Dead Viewing: Season 9, Episode 5-"What Comes After"

***WARNING***

***You may want to stop here.***

***There will be spoilers.***

***This is not a review. It is just my thoughts as I'm watching the show.***

***I update during commercials.***
Remember, I'm just writing what I see and reacting.

Welcome back, everyone!!! It's the last The Walking Dead episode with Rick Grimes. Our fearless leader is about to leave us, and while I'm going to miss Rick, and how he says "Carl," I think I'm going to be okay when it is over. We'll see.

And so it begins...

The blackbird flock opens with current Rick telling old coma Rick to wake-up. The birds turn into helicopters. Morgan's voice asking him what is his wound. Coma, Rick telling him to wake up. Rick wakes up and pulls himself off the rebar using his belt as a lever. He's made it back to his horse, but he is bleeding badly.

The smoking RV driven by Anne's RV has run out of gas. Her walkie talkie asks for her location and her A. She lies about her A. Rick is delirious trying to lead the Walkers away, but he is in pain. It moves to Diane and Maggie who confront a Walker. Maggie kills it with the crowbar from last week. Back to Rick, and he is losing a lot of blood. He sees a mailbox and follows a trail a cabin with a message on the door "Come face me a**holes." He finds a tablecloth and uses it to try to stop the blood before he looks around the cabin and sees the dead former residents of this cabin. Then, he passes out.

Flashback to Rick riding into Atlanta. Lori asking what is his wound. There is Shane. Rick says he's looking for his family. Shane tells him sure it isn't his family. Then, points out that Judith is his. Shane is telling him about all the things that he did that is a reflection of Shane. Shane is telling him to dig deep. He apologizes for killing Shane, who tells him to forget it and wake up right before walkers almost overtake him. Judith and Michonne are talking about shells when Scott comes in to tell her that Maggie is there. She gets there in time to stop Maggie. Maggie says that Negan should have died under the tree. Michonne tells her that Glenn nor Hershel would want her to do this. Michonne asks can she live with what comes after. She says that she cant live with it now. Michonne gives her the keys to the cell. Negan tells Maggie that Michonne has the blade, but she has the fire. Negan says that she took a long time to get there. He tells her that he enjoyed killing Glenn. He tells her not to punk out like Rick. He is begging Maggie to kill him, so he can be with Lucille. HE can't kill himself, so she has to kill him. He wants her kill him. She came to kill Negan, but she says that he is worse than dead, and puts him back into his cell. Negan appears to be broken, but I don't trust him. I do not trust him at all.

Michonne seems relieved that Maggie did not kill Negan, but Diane arrives telling them that there is something wrong at the camp. Rick is delirious. Flashing back. Awwww, Hershel...Rick apologizes for Hershel, Beth, and Glenn. Man, I'm crying...Rick tells him he needs to find his family. Hershel tells him they will get there. Hershel tells him to wake up. He does briefly before he finds himself in the hospital going through the don't open dead inside door, and he finds himself standing among the dead. All with faces of people he has known. Sasha rises from among them. He says they are all dead. She tells him that it is okay because he did his part. They gave strength from those who died, and he will strength others. She tells him that he is not going to find his family because they are not lost and neither is he. She tells him he needs to wake up. Rick has fallen from his horse and appears to wake up at the camp, and there seems to have been slaughter there.  

Rick takes down two Walkers, but the others are coming through the camp. He's leading them away from the camp. Honestly, most people would have been dead of this injury by now. Rick has made it to the bridge with the Walkers behind him. Daryl and the rest have arrived. Michonne tells him that him that they don't die. She tells him to fight for her and fight for all of us. He has found his family. Wait, I think he is hallucinating. She tell him to wake up. So he was, but Rick is at the bridge. He is going to sacrifice the bridge to save his family. But the bridge is holding, and Daryl is keeping the walkers away from Rick. Rick tells them not to save him. His friends are trying to turn the herd to save him, but it's too many. Rick sees dynamite and blows up the bridge. H sacrifices himself to save the others. Not Daryl and Michonne crying. I'm not going to make it guys. Daryl just walks away, and Maggie and Carol are trying to comfort Michonne. Rick's last words were, "I found them." He found his family, and he saves them one last time. This is the second time this week that I have ugly cried at something I watched on the screen. Daryl just broke me, man...

I don't even care about Jadis/Anne and the helicopter. Wait!!!! Rick is still alive. She says she has a b, not an A. The Helicopter people pick up both Rick and Anne. Where the hell are they going?  Rick Grimes lives!!!!!!!! Where are they taking him though? Who are these people? I see the chubby dued from Fantastic Beasts. Who is the little girl voice? What the What? Did we have a flash-foward? Judith? With Rick's hat, a gun, and her own sword? I don't know what is going on?! Wow, so much to unpack for next week!!! We basically get a whole new show next week, and I can't wait!!!!

Dead Viewing: Season 9, Episode 3-"Warning Signs"

***WARNING***

***You may want to stop here.***

***There will be spoilers.***

***This is not a review. It is just my thoughts as I'm watching the show.***

***I update during commercials.***
Remember, I'm just writing what I see and reacting.

Welcome back, everybody!! Well much like last week, my eyes are dancing around because my amazing new quarterback Patrick Mahomes, II is playing on Sunday Night Football. Now begins Episode 3 of the Rick Grimes Farewell Tour. What site is this? Who are the Walker's gnawing on? Is that the Savior from last week? What happened to him? Yep, that's week's Bully Savior with what looks like a bullet to the back as his walker form walks past a sign that states "Final Warning." So who is killing Saviors? I mean, I'm okay with them dying, but I need to know who to thank.

Rick is up early, as Michonne snatches covers. They moved Carl and Judith's handprints from the porch and have placed them on a wall inside the house. He touches Carl's as he goes to check on the garden. He puts a ripe tomato on what appears to be Carl's grave. Michonne has been working on the Charter for the communities. Judith may be sick, so Michonne wants to take her to Siddiq to be sure. She reminds Rick that Maggie and Daryl are still angry and others maybe, as well, but Rick believes that they will come around. Meanwhile, he thanks Michonne for everything that she has done for him and the community. Rick is apparently feeling a little frisky telling Michonne he can think of another way to prepare for the future. Scene changes to Maggie and a member of Hilltop on the road. The Saviors stop Maggie and question her about the missing Savior and the ones who disappeared with the ethanol. They are supposed to be working on the bridge. The Saviors let them pass after one of them, but Maggie spots what appears to be the recently deceased Savior. Back to Alexandria where after a quick doctor's appointment, the Grimes family is having a family funday when Scott runs in to tell Michonne that the Savior who went missing the previous day was found dead.

So dude's name was Justin, the Saviors are tying to start a fight. The Saviors want weapons. They think that Anne or Daryl killed Justin. Alden is trying to keep the peace. The female Saviors want to keep the peace, but the male Saviors want weapons. Alden tries to convince Rick to give some of the Saviors weapons; he says he will consider it, but Maggie shoots it down. As they examine the body, Rick gives Daryl a suspicious look. He questions Gabriel about Anne. Gabriel questions Anne, but she refuses to answer. Rick is now questioning Daryl, who tells him he would have done it in public. Daryl tells him that he doesn't know who kill them, but he knows why they wanted to kill Saviors. Rick tells him he felt the same why they fell that way, but he wants to stop all the killing. Daryl says he doesn't understand why these Saviors get the chance that Glenn, Abraham, and Sasha didn't get. Rick tells Daryl that he would like him to give it the same chance he once game Rick, even after Rick left his brother Meryl to die.

Everyone is in the forest doing a grid search for the people who are missing. Cyndie and Maggie track a group of walkers to an abandoned house. Where a broken piece of tin roof is attracting them. Oh, good, the house is full of walkers who break through the wood when Cyndie falls throught the porch. Maggie manages to get a few, before Daryl and Rick show up. Grid 5 team is missing. Bea from Oceanside was with Arat, whose weapons were left behind, but Arat is missing. Jerry is asking what's going to happen to the killer. The group lies to the Saviors, but they go out to look for Arat. Carol admits that she wanted to kill some of the Saviors during the fight. Rick admits there are some days he wants to go down and kill Negan, but he admits he does it to honor all the ones that they have lost. The dead already rule, and every life is precious. Maggie does admit Rick's way is better, for the future. They find a walker with what looks like an arrow in it. Daryl says that he knows who took Arat. I think it just might just be Dwight taking out the Saviors. 

So, Anne is in the junkyard communicating with someone over a walkie-talkie. She is asked does she have an A or a B. She has to bring someone to them--an A, which I take for a leader. Gabriel has followed her to the junkyard. He learns that she had been trading people for supplies before the end fight with Negan.  She was going to trade Rick and Gabriel when she had captured them earlier. She wants to leave Alexandria because everyone still looks at her with suspicion except Gabriel. Gabriel says that he can't do this. He says he has to tell Rick. He tells her he doesn't want to be a party to this, and that he can't leave with her this way. I don't know what a B is, but Anne thought Gabriel was one initially, but apparently, he is the A that is going to get her out of her situation. Before she knocks him out. Meanwhile, Jed attacks Rick and Carol and takes Carol and hostage. Rick is trying to talk him down. Rick feigns dropping his weapon, while Carol escapes and stabs the distracted Jed. DJ stands down when Rick raises his gun in his direction.

Maggie and Daryl end up where the episode began. It turns out that it was Oceanside has been killing the Saviors. So, I missed that one. Turns out this place used to be where the Oceanside group use to be before the Saviors came, and Simon delivered the final warning which is why they fled. Arat killed Cyndie's mother and brother. Cyndie's brother was only 11. Cyndie tells Daryl and Maggie that she started this revenge after what Maggie did to Gregory. Arat told them she said she killed the boy after Simon demanded her; Cyndie and Maggie demanded she tell the rest. Arat said she told them "no exceptions" before killing the boy. Maggie and Daryl walk away as Cyndie kills Arat. Maggie and Daryl agree that Rick's way isn't exactly working, and they need to talk to Negan. The episode ends with the Saviors leaving the camp. 

The preview for next week reminds us that there are only two more Rick Grimes episodes, and it looks like he and Daryl will have a fight...Until next time...

Dead Viewing: Season 9, Episode 2-"The Bridge"

***WARNING***

***You may want to stop here.***

***There will be spoilers.***

***This is not a review. It is just my thoughts as I'm watching the show.***

***I update during commercials.***
Remember, I'm just writing what I see and reacting.

Welcome back, everybody! I think that I've recovered from last week. I'm probably going to be a little distracted as my Chiefs are currently playing the Patriots on Sunday Night Football.

This week's episode opens with Rick having what appears to be a one-sided conversation with Negan (I'm assuming, because it looks like Rick is outside of Negan's cell). Apparently, Rick does most of the talking. Rick tells him that it was Day 35, and everybody is camped out while they are reparing the bridge that connects the colonies. We get a glimpse of some of the other couples, and the appearance of some semblance of normality.

Ezekiel tells young Henry about the importance of the building this bridge, then he and Carol have a cute moment as he, Carol, and Henry have created a little family. Apparently, the Saviors have been slipping off. Siddiq has been training Enid to do medicine. The ethanol shipment from the Sanctuary has not arrived, and Maggie refuses to send them more supplies until the Saviors hold up their end. Michonne tries to get Maggie to let Earl, the blacksmith who tried to kill Maggie, out to repair the broken plow from D. C. Michonne reasons that keeping him locked up while the tractor is out of fuel punishes everyone. Maggie refuses to let him out, because of what he did. Michonne says that maybe it's time to lay down some rules. Maggie doesn't disagree and suggests that Michonne stay the night at Hilltop instead of heading back to Alexandria. While working on the bridge, one of the Saviors starts trouble with Henry and ends up on his behind. The Savior then starts a fight with Daryl.

Rick comes back to break up the fight. Daryl is ticked that Rick let the Savior off, but he and Rick tells them that they need the Saviors to help. Clearly though, there is a rift with Daryl and Rick, and Rick trying to bring everything together. Tammy is upset that Maggie will not let her see Earl, and refuses to leave the jail until she sees her husband. Michonne suggests that Jesus talks to Maggie. Jesus talks to Maggie who realizes Michonne's influence, and while Jesus does not always agree with her, he tells her that he trusts Maggie. We also learn that Georgie has been trying to convince Maggie to join her group. The scene ends with Rosita and the Savior who cut her face, Arat, as they are setting off explosions, which draw walkers.

We learned that Earl built the jail cells that he is now in. Maggie asks him to describe the drinking, and we learn his back story. He tells her how the drinking got out of control, and he took baby Kenneth from the baby sitter while he was drunk. We heard that Saviors are missing and have not returned to the Sanctuary. The heard that they were moving does not go as planned because the second post does not report. One of  the saviors panics and a log lands on Aaron breaking his arm so badly that they have to amputate. Rick, Carol, Ezekiel and their crew take down the walkers. It turns out the Savior who started the fight on the bridge was the person at point two who blames a "bad radio" kept him from turning the herd, which causes Daryl to open up a can of whoop all over him.

Maggie agrees to some common laws. She allows Earl to work under supervision, but she does not regret what she did with Gregory. Rick tells the Savior to leave and not come back. Aaron is recovering, and Anne (Jadis) and Gabriel are getting closer. Gabriel just kissed Anne!!! And now they are...okay...I'm done.

Carol and Ezekiel are engaged. Rick commenting how they all commented and came together at the end of the day. Rick believes that it is human nature to come together. Rick tells Negan that he still thinks he's in charge, but he is never leaving that cell. Negan tells Rick that the bridge is a monument to the dead. Negan tells Rick that he is just getting the world ready for him. Anne sees a helicopter while on night watch, and the loose Savior gets snatched into the woods on his walk back to the Sanctuary.

There's so much to digest. Does Anne know the helicopter people? Who snatched the Savior? What does Negan mean? Hopefully we get some answers next week! Until next week!!!

Dead Viewing: Season 9, Episode 1-"A New Beginning"

***WARNING***

***You may want to stop here.***

***There will be spoilers.***

***This is not a review. It is just my thoughts as I'm watching the show.***

***I update during commercials.***
Remember, I'm just writing what I see and reacting.

Welcome back, everybody!!! Long time, no see!! Honestly, I had many reservations about blogging about The Walking Dead this season. I didn't want to write for two reasons. Reason #1: The weak season finale, and reason #2: Rick and Maggie are leaving. The fact that Rick is leaving the show after eight seasons is devastating to me. He's been there since the beginning, and he is one of my favorite characters, but this just makes Carl's death even more unnecessary. Maggie has become one of my favorite's simply because I love seeing BA female leaders in action on television series. She will be missed, but I hope they don't kill either of them. I'm sure they are going to die, but I would like it to be like Morgan, so they could come back if they choose. We will see. 

Opens with Rick's narration and we are back in Alexandria with Rick, Michone, and Judith has finally grown. WE are meeting up in Washington, DC on horseback. The team is back together. Washington, DC is looking worse for wear. This is quite the interesting intro. I wish I were as quick as other Walking Dead fans who pick up all the Easter eggs.

Looks like they are entering some type of library or museum. It's a museum. Maggie seems positive that this will work, but there is a glass floor with a ton of walkers below it. What are we looking for? This year's walkers are all kinds of gross, man, bugs, and spiders, and Siddiq definitely was feeling that. I like the killing of the walker at the end of the human evolution. I really. We also learned that Maggie won an election, suggested by Gregory, and she is officially the leader of the Hilltop. Heirloom seeds, a canoe, a plow, and trying to get a wagon across a cracking glass floor. I like how all the groups are working together...and Ezekiel falls through the glass. He and Carol are an item. Carol loves her king, I see. 

Ezekiel asks Carol to marry him, and of course, she shoots him down Carol style. Maggie named the baby Hershel. Of course the wagon gets stuck. Just as they move, Walkers show up. No Ken, don't go back for he horse., and he's bit. Ken's dead. Maggie puts him down to keep him from turning. Tammy is railing on Maggie about taking Ken, and Earl walks away when she questions his manhood. She's mad because she believes the Saviors are receiving more than they deserve. I think Maggie may agree with her. 

Alden singing over Ken's funeral. So, everyone is invited to the funeral except Maggie, who is watching from the balcony. Now, they are back at the Saviors warehouse, where apparently some are still "NEGAN." Gregory is allowed to speak at Ken's funeral. Daryl has been leading the Saviors, but he doesn't want to do it any more. Daryl wants to stop dealing with everybody. Daryl wants to fend for their own, and Daryl wants to take care of everyone. Someone has to stay, because Daryl wants to go back to Hilltop with Maggie and the baby. There is definitely a break with Rick and Daryl on philosophy. Meanwhile, snake in the grass Gregory is lurking around with Tammy and Earl.

I love Carol and Daryl's relationship, and the fact that she calls him Pookie. She offers to take over the Sanctuary for Daryl for a while. Man, I hate Gregory. How low do you have to be to manipulate a couple who just lost their child. He really just needs to go away, because he will never get over not being in charge of the Hilltop.

Michonne is questioning whether or not they should not have kept Negan. She is considering what Daryl was talking about with the Saviors. Gregory buttering up to Maggie again. I hate this guy. Someone defaced Glenn's grave and had Earl attack Maggie. Enid and others come to her aid. Now, he is attacking her with a knife. He has got to go.

Carol stays at Sanctuary with Daryl leaving. Leaves Jerry, my fave, to watch over Henry and Ezekiel. Little Hershel is so cute. Rick wants her to visit Alexandria, but she still refuses because of Negan. She says she will help Sanctuary, but they have to sacrifice. They are about to execute Gregory. Execution by hanging...well, bye Gregory...

Before I leave, I would like to take a moment to talk about Scott Wilson. I loved him as Hershel in The Walking Dead, but he has been a part of some of my favorite works including The Great Gatsby and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He will be greatly missed. Thank you for the memories, Mr. Wilson...

Until next week, "You walk outside, you risk your life. You take a drink of water, you risk your life. Nowadays you breath and you risk your life. You don’t have a choice. The only thing you can choose is what you’re risking it for."-Hershel