DRW50

I think there's a sense of frustration, because we already saw the results of 2010, when a lot of voters stayed home to "punish" Democrats or because they felt the GOP would solve their problems. Instead, the economy got worse, the government was nearly shut down, and most of the focus was on impeachment talk and banning birth control and all forms of abortion. Now we're in the same position. Yet again the public seems to believe the GOP can fix their problems, even though it will likely just be more abortion bans, more impeachment talk, more hysteria about Benghazi and ebola and whatever else, hysteria about religious exemptions and how the gays are threatening "religious freedom," more business boosting. It gets to the point where you even wonder why you bother, because people always end up supporting the worst option. And the media is so eager, practically panting for the GOP to romp. They love it. They have their stories already written up. It's hot and sexy and wild. Increasingly tabloid-ish sites I'd once expected better from, like TPM, recently had up articles boasting about how this year would be "The Year of the Republican Woman" in the Senate. Once someone realized how incredibly stupid that sounded, they changed the headline, hours too late. You have SNL, still tagged by many as "liberal" (why, I don't know) pushing for the GOP. There's so much time and money and media focus invested in a GOP Congress, and if they get their way, a GOP White House too. And apathetic voters or easily manipulated voters always seem to be fine with going along with it.

They've shown a few patients here and there, mostly interrupting conversations in the clinic. Does anyone know exactly what the specialities of each doctor is? I know Nick is a neurosurgeon and a researcher, but some of the others are vague to me.

That's great!

I think she was an unwed pregnant woman who lived with Renee and Asa briefly, or something. I can't remember. I think she's in the 1990 Christmas episodes.

For amybrickwallace (can't remember which year this is from)

January 1, 1991 Weekly

January 1, 1991 Weekly

A con this weekend, with (using character names for brevity) - Carl, Meghan Chambler, Sophia, Penny, Carol, Axel, Andrea, Oscar. Possible spoilers. There's also a lot of flash photography going on.

That's great to hear it confirmed. A part of me is surprised they're letting the cast talk about it this way on social media, but I guess it's a good way to keep buzz going.

Great job. I like how you wove so many stories in, even the smaller beats, like Felicia and Mitch remembering the good times. Michele is back, and yet even with an attempt at a happy reunion, the tension is so thick. Great pacing and building up for what's to come. I liked Kirkland's line about Steven being related to everyone. And that's a great cliffhanger. Christy's been such an isolated character, it's good to see her in the mix now.

Maitland's face looks totally different to me. She was Renee Zellweger before it was cool.

This oversells just how progressive GL was compared to earlier years (GL women didn't just sit around wringing their hands in the Agnes Nixon or even the Irna days, and JFP's era had tons of women-as-victims). Still, other than that talk, I was happy to get to see the interviews. I'd never seen them before.

Sonequa Martin-Green (possible spoilers) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-star-shocking-outcome-743915 Andrew West http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-gareth-dies-interview-743914 Greg Nicotero interview about this episode (and teasers/spoilers for upcoming material) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/walking-dead-bob-gareth-die-743913 TooFab talks about the episode, with some comments from Josh McDermitt (Eugene) about filming. This also has a video interview with Sonequa. I should warn this link has some NSFW or semi-NSFW photos. (not of TWD, just of celebrities) http://www.toofab.com/2014/10/26/the-walking-dead-four-walls-and-a-roof-recap/

May 1977 Daytime TV

May 1977 Daytime TV

http://www.tvguide.com/news/the-walking-dead-postmortem-andrew-lincoln-1088452.aspx? http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/10/26/walking-dead-gareth-andrew-j-west-four-walls-and-a-roof/

I don't think there was ever a "moment." I don't think they see the group as strangers or as acquaintances. There are bonds, memories, friendships, respect. I'm just saying when I think back to most of the emotional moments in recent seasons (especially starting in early season 4), Glenn and Maggie had most of them with each other or with Hershel. I think Glenn after they settled into the prison, saw them as his main family. Maggie saw Hershel and Glenn and Beth as her family. They were both isolated after the prison fell and I think that probably made it easier to make more of a break like they made tonight.

There is a broad family, and clearly there are emotions and feelings, but Glenn in particular was much closer to Hershel and Maggie (and now Tara) than he has been to most of the others for a while now. I don't quite know what is going on with Maggie's characterization - some fans are crucifying her for not mentioning Beth - but I think she's probably pulled back considerably after Hershel's death and is just trying to be with Glenn and make decisions with him. She seems cut off. I agree about Abraham. I just don't know why more of them don't say, "[!@#$%^&*] off." Hopefully by the time everyone meets again he will be better integrated and less of a cartoon.

Overall I thought this was a good episode. I didn't have a strong emotional connection to it, as I would have wanted to have, possibly because they crammed so much story into one episode (this could have been a half-season or story), and perhaps a directing issue, but I liked it. What I appreciated the most was Sasha's characterization. I thought they treated her perfectly. Her emotions (grief, disbelief, rage, acceptance) were all understated yet still easy to see. Her scene with Tyreese was important for both characters, and treated both respectfully. I'd go as far as to say other than "The Grove," it was Tyreese's best material so far. I think Sasha has likely always been pragmatic and Tyreese has been ruled more by his big heart, and they're both adjusting - Sasha let herself fall for a guy, let herself trust, while Tyreese is trying to control his emotions and do what has to be done. I was happy that the show let Sasha kill that bastard without making her into some type of bad person or acting like she was betraying Bob or her brother. Sasha has her own voice, she isn't just someone's girlfriend or sister. I'm glad we got to see that here. I'm also glad we got that goodbye with Bob, and the final scene where she let Tyreese kill him for her. I'm glad the show didn't pander to the fandom mindset that only 2-3 characters are important. Sasha means a great deal to me as a character on this show. I think she adds to the group in ways I can't quite fully explain. I know she's never going to be a main character, I know she will be lucky to get through each episode, but I'm glad she, and Sonequa Martin-Green, got that chance to shine. I also like how simple the Tyreese/Sasha relationship is. There's no forced conflict, no forced merriment - they're two very different, yet similar people, siblings who love each other but aren't defined by that. I was underwhelmed by the Terminus group in this episode, as minus some well-acted monologues they were mostly smug idiots, and the brutality scene didn't quite work because of the lighting and because it's difficult for us to be shocked even as the show wanted us to be shocked. With that said, the key scenes ("tainted meat" and Rick's slaughterhouse) still worked, and I'm glad they didn't drag this out. Some part of me was like, "Bob takes a long time to die," but I'm glad they gave him a decent showcase for his final episode, and let him go with dignity. I'm not a big fan of the whole "happy death" TV scene, it just seems cliche, but Lawrence Gilliard Jr. did a great job. Kudos to the show for treating his relationship with Sasha as something good and positive while still allowing both characters to keep their dignity and not just be about each other. Sasha wants to believe in good things, but she's never going to be happy-sappy, the way he was in his last few episodes. She's balanced, and he kept her balanced, which is one of the reasons she (and I) will miss him. We never really got to see that much of Bob with the group in a positive way, so the group goodbye scene and the scene with Rick didn't mean as much to me, but it was fine. Bob was an interesting character. Even if the writing was sometimes uneven and clumsy, Gilliard always did his best. Bob brought a unique voice to the group. He reminded me more of the Darabant period, which isn't a bad thing. I'll miss him. I like the idea of what the show is exploring with Tyreese, and that they aren't just repeating Rick's struggle with "how far is too far," but the details are what make the story sloppy. I didn't have a problem with Glenn and Maggie being disturbed by the brutality. I keep seeing people say Maggie and Glenn wouldn't leave their "family," but honestly they were never really "family" to Glenn and Maggie. Maggie was in a bubble with her father and sister, and Glenn was an errand boy for the group. He didn't really find a family until he met the Greenes. I wish we got more POV on this, but I prefer them quietly leaving to endless debates over morality and losing yourself and so on. I just want more POV, especially for Maggie. I feel like I understand Maggie, but that's just me. I don't think other fans are as willing to keep cutting her slack for the odd writing choice of not mentioning Beth. I wanted more Michonne, as always, but at least they gave her that powerful scene with the katana, which was both amazing and heartbreaking, as she is, in a way, as chained to it as those "pets" were chained to her, and she can't move on without it. The scene with Gabriel was also good. I was worried they might try to hint at a romance between them; thankfully they didn't. I'm wary of Gabriel because he seems somewhat superfluous and the show already has so many characters, but Seth Gilliam is doing a good job, and I'm glad they're bringing in more guys who aren't generic action heroes. Speaking of that... Abraham continues to sour episodes for me. He just feels grafted onto the group and the show. Splitting him up helps resolve this for now, and helps stave off pissing contests with Rick (thank you!), but it doesn't help make him any less one-note or unpleasant. The note to Rick was a good start. Can we build on that?