an actively drinking one).

 

[Quentin]

Oh, and calling it now that Sasha is gonna finally pull a Roger-in-Dawn of the Dead PTSD freakout next week that gets her killed once and for all, leading the way for totally new black people to join Rick's crew.

Another lost thread. I wonder how Lennie James feels? He got called back and then...?

 

[joshEH]

Another lost thread. I wonder how Lennie James feels? He got called back and then...?

According to the producers, evidently there was a last-second scheduling snafu with James, and they ended up having to shoot all of his sequences at the very beginning of the season, when they originally planned to have him turn up in the storyline before now.

This goes along with what I've been wondering since we met the Pete character. How is it even possible that there is an alcoholic in this world? Besides the fact that alcohol is probably the first item every single living person would go after in a post-apocalyptic world, there's no way anyone could ever have enough alcohol to actually be an alcoholic (err, at least an actively drinking one).

As for Alexandria not kicking out Pete, I kind of wished there was more shame coming from Deanna; that this was a decision that perhaps morally tortured her to a certain extent.


Because on one hand, I can kind of understand the reasoning. Obviously in such a world, doctors are going to be valuable, especially if few people possess such medical training.


But on the other hand, Pete gets just as much out of the community as everyone else. Sure, he's the doctor who has the ability to heal and repair people who get injured or sick, but he also enjoys safety, food, and a fucking house at their expense.


Also, where is this guy getting beers from? Is he a home-brewer? Surely a community that rations everything wouldn't supply a known wifebeater with unlimited alcohol, right?


It'd be pretty easy for the community to force him to get in line, and it looks like they haven't even tried. Carol only gets half a chocolate bar to make cookies, and this guy gets to be drunk all day?

 

[Walter Kittel]

I would agree with the general sentiment that the writing as it regards Pete is pretty weak. As others have posted, ignoring the behavior, exiling him, and killing him are not the only choices in Alexandria. (Perhaps those might be the only choices outside the walls, in the wild and on the move; but the whole point of Alexandria is that other options exist.)


All of the other choices (esp. listed by Quentin) seem valid. Make him stop (take away the alcohol, physically separate him from his family, etc.) and if he refuses to provide medical treatment for the community as a result then beat his ass. If he still refuses THEN take more extreme measures. You don't have to jump to the nuclear option as your first choice.


- Walter.

 

[mattCR]

One of the problems I have is that these communities seem to be the problem that would stop anything from succeeding. We know that when people die, they always become Zombies. And newly made Zombies are the faster moving more aggressive kind because they aren't starving.


Tightly bound population seems to just wait for someone to slip and fall down stairs, die through whatever reason, and then walla, a zombie outbreak inside the walls.