The Walking Dead: Discussion Thread

[Ann_SS]

Phillip got winged. Rick was more far seriously injured by the bullet. We saw Phillip kick Rick in his injured leg. Regardless, it is clear that they wanted Michonne run Phillip through which would not have happened if Rick had easily won the fight.

[DRW50]

I think he said that about the comic death. I think the show death was supposed to be somewhat satisfying, since Michonne was the one who got the kill (yes, Lilly shot him, but he was already dying), although I was mostly just glad he was gone.

I heard people saying how dare Rick say people can change, after he didn't support Carol. And then this about Rick being an idiot for expecting the Governor to change. I agree with what you said - he knew it wasn't likely. He was pleading both to stall for time and for the ghost of a chance. He also seemed to have some hope that he might be able to convince the Governor's group to change their mind, which was on the verge of happening when the Governor killed Hershel.

Andrew Lincoln was wonderful in those scenes. His voice was breaking, he just seemed completely lost. It was like swimming in quicksand. I felt like there was too much melodrama in this episode, it should have been spread out, so I wasn't as moved by the reaction to Judith as I should have been, but this scene, and then his reaction to Hershel's death, really did get to me.

[DRW50]

Last night's episode...

The performances were certainly top notch. I hated to see Hershel go, but I could respect his death, dying for what he believed in, knowing Rick was trying to live by what Hershel had taught him, and also sparing Michonne, who was dead meat if the Governor had gotten his way. The toughest part was the reaction of the people in his life - Maggie and Beth were the hardest for me, then Rick. They showed just how monumental this loss will be.

I had a hard time believing Lilly would have left her daughter alone to play in the mud. I know this was supposed to be symbolic, the Governor losing another daughter, his humanity (and killing her so casually showed his humanity had already gone), but it just didn't work for me.

I also had a hard time believing Lizzie was a crack shot. Who taught her? Carol wouldn't have had time. They've been too busy since her departure. Was it Shane's ghost?

I felt like the episode had too much packed into too short of a time. I wish they'd had the Governor capture Michonne and Hershel last week.

The action scenes were generally tense and exciting, which is all you can ask for. Those two little girls holding guns sent a chill down my spine, because they have no one to help them learn right and wrong, the way Lori, Rick, and Shane tried with Carl. I assume the scene was supposed to frighten us, not make us cheer. The scene with Tara's girlfriend was a little ambiguous, as she was just standing there, but she'd been shooting a few seconds before, so I can see why Lizzie killed her. I was a little sorry to see her go - there was something I liked about the actress.

I just wish we'd gotten a few more scenes after the big battle, maybe showing everyone in their own areas post-prison. As it was something felt unfinished about the episode, and then the whole thing with Judith felt a little anticlimactic. I hope this means she isn't actually dead.

My favorite part of the episode was seeing the group split four or five ways. I hope this will last for a while into the next half of the season. I want to see different interactions and perspectives, especially for Glenn. Everyone being split up like that reminded me of the RPGs I used to play years ago.

Another short scene I appreciated was Sasha thanking Bob, even as he didn't want to hear it. The scene said so much about both characters.

I know some people wanted Daryl to decapitate Rick in Carol's name, but I took Daryl's reaction as confused and upset, not just accepting. They had other things to worry about.

Carol is one of my favorite characters, but if her fans keep bashing Rick and Maggie all the time, that's going to become increasingly difficult for me to get past.

Talking Dead was hard to watch. They were more somber than usual, and poor Lauren Cohan could barely get through the episode. Then poor Emily Kinney (Beth) couldn't even finish her little video interview. I'm glad to see how much Scott Wilson was loved by the cast.

Edited December 2, 2013 by DRW50

[DRW50]

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[Juliajms]

Oh, I don't know. I think children are born even under the most horrible conditions. Look at all the women living in the third world under famine conditions that have live births. People even gave birth in concentration camps. I doubt Lori was any worse off then those women. That's not to say that the children born under those circumstances are as healthy as children born under more optimal conditions, of course.

I'm really going to miss Hershel.

I also believe that Judith was saved by someone. I don't mind if they killed her off, I just don't think they did.

[DRW50]

I was looking at some lovely tumblr gifsets that compare Rick's speech in this episode to what Hershel told him in the season premiere, after he was worried he was like that Irish woman who killed herself in front of him. I had almost forgotten about those scenes until now, because the Governor and virus stories had taken over, but it all syncs beautifully.

Someone said they saw a walker version of that woman in the crowd in last night's episode. Did any of you see her?

[Darn]

Yes, they focused on her toward the very end of the episode, before Rick and Coral (that's how Rick says it) ran off.

[Antoyne]

Yeah the last shot of the walkers overtaking the prison, you see her in the same outfit.

[DRW50]

Thank you both. I'll have to look for more.

More interviews. I can't believe they gave Scott Wilson Hershel's head. That must have been both an honor and creepy as hell.

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/12/02/walking-dead-scott-wilson-hershel-death/

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/12/02/the-walking-dead-robert-kirkman-midseason-finale/

[Ann_SS]

I saw that Carol & Carol/Daryl fans were having a meltdown over Daryl's reaction when Rick told him all over TWD forums and blog sphere. Part of that is the problem with 'shipping a couple that does not exist and the other is not seeing Daryl and the other characters on the show as they are written. Daryl was clearly upset and angry that Rick banished Carol, but he was never going to turn on Rick or the group. He certainly was not going defend her actions and did not rather he opted for denial saying, "that was not her" when Rick said that she was not sorry. As a man, Daryl is far more like Rick, Hershel, Glenn, and Tyreese than Merle, Phillip, and Shane. He was never going to "understand" or accept what Carol did any more than he could with Merle.

True, but there is an extremely high maternal and infant mortality rates in those circumstances. Even if Judith had survived the birth, I would have expected her to underweight and sick, not pink and healthy as she turned out.

[Darn]

Well, they can't hire an underweight baby so you just have to accept some suspension of disbelief.

And Daryl's reaction to underwhelming if you're at all a fan of the potential dramatic implications of Carol's exit. I'm sure they'll explore it more next season but by then it'll have been 3 episodes and 2 months since she left and it'll have lost its impact. This show doesn't know when to just let stuff happen organically.

[Juliajms]

And they did kill off Lori and that was certainly realistic.

I think Daryl really didn't have that much time to react. People don't have time to process things in this world because crazy stuff just keeps happening. They didn't even get a chance to tell Ty before all hell broke loose.

[ChitHappens]

I agree! I don't ship Daryl and Carol at all, but they bonded, and I expected Daryl to have more of a reaction. Besides, the writers/directors indicated that this may be a problem by having Rick prepare to tell Daryl putting it off to hang with Carll, Hersch telling him to go talk to Daryl. Then they put it on hold only to return and then making the conversation 30 seconds and then nothing.

The new writers are having a few noticeable issues.

Edited December 3, 2013 by ChitHappens

[Ann_SS]

Clearly, I did that and do that all the time with the whole show or I could not enjoy it as much as I do.

Anyway, to reiterate my original point, I have no problem with them killing Judith if she is dead.

[DRW50]

I thought this was the most emotional reaction Daryl had shown to anything in a long time (aside from his brother's murder).

The problem with this story is these characters are too hardened to have a big reaction, and there's too much going on. Daryl has responsibilities and relationships he won't let go of just because he's upset about Carol. They'd matured the character past that mindset. If he'd stormed off to look for Carol, or taken a swing at Rick, I wouldn't have bought it.

The main way this will be dramatic is if or when Carol returns. The people at the prison were just too even-keeled to melt down over it.

Anyway, that extra who's shown up a few times this season (the woman on the bus with Beth, Maggie, and Glenn) fascinates me, as she's popped up over and over in the middle of bad times this season. She's certainly a survivor. She was one of the people who was infected. The actress has her own website.

http://www.2sherryscorner.com/

Ratings. 12 million, 6.1 in 18-49. That's about what I'd expected.

http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2013/12/02/the-walking-dead-mid-season-finale-draws-12-1-million-viewers/219449/