I haven’t liked Rick in a long, long time – but I did like last Sunday’s episode. I thought it was one of the more thoughtful and thought-provoking episodes in quite a while (despite all the violence.) The show is so nihilistic now that it surprises me when there are glimpses of reflection or introspection.
When Carol told Maggie “You’re supposed to be someone else”…
When Carol put the beet cookie on Sam’s grave…
Nice touches. I’m just afraid that Carol’s days are numbered. As soon as someone gets all thoughtful and nuanced, that’s when the writers kill them off.
Alwaysamom: Wasn’t Carl staying home to protect Judith?
It’s not that I don’t like Rick. I just no longer care what happens to him. The morality issue is interesting in this week’s episode. But once again, it makes so little sense even for a zombie show. Don’t they have a missile gun of some sort? Why aren’t they attacking from outside? And then killing people as they exit? or accepting their surrender?
They need some ancient historians who understand war machines. Siege tactics. This Trojan Horse idea was flawed. They hadn’t tried to starve them out yet. Or anything else.
And if they can burn up zombies, why aren’t they doing controlled burns all the time out in the woods?
I’m kind of flummoxed by Carol’s character now – how am I supposed to feel about her latest decision? I still really like her character and Melissa McBride’s acting, but I kind of miss the old Carol, too.
I’ve really liked this season quite a bit, but I thought last nights was a tad boring…except for poor Zoey ( I’m currently bingeing Nurse Jacke. The character who got the arrowhead in the eye is named Zoey on NY). I’m not loving Carole’s story. I hope the last few are better.
I liked this week’s episode and found it pretty intense. Maybe it’s just that I expect that something awful will happen each week. And, sure enough, it did! I liked the premise of Eugene and Denise venturing outside Alexandria to test themselves. I can understand how they might want to do that, regardless of how foolish it may seem, especially for Denise, given that she is the community member with medical expertise.
Carol’s decision to leave doesn’t make sense to me. It’s clear that last week’s events have deeply affected her but why leave the relative security of Alexandria, and her friends/‘family’ to face almost certain danger/death outside. I don’t get it.
I love Carol and am really worried about her (and Daryl’s) future in this story, given all the buzz about how horrible the finale will be.
This week’s episode drove me nuts, frankly. Denise is the only person in Alexandria with any medical expertise, Maggie is pregnant, people get hurt all the time, and she wants to go outside the gates for personal growth? They should have told her to sit down and get over herself. Everyone in that community has strengths and weaknesses and her skill set was too important for her to take that risk, not for just herself but for everyone else. There was no good reason for her to go once she drew the map and IMO, Rosita and Daryl should have called her bluff.
I liked that Eugene and Abraham went on their excursion though. Eugene had a good reason for showing Abraham the metal smelting shop and a well thought out plan so unlike Denise’s participation and demise, their run had some future value.
As long as I’m being critical, how likely is it that Daryl can’t drive a stick shift? Like, I’m sure he learned to drive on a Cadillac?
Carol walking out has been foreshadowed for a while. You sometimes have to ignore the stupid things they do but they do pay attention to setting, foreshadowing, imagery. I liked the last episode, rounding out the characters of Eugene and Rosita.
Living in Alexandria has made people soft. Carol knows she needs to get out and harden up. They always leave us hanging at season end (like in the boxcar at Terminus). I am guessing a couple characters die the last week and we are left with a Negan/Rick standoff.
I think Carol left because she doesn’t want to be hard any more - she really doesn’t want to kill. Remember, her note to Tobin said "“I love you all here. I do. But I’d have to kill for you, and I can’t. I won’t.”
That doesn’t sound like someone who’s leaving Alexandria to get hard – that sounds like someone that’s going to be killed off pretty soon.
^I agree with scout and think Carol is turning into Morgan. She doesn’t want to kill anymore. I had assumed in last week’s episode the panic attack with the rosary was merely a distraction to get the jump on their captors. Now I wonder if it was a reaction to the dilemma of having to kill the captors to save Maggie and her unborn child. She knows she can kill them all. Maybe she just didn’t want to have to. Her reply to Daryl when he asks what the Saviors did to them was powerful to me. They did nothing to us. It’s what we did to them. (paraphrase)
Now I think the story gets into what it means to be human. When the group massacres the saviors in their beds, how are they really different than the walkers? How do they decide which humans are worth saving in the zombie apocalypse? They have been grappling with that question for a while. Daryl regrets not having killed the burned out forest guy, who shows up again, and kills Denise.
I think Carol just needs a break from the stress of having to answer that question all the time. And Maggie isn’t being too cooperative about protecting that unborn child. Carol asked her not to advance into danger When she won’t listen, Carol has to kill to protect her. And the whole attack was Maggie’s idea.
Are they worse than the saviors now? Because I doubt all those sleeping folks were there by choice. Some may have been delighted to be rescued.
Change in setting as change in character. You’re right, she was pretty clear about leaving because she felt she was no longer a good protector, but in the comfort of Alexandria her conscience is affecting her ability to survive. In Darryl’s “I should have killed them” and in the exchanges with her doppelganger, Paula, she sees how she has changed since becoming the cookie-mom. She told Paula to run instead of just shooting her. This is Carol running.
Carol’s sharpened cross stigmata at Rick’s execution of Primo illustrate her spiritual struggle (I love all the Biblical imagery). Perhaps she will become more like Morgan, unwilling to kill but well-equipped for survival.
I agree with Scout. I think she’s going to be killed. They always do a complete shocker of someone we have grown close to. I think it will be in the finale. I will hate that, she’s always been one of my favorites.
I can’t believe I’ve missed out on this thread all this time. I’ve watched TWD since it started… through the ups and downs of great writing to the current 1 good episode out of every 3 episodes. I love the characters, but I can’t stand when they have them (especially Rick) do incredibly stupid things just so there can be some action and zombie killing.
My take on Carol: I think she is the best character on TWD, as she has had the most interesting character arc (abused wife to Rambo). I think this latest twist on her feels lame, I don’t think she would so easily decide not to kill again, because she knows the result of that. I agree that they are probably setting her up for death-by-Neagan, and I will hate that.
I could stand to lose Rick at this point. I care less about him than anyone else. Carol and Michonne could take care of Judith. I think Carl can take care of himself at this point.
ETA: anyone besides me getting excited about the return of Fear the Walking Dead? Anyone besides me watching flight 462?
I like Fear because of less action and zombie killing so far. I like my zombies off stage as much as possible.
I hope I’m wrong about Carol because she’s one of my favorites; I really like Daryl and Michonne, too (although Michonne is doomed. Doesn’t she know that every woman that Rick sleeps with dies?) I’m going to be very sad if/when any of those three are gone.
Rick – eh. I’d much rather he were gone. I really don’t understand why he’s supposedly such a great leader, because so many of his plans/decisions seem so stupid and short-sighted
Daryl is my favorite. I will be very sad if/when they kill him off. I have started to rewatch the series on Netflix. It’s interesting going back and seeing how different the characters (and the zombies!) were back in Season 1.
Don’t you find it strange to see how much more capable the season 1 walkers were? They were turning door knobs, picking up teddy bears from the ground and using a rock to break through the glass at the department store. The walkers in the last several seasons don’t do much but walk, lunge and bite