AMC's The Walking Dead

I've read bits and pieces of the source material and I knew the direction they were going with this episode -- and hopefully the rest of the season -- and I love it. I don't know why people hated this episode when so many of those people wanted a backstory on Michonne. That's all I heard people talking about after the episode where she held Lil Ass Kicker for the first time. Now they've gotten that episode, and it wasn't good enough.

 

Nothing is ever good enough. If there are no walkers, they'll complain it's slow. If there are nothing but walkers, they'll complain there was no character development.
If the entire episode was an hour-long shower scene with the woman who plays Maggie topless, people would complain there wasn't enough soap.
There's just no pleasing some people.

 

Carl? Why do people dislike Carl? He's one of my favorite characters. To me, if he dies, the show is over. It would be similar to Rick dying. I have grown to dislike Rick, but it wouldn't be the same show without him.
During Sunday's episode, I thought it moved too slowly. As it neared the end, I appreciated that, and now I consider it to have been a really good episode. Loved the ending. "It's for you." Thought that was perfect.
Just as we did with "The Killing," this board seems to have several people watching a heck of a lot of a show for not liking it very much.

 

I'm not saying don't criticize the show. Lord knows I was one of the loudest critics of the pointlessly slow Farm plotline but I think they've done a tremendous job this season from start to finish. I didn't like it all--the prison virus crap came across as pointless to me and still wasn't really explained--but this show has hit way more than it's missed this year.

 

Meh, I didn't hate the episode, but it was slow. There was some interesting content in it without it disintegrating into navel-gazing, which is a problem with the show at times.

I think they often have a problem with pacing. Perhaps a third story thread would've helped.

In the episode's defense, they used plot and story to reveal character for Carl and Michone, which is much better than just doing an awful 'character development' episode where nothing happens.

 

The episode was a little slow for me not because of the violence/walkers but because the characters didn't really speak to each other. We didn't see half of them. It's interesting to see them alone after the prison collapse and the show is always going to have t ebb and flow and I get that. I'd like to see characters in the same general space, interacting with each other.

That said, a little slow doesn't mean brutally slow or unwatchable. It was fine.

 

So a teenager portrayed as ... a teenager? ... is a deathblow for the show in your eyes?
I liked Carl's arc there. He was pissed off at the old man, and rightfully so, then realized the old man was right and had his best interests at heart all along. Meanwhile, the old man realizes his son is growing up faster than he realizes. Yes, it's the subject of a hundred thousand bad country songs, but in the context of this show it worked. It's where both characters were and has been building for a while.
It wasn't the greatest episode in the history of television, just like this show isn't the greatest ever, but it wasn't terrible.
As for Michonne, I had more of a problem with her going for a Sunday stroll amongst 20 walkers than I did the flashbacks. And she found Rick and Carl by tracking them. She's probably pretty good at it by now.

 

I wouldn't say Carl's anger at Rick was justified.
I'd say it's the remnant of his lingering childishness.
Understandable but not justified.

 

I loved that moment when he Carl walked into the upstairs bedroom and had that "Woah, cool" moment. It was a reminder that no matter what else is going on, he's still just a teenager.

 

Most realistic part of this thing is people keep doing really stupid things. This week's example being Tyreese leaving the girls alone.

 

I sure didn't mind seeing Alanna Masterson my TV screen tonight. More of her please.

 

Good episode but not a great one. Much needed though to establish who's still alive and who's not.
The only real issue I have here is I find it hard to believe that the group didn't have a clear plan in place, especially once the fence started giving in, as to where to meet if all hell breaks loose.
Be it a safe house or a series of them, you would think they would have had an actual plan in place. I know there was some mention of one when everyone was boarding the bus but it seems like no one knows where to go. Just odd. You would think they would have talked about this over and over and over again.
Also, I'm calling BS on Glen being able to get out of that horde. Swat uniform or not swat uniform, 12 zombies (even at half-strength) are going to overwhelm a 130-pound man who's in theory still getting over his illness.
Other than that though I liked the episode. Curious to see how close they stick to the source material going forward.