The Walking Dead (no comics spoilers)

Meh, we all knew he was going to die before he made it back to the group. Nice back story, but it doesn't really pull me into Morgan's character flaws and questionable decisions this season.

So all it really showed me was. 1. He's following the code to a fault and it will has gotten other people killed because of it. 2. He's too far gone/stupid to see this already. 3. He's going to do it again with the guy he's got tied up behind a flimsy door.

Not happy with the stupidity of someone who's survived on his own for so long and should know better.

 

I might have to disagree with the characterization of your second point, and how it projects with respect to the code Morgan's following. As a few mentioned above, I don't think he's in firm grasp of sanity at all right now, and is trying to cling to the philosophy he picked up - on one hand believing it to be the best for humanity in a civiliized society, on the other knowing this isn't civilized society, and doubting if it's the right path to cling to.

In a way, it's symbolic of any significant change we make in our lives. It can be hard going at first as all the things (people included) that were previously set to a different behavior butt against the change. A lot of doubt and reconsideration can creep in.

I thought it was an interesting dynamic, but didn't think it worthy of an entire 90 minute episode. I just think the show can spend too much time coming to a dead halt in order to backstory. They could just weave some things in with other situations and improve the overall pacing and intrigue a bit, imo.

 

Maybe I am in the minority but I like the season so far....well up to this past Sunday. How do you leave us in the wind with Glenn and Rick and spend 90 min on Morgan's past......90 MIN!!!!! Yeah this was a good story but not the time for it, jmo! This whole life is precise this is BS, at least in the world they are living in. Look what this group has gone thru and what they had to do to survive. You have to kill to survive not just the walkers but these other groups that are hunting you as well.......

 

Of course she will... Because she's psycho.

 

Just don't look at the flowers and you'll realize she's not so bad.

 

Look's like I called it!

 

Ok, so I've been waiting for 2 weeks to see how Rick was going to escape the RV surrounded by walkers and.................still waiting.

 

The show has always been really good about making situations seem impossible, and then having a great escape. After it wasn't even mentioned during the episode, I think you're right and that this one is just going to be "He obviously got away. And moving on...."

 

Noticed the hand they so obviously kept focusing on never came up either.....

Trolling the fans must be the new way to show how great an artist you are!

 

Ugh. I couldn't watch this week's until last night.. they really need to steer away from episodes like that, imo. Feels like the show is being crossed with a soap opera ("Walking Dead of Our Lives"? "The Bold and the Beautiful and the Dead"! "Another World" - that one actually stands on its own.)

While there were a few good moments of convo, the bulk of the dialoge and scenes just felt set up and wrenched for maximum dramatic effect (The scenes between Tara and Denise were especially painful.). How many more Alexandrians are going to give the "we've got to face the real world or die" speech? That theme's been running for nearly a full season now, as an audience we get it. No need to keep vocalizing it through the characters.

I think part of the problem is the writers seem to think it necessary to script and show all interpersonal conflicts for the audience to in fact 'get it.' I remember the episode where Glenn wouldn't leave Tara trapped in the tunnel full of walkers even though they both had stated he didn't have the ammo to fend them all off - naturally the cavalry of Abraham, et al, arrived from the other side just as he ran out of bullets. Shortly thereafter was the scene with the newly reunited Maggie and Glenn, where the picture of Maggie he kept just happened to fall out of his sleeping bag as she was unrolling it. This was followed by her burning it, against his initial objection, explaining rather cheesily that he'd "never need the picture again."

This all set Glenn up as a really nice guy - loyal and good. But did we need two ham-handedly scripted scenes in order to get that? A lot of good shows have other complexities going on between characters that are tangential to the main arc, but they weave these in as part of the broader narrative. In ironic contrast, the one moment the show chose to gloss over this week was the most intriguing - how the hell did Rick get out of the RV and avoid the mass of encroaching walkers? That was the cliffhanger two shows back, yet they swiped it aside within the first 30 seconds of the opening.

This week's WD was scene after scene of interpersonal conflict and resolution often to some point involving previously faceless Alexandrians. Are we supposed to suddenly care about them? I didn't. And that's too bad, because there are plenty of good paths to explore. I initially liked the idea of Rick and Co arriving in a place where he may have been in charge of his group, but answered to someone else in the community. Bu they never did justice to viewpoints opposing Rick's Real World Survival Code, instead lining up situations, conflicts, and resolutions that only fed into supporting his way of handling things.

That's not to say Rick is necessarily wrong, but there's so much more depth that could be explored. Right now the camp has just survived an attack from the Wolves and is surrounded by a massive horde of walkers while several members remain lost somewhere outside the perimeter. A good case could be made against Rick for bringing all that upon the camp - fair or not. That's the way life is. Sh*t happens, people look to assign blame. But here, the show has quickly discounted any strong naysayer of Rick's and offed them before any convincing argument was presented that would justify a potential revolt from those opposed to his views. As a result, the Alexandrians have been portrayed as clueless idealists who have been spoiled by their disconnection from life outside their walls. That's a cheap and easy way to paint the situation.

This week also treated us to Rick and Jessie apparently getting over any awkwardness over Rick having killed her husband. This is another arc I felt was clumisly done - when they first arrived it was made apparent the initial attratction between Rick and Jessie, but of course she was married. What if they had made her husband less obviously bad? Then you'd have Rick's group and their radical new way of thinking, and Rick seemingly attracted to the town doctor's wife - subtlety could have made these storylines much more intriguing.

That, to me, is what the show is lacking. There are going to be moments when it's not a mad scrambling fight against Wolves or walkers. But the show is lacking any meat to its bones outside of them, thus episodes like this one come off wholly unsatisfying. Not to mention having the added depth would make the show even better during the helter skelter of zombie survival. Lastly, it would eliminate some of the more cheesy scenes that can come off as patronizing to an audience (not even going to get into the whole Glenn sitchoo).

 

Yeah, I wouldn't have thought it was a big deal either, normally, but in that episode, it was like they were making it a point to have him keep looking at it as if there was something we were supposed to be paying attention to. I'm guessing it might have just been a nod to the comic fans. That's all I'll say without giving up more comic info.