AMC's The Walking Dead

I assumed it was Daryl who was the hostage and someone is going to come out of the shadow holding a gun on him. The crack in this theory is that Daryl wouldn't be the one giving instructions, but then there are sometimes cracks in this show (not throwing a bomb there). Isn't Beth in a hospital somewhere? or is the theory that that was a flashback?

 

It looks like Beth's being held in a major city, though.
How long has been since she went missing, two weeks? Would there be enough time for her to suffer the trials and travails about which we're about to learn, escape and then hoof it all the way back into the boonies?

 

I thought Darryl said he WAS with Beth, which would imply he's not with her now.

 

He was, but that was at the cemetery before she was abducted as they were leaving the place.

 

Thinking back on last week's episode and the only disappointment I have is that nothing came of the Termites eating tainted meat. Ultimately, Bob's revelation is what helped the Grimes Gang survive because the Termites stupidly sent him back, rather than just killing him, but it would have been cool to see some consequences for the living eating the tainted meat.

 

Given Kirkman's past comments about not wanting to dig into the science of how the zombie virus works too much, I'm sure that was intentional. Suggest we may learn something, then kill everybody who ate it to keep us from learning anything.

They sent Bob back hoping it would get Rick to attack their camp, letting them sneak into the church and get those left behind. Of course, Rick and company figured it out and killed the Termites instead, but I do get the plan they had in returning Bob.

 

Yep, you're right, I totally spaced on that for some reason. Of course that was the plan.

Anyway, I'm aware of Kirkman's desire to avoid the science of the infection, but they could have shown what happens when the living eat tainted meat without getting into the science of it. That said, I guess the Termites were about to be exterminated anyway and their storyline had run its course, so there was no real reason to show what would have happened (my guess, based on Gareth's line about cooking the meat, is that their explanation would be that nothing happens).

Just for fun:

 

I don't think the tainted meat would've had any effect because everybody's already infected.
But I can understand why a cannibal in those circumstances would avoid eating anyone bitten as a precaution. There's no way to know for sure, so better safe than sorry.

I didn't mind the lighting or lack of it in the episode. I'm just so pleased with the pacing of this season.

I think it's Morgan in the shadows. He got the jump on Darryl somehow. He's kind of got Darryl as a semi-hostage until he can find Rick.

 

I think Rick's group may be the only ones that know that everyone is infected, so it would make sense for people to freak out about TAINTED MEAT, TAINTED MEAT HAHAHAHAHA.
Sorry, went all Bob there for a second.

 

Could be. They gotta some of the few that were told directly, but I gotta think a lot of the survivors by this point have lost people through means other than zombie bite, so they would know even the unbitten rise again.

Either way, I'm loving this season.

 

Everybody may be infected, but the bite of a walker is still fatal. The question is why and does it somehow translate into tainted meat being an issue.

 

No question about it, the show has definitely been better this season. Better pacing, more interesting story lines, far less meandering bullshit than Season 4.

A thing I worry about moving forward: the more they've split cast members up in the past, the more aimless the show got. Right now, there's at least three groups (subplots) going with the D.C. trekkers, Rick and company, and wherever the hell Beth is. Hopefully, they can tie it all together and not lose the plot.

Also:

-- The battle for Tyreese's conscience subplot is silly to me. I get that one of the questions the show is asking of its characters this season is where their moral limit is to still be considered "good" or even "human", as evidenced by the kill scene in the church, where some killed willingly and seemed to relish it, while others watched aghast, but c'mon. There's no room for pacificism in this world. Not killing people who will kill you is just dumb, especially when you're ostensibly there to protect someone (Judith) who can't protect herself. To a major degree, how "human" you are depends a whole lot on the environment you're forced to survive in. So grow a dong, Tyreese, and get with the program.

-- I really don't give a fuck about Beth, my least favorite character among the core cast. She's just never added anything to the proceedings and is annoying. I can think of several cast members among the dearly departed whom I'd trade for her getting devoured by walkers and that includes several villains.

Am I curious about her fate? Sure, why not? Do I hope that whatever entity kidnapped her destroyed her fucking guitar and brain-washed her so she never sings one of her low-grade folk songs ever again? You bet!

I just hope they don't waste a bunch of episodes on her as the interest I have in her character is basically nil. On a more positive note, I just hope they make her interesting.