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The Fugitive: Wrong Place, Wrong Time (2020)
Disappointing
At a time when quality new tv series are extremely rare, and the few active series that exist are on hiatus, seeing that there is actually something NEW that might be worth watching is refreshing; until the so called "episode" ends in 8 minutes, and you realize it's not a video error. Teasing people like this is definitely not a good way to present a pilot. And I was previously aware that this new "series" was forthcoming, I have seen several advertisements, but not one of them mentioned that the "episodes" were only 8 minutes long, and I had to spend time trying to find out WHY it was so short, as I thought it was a playback error. So, like I said before, it is certainly no way to gain fans with a pilot episode, this "surprise" alone has caused many people like me to dislike The Fugitive 2020 for the wrong reasons.
The Walking Dead: How It's Gotta Be (2017)
Gimple Could've Used Glenn's Beliefs to Explain Hole in Comics Instead of Killing Carl
There's two points I'd like to make about this episode where it's revealed that Carl will soon die: 1) Gimple's excuse for killing off Carl is bull, and he could have easily used Glenn's beliefs to explain the plot hole in comics. 2) Kirkman's reason for killing Glenn is opposite of Gimple's reason for killing Carl.
Gimple's excuse for killing off Carl was to explain the plot hole in the comics where Negan is alive in the time jump, after Rick slit his throat at the end of "All-Out War". Gimple couldn't figure out how to explain why Rick didn't end up killing Negan when he really wanted to, so he used Carl's beliefs that people can change and his death to convince Rick to honor Carl's wishes to save people, even Negan. Killing off Carl to make up for a contradiction in the comic when Carl is such a huge part of the future in the comic is the product of writing by the seat of one's pants and not structuring the story correctly - Gimples excuse is bull and proves lazy, sloppy storytelling. Plus, why did Gimple think that Carl had to die to make Rick believe that even the worst of the worst can change? Wouldn't it have been more interesting to see Rick struggle with Carl's feelings at the time when he was slitting Negan's throat, then the outcome was that he cut Negan but not enough to kill him? That would've been a great scene, making the audience think Negan was about to die, then Rick letting Carl's beliefs stop him at the last second - now that's more dramatic than Carl getting bit by a walker.
Gimple made this decision after Riggs planned on being on the show for another three years, planned on going to college, and had purchased a house near the filming locations. In an interview, Chandler said that he found out about Carl's death when he was doing rehearsals for episode six. Proof they are writing the story by the seat of their pants! Chandler also said that Gimple wanted to meet him in person since it was such a big deal. It is a big deal, but Gimple definitely did not act as if it was. Waiting that long to tell an actor that's been on a series most of his life and after telling him he had another three years that their character is being killed off proves that Gimple doesn't give a damn about the actor or the story.
We all know how important Glenn was to Rick, and we know Glenn's beliefs about saving people, even the worst. It wasn't long ago when we seen how Glenn saved Nicholas. Quotes from that episode: Nicholas: "Are you threatening me?" Glenn: "No, I'm saving you." Glenn's beliefs could have been used as a reason for Rick to not kill Negan. Instead of killing off Glenn, which was needlessly used as shock value, Glenn could still be alive during All Out War to cover the plot hole of why Rick doesn't kill Negan. I know they can't go back and change their mistakes, but Glenn's beliefs, even though he's not alive, could still be used as a fix for the plot hole. Quote by Glenn to Enid: "People you love, they made you who you are. They're still part of you. If you stop being you, that last bit of them that's still around inside, who you are - it's gone." Maggie could convince Rick to follow Glenn's beliefs to prevent Negan's death - and by doing so would provide some great drama between Rick and Maggie, especially since she is pregnant with Glenn's child. She could explain to Rick that she wants her child to grow up living in a world that Glenn would approve of, because Glenn is still with Maggie and their child. I just can't believe that the writers didn't think of this, especially when killing Carl causes more problems than it covers up for.
I don't like Gimple's answers and excuses for Carl's death in the interviews I've read - he says that it was "story driven", and that viewers will understand and it will be evident in the future. Sorry Scott, even though future episodes might show good stuff that comes from Rick's decision to rehabilitate cruel people, it's still not a good excuse for killing off Carl. He used the phrase "tackling this current story" instead if a word like "creating". He also said, "It has nothing to do with real life in any way. All the real-life things were of no concern", which shows his true colors - firing an actor for these reasons and under the circumstances proves Gimple had no concern at all.
I bet that Gimple came up with the title of this episode, "How It's Gotta Be". It's similar to the tv trope "Take That, Audience", as a "jab" to the viewers, saying that it's just too bad that he's killing off Carl for a reason that doesn't make sense, and we just have to accept it. The title is as preposterous as his excuses.
Kirkman explained in an interview that killing Glenn in the show was essential due to the amount of material in the comics that comes from his death. Yet Gimple's decision to kill Carl in the show when he's important to the future of the comics is opposite of why they killed Glenn. This is proof that TWD tv series is not structured or written like a serialized, long form story should be. Too bad Scott Gimple does not understand Dramatica Story Theory.
The Walking Dead: The King, the Widow and Rick (2017)
Badly Structured Storytelling Makes Reviewing Episodes for Season 8 Repetitive
Awful writing! Will Rick's Group Ever Get To Put Their Experiences To Use Against Negan?
It's difficult to review an individual episode of a serial TV show when the main problem with TWD is not singularly contained within an episode, but is the storytelling itself. It's like reviewing only one chapter of a novel in which the story as a whole is ill structured and badly written. The scripts for each episode are different but are not (supposed to be) written by the seat of the writers' pants - the story is structured as one long form complex narrative. That's why the reviews of this season's episodes seem repetitive, the problem is how the story is structured and written. It's tiring to write about the same problems, episode after episode, when there's nothing else like suspense or drama to be excited about. Even if the production was bad, but the story itself was good, it could still be entertaining. But great production cannot make a bad story good. TV is a form of storytelling, and when the story is not communicated well, it's frustrating for the viewer. No matter how great the actors are, or how much money is put into the production, it all comes down to how well the story is told and presented.
Think about this episode, and imagine you are telling the story to another fan who missed watching it on TV. Even if you're not trying to be some kind of master storyteller or don't care much to make it very interesting to your friend, you would realize that the story is awfully weak, and you would be restricted from telling a good story due to how the overall story structure affects this episode.
Like the previous episodes, The King, The Widow, and Rick doesn't seem like there is a war at all. There's so much that needs to be addressed during this war, viewers want to see a culmination of what Rick's group has learned from their struggles, but the writers are filling scenes with stuff nobody cares about. Instead of making Rick's group look weak, mopey, and teary-eyed, viewers want to see them in top form, finally using all of their experiences to defeat Negan and the Saviors.
Rick is playing some type of game with the garbage people, we know nothing about his plan for them. Also, we don't know much about the Scavengers, so seeing Rick locked up half naked in a train car did not cause much concern for the audience - plus it was just weird, and Rick didn't seem scared.
The logline for this episode sounds way more dramatic than what it actually is - an argument at the Hilltop where the consequences of the decision are life and death. I wouldn't call that an argument, and the life and death part concerns Saviors that we don't really care about. Why are they repeating the struggle with moral decisions again? Like Rick keeps saying, they have finally got here (war), meaning that all the struggles, decisions made, and lessons learned in the past will finally be put to good use, but the characters are going through the same struggles again. (Repeating myself from my reviews of previous episodes)
Character Believability (like in previous episodes):
Maggie isn't acting like the Maggie from previous seasons - she's smart enough to know that prisoners have to be fed, and smart enough to not trust Gregory at all and to keep him in isolation due to how cunning he is. The scenes with Maggie were wasted on meaningless fluff, when that time could've been spent on her agonizing over the tough decision of whether to honor Glenn's morals and make the call to keep the prisoners alive, or wondering if he would've changed his views due to Negan's brutality, and decide to kill the prisoners. It would've been extremely fascinating to see Maggie weigh Glenn's beliefs against taking the time and effort to get through to others instead of killing them during a war.
Michonne and Rosita leaving Alexandria just to go "look" is not believable - been there, done that with the wolves. They seem to be bored, not worried or anxious. The dialogue was horrible, Michonne struggling with waiting one and a half days??? Come On!!! The purpose of that scene was to give those two characters an appearance and was a generic way to lead into the discovery of the speakers to lure walkers away.
I thought they were supposed to be at war? Doesn't everyone have something important to do? Carl is messing around in the woods with Sadiq, risking their lives killing walkers for a reason other than survival - been there, done that, too. Carl learned that lesson back in season 2. And he's planning on bringing him home? I guess Carl wasn't learning anything from season 2, with the walker stuck in the mud that killed Dale or when Rick brought back that guy from town that Shane killed. And then there's Ezekiel - like I mentioned in a previous review, why is he sulking? Is there a war on??? If he could pretend all that time to be such an unbelievable character, why is it so hard to do now?
This war story is boring, nonsensical, ill structured and badly written. Every part suffers - the plot, conflict, characters, dialogue, action, theme, even the genre. It's like a disorganized series of events. And like I said in my last review, this story is so badly written, that I have a tough time believing that it's not purposeful. It's hard to believe that this stuff gets through the editing and approval process. There's something going on behind the scenes that's ruining TWD.
The Walking Dead: The Big Scary U (2017)
Simon & Gregory's Tete A Tete - Unintentional Irony, or TV Trope in Disguise?
Simon & Gregory's Tete A Tete - Unintentional Irony, or TV Trope in Disguise?
The schlocky dialogue in the scene where Simon was serving breakfast to Gregory was freaking unbelievable. Insulting to viewers!!! The unintentional irony where the writers unknowingly made fun of themselves with the line "Gregory, you don't need to explain yourself over and over again" was pretty hilarious. I can't believe that hackwork - an entire scene - could get past the editing and approval process. This series has so many unbelievable problems that it now seems purposeful.
For those of you who can't see or admit to how ill structured and badly written TWD episodes have been lately, I give you an alternative reason: Maybe the bad dialogue and unintentional irony was a disguise used to send a message or make a statement in the form of one of the following TV tropes : (had to be creative with the spelling of a certain "s" word).
'Our Product Socks' - as a joke or to be truthful. 'Self - Deprecation' used by the writers as a joke or to say that their writing is awful due to something out of their control like 'Executive Meddling'. 'Fan Dumb' - as a message to immature fans who think they know everything. 'Writers Sock' - to show the opinion of any crew or cast member. Or, they could be admitting the truth as an apology to all the dedicated viewers by criticizing their own writing 'In-Universe', as a 'Who Writes This Crap?!' trope.
The writers need to learn the Definition of dialogue: It means 'through words' - a contraction from the Greek words 'through' and 'words' - It suggests an activity aimed at eliciting meaning.
Why are they producing such awful episodes? They either think the audience is ignorant, or they're trying to pee off the network. It's hurtful to watch TWD now, after we invested so much time in the series, and it's hard to watch the actors attempt to bring life into characters that are flat, restricted, and unidentifiable from what they once were.
The Walking Dead: Some Guy (2017)
Creators need to go back to basics and produce a well structured story.
Four episodes into season 8, the plot is not compelling nor developing like it should. Viewers are tired of feeling delayed satisfaction and want to finally see this war get going. This episode focuses mostly on one character yet the AMC logline / summary only mentions a new weapon. The writing for this entire season is a mess - even the logline is not written properly. Spending this much time on Ezekiel at this point does not serve the story arc well. We all enjoy learning more about Ezekiel and love to see Carol doing her thing, but not presented this way.
I did not expect this episode to be any better than the previous ones this season, due to the ill structured writing. Even though TWD is a serialized drama in which the main story arcs span an entire season or longer, that doesn't mean it should be boring, as long as the story is well structured and written properly. Viewers have spent a lot of their time on TWD, so they want each episode to be meaningful and want to see the story and characters progress. The creators are overcompensating for the problems of previous seasons, relying on gimmicks that replace character and plot driven drama instead of going back to the basics of producing a well structured story.
Even though Negan's presence in season 8 has been kept to a bare minimum so far, which is an obvious over-correction for this shallow character, the story is still all about Negan (All Out War). The creators are still abusing the show's success to stretch out and milk the Negan conflict. They had all of season 7 to develop Negan which would have made this war more meaningful. Imagine how this war would play out if we knew more about him.
Like the previous three episodes, there was action in "Some Guy", but it was as meaningless as most of the dialogue, especially as far as advancement of the war is concerned. The scene where that weird "Jim Carrey from the 70s" looking dude took Ezekiel prisoner was not believable, as Ezekiel, despite being injured, could have easily overpowered that geek. Also, it's hard to believe that Carol didn't even try to flank those two Saviors that remained when she had lots of ammo and they didn't. These scenes were prolonged (with boring action) only to allow dialogue to update or remind the audience of the status of the Sanctuary, like the ones mentioned above and when Carol is following the Saviors loading up the guns. It's okay to use dialogue for this reason, but it's too blatant and has happened way too often, supposedly due to the budget which is hard to understand for such a successful series. Ezekiel has relentless hope and faith, so even though he's sad about most of his warriors being killed, why would he let what that Savior said to him affect him so much - especially when that Savior worships Negan who is "a meaningless con in a costume", like he described Ezekiel? Those scenes could have been left out, allowing Ezekiel to feel badly about himself on his own, as leaders usually blame themselves anyways.
Towards the end of this episode, why would Ezekiel offer to stay and hold off the dead walkers so Carol and Jerry could get away, when it's obvious that the walkers are having a hard time making it up the muddy hill? Ezekiel is the only one killing walkers while talking with Carol and Jerry who are only a couple feet away from him up the hill. They could've helped him just a few more feet then easily put some distance between themselves and the walkers. When Shiva arrived, they quickly pushed his butt right up the embankment. If they would've done that sooner, maybe Shiva would have jumped over the walkers to join them. Are these walkers dead Whisperers? They look like they are covered in extra skin.
Shiva being caught and eaten by a small group of walkers was unbelievable even within TWD universe, though it was the only scene in this episode which made me feel a bit of tension, only due to the fact that such a wonderful pet was being killed. She could've jumped right over those walkers. Killing her for shock value was a bad decision - the creators could have made a more effective scene by having her save Ezekiel in an interesting way that would have much more impact. I've heard a lot of talk about the cgi budget for Shiva, but budget is not a good excuse. Using a bit of creativity, they could have easily prevented killing her off, or at the very least made the scene more convincing.
The car / motorcycle chase was awful, the dialog probably embarrassed the actors. This scene was neither entertaining or suspenseful.
The Walking Dead: Monsters (2017)
First 3 minutes destroyed all hope for TWD, Character Believability
The fact that Rick and Ezekiel do not seem to be on the same page is unbelievable, they didn't discuss war before they acted? Come on! Ezekiel refers to the Saviors, not just Negan, when he speaks of "... our pitiless destruction
". Yeah Ezekiel, Carol is smiling because Rick will kick your ass when he finds out how you're making a joke out of this war, like the writers are doing. That scene was funny, after they mowed down the Saviors - That's why Carol was smiling afterwards too. I laughed for real, is TWD a comedy now? I don't know what the true meaning of that scene was supposed to be because I'm afraid to even think about it, but I don't think it was meant to be funny - there was no tension (despite the music and black screens), and I could see that the actors were not into it, I guess when Ezekiel said the word pitiful, he was referring to the worst scene ever in TWD. I wonder what the actors, especially the main cast, are saying about this script? They are in a tough situation because they don't want to just walk off and quit due to their contracts and fans. But you'd think that they would explain to the showrunners that they can't give a good performance if they think the writing is a joke. The first 3 minutes of this episode is enough to cause the remaining fans to not take TWD seriously any longer.
Ricks goals, motivations, and actions in this All Out War does not make sense. After all, characters of TWD, especially Rick, are not stereotypes - much time has been spent on character building in this series. Towards the end of the last episode, we see how Rick feels after killing the man guarding the baby which was probably the baby's father - according to what we know about Rick, his war plan would not have allowed this scene to happen. We've seen all the changes Rick has went through, and we know that this war plan was (supposedly) well thought out. When a TV series messes with the believability of a character like this, it destroys the entire story, especially when the unbelievable actions (Rick's plan for the war) are the basis for the main plot. As a fan, I wonder why they are putting Rick through motions he has gone through in the past, and making it seem like he has forgotten everything he has learned and went through. Rick is not stupid, and the series has not shown us anything to make us believe that his war plan would allow these unbelievable things to happen. Even though we have not seen anything about the planning phase of the war, anyone who knows Rick's character would not believe that he sloppily planned it out without taking his experiences into consideration. And I don't believe that we will find out in the future that his plan somehow got twisted.
Earlier in this season we seen Rick saying that only one person needed to die, meaning Negan. But Rick did not kill Negan when he had the chance - most likely because he wanted to let the Saviors know that his fight wasn't with them and to give them a chance to join his group. If Rick wanted to give the Saviors a chance to leave Negan, then that scene and Rick's plan for war did not make any sense - they would not have confronted only Negan and a few of his men. I can think of many possibilities for a scene other than that. In fact, every scene where Rick's group were killing saviors did not make sense if Rick did not want to kill the innocent. I really thought that when we seen this war begin two episodes ago, that all of Rick's knowledge and experiences would come into play. We do not need to see him and the other characters deal with the moral issues they've already dealt with in the past - what was the purpose of all the episodes of their past experiences? We need to see how Rick's group deals with Negan and the Saviors with the knowledge and experiences they have already spent a lot of time and effort going through - otherwise, what's the point? As a fan, I wanted to see dramatic, interesting ways of dealing with Negan without resorting to becoming like Negan. Do the writers not realize that they can still use explosions, fighting, and tons of gunfire in a better story, rather than basing the plot on it? There's something very odd going on with the writing of this series.
I thought that all this time they've spent building up a higher number of people; the Hilltop, Alexandria, and the Kingdom, to confront Negan's masses, was going to be used to show the Saviors that it was safe to join them and to leave Negan in the dust. But it seems that they don't believe many will join, as referenced in all the talk of fighting. If this is true, then why did Rick not kill Negan when he had the chance? They could've gathered as many saviors as possible, made the offer to join, but then if they needed to fight they would have still had the numbers needed to win. Knowing how many saviors want to leave Negan should've been determined before going to war. They could have used Dwight to find out, or used him to spread the word that whoever wants to leave Negan should do so before war begins, it's not like it was a well kept secret anyhow. What a mess!
The Walking Dead: The Damned (2017)
TWD has become a zombie, no longer prestige TV
This episode is further proof that TWD is not the 'Prestige' TV series it once was. The series we used to love for it's metaphors to reality, themes we care about, serialized storytelling, and rich characters has turned - TWD has become a walker.
Using the playback of the vigil scene from the 6th episode of season 1 "TS-19" as a comparison to the changes TWD has gone through, we are far past the "second event" that occurred to test subject 19, like Dr. Jenner showed us with the internal view of brain synapses on the MRI virtual camera at the CDC. I know there are many different opinions of when this event (TWD losing it's humanity) occurred, unlike the exact time known for TS-19, but I believe it happened as far back as season 2 when showrunner Frank Darabont was fired.
I have a feeling that the last event, like when Dr. Jenner put a bullet through his patient's brain stem, is not far away. But then again, this once "prestige" TV series that has devolved to what it is now, relying on tactics like cliffhangers and torture porn to keep viewers hooked rather than artistic storytelling, could last for a long time - viewers continue to watch, hoping it's going to get better, partly because they have grown accustomed to the long, complex story arcs that we all love (unless they go overboard), and they think that maybe things will make sense by mid season or by the season finale.
According to the rules of TWD universe, a person can't be saved after the first and second event occur, the only option you have is to put a bullet or knife through the brain, or let the mindless body remain a walker. But in the real world, the showrunners have another option; they could save TWD after that second event where the series has turned into a zombie, wandering around and upsetting it's loyal fans, but since things have not turned around with season 8, maybe this "second" episode is a metaphor for the second event, "The Damned", where no hope is left.
Fear the Walking Dead: Brother's Keeper (2017)
Series getting better, believability (in TWD universe) is an issue in this episode.
Troy's psychosis, hate for his father, and exile from the ranch leads him to put everyone in danger. Nick, Alicia, and Jake attempt to save the ranch while Madison is away looking for water.
The beginning of the story starts out with Troy surviving in the wasteland, but just when he is ready to give up, he sees a horde of walkers and decides to lead them towards the ranch with explosions made with supplies he found at another homestead. I have a tough time believing that Madison and Taqa thought it was a good idea to exile him in the previous episode, especially when they didn't take him very far and knowing how dangerous and mentally unstable he is. Part of good storytelling is that the actions of the characters have to be believable in their universe. Even if I had never knew about the lessons learned in TWD about the dangers of exiling someone, I would still believe that Madison and Taqa should have known better, it's obvious, especially with someone like Troy.
Troy sneaks back to the ranch at dark, and tells Nick that something big is coming and that he wants Jake to see. Nick waits until morning to tell Jake, and Jake has a good idea of where Troy might be, so they go to look for him. Before finding him, they see a huge dust cloud from the horde of walkers that Troy has put on a path towards the ranch. They see him shooting an explosive, guiding the horde, and confront him. Jake knows he will never change, but Nick wants to talk to him instead due to his guilt and empathy for Troy, as he wrongly thinks that he and Troy are a lot alike.
This is when the writing gets really sloppy - when Jake is getting ready to kill his brother, Nick kicks Jake away, down a hill, where he gets bit by a walker. I can believe that Nick tried to prevent Jake from killing Troy, but when he gets bit by a walker in the arm, Nick gets a machete ready to cut off his arm, but before taking action, he wastes time asking Troy how long it will take for the infection to set in, and Troy doesn't answer so he keeps wasting more time asking- this is not believable, because if Nick knows enough that cutting off his arm could save him, then why ask about how long it will take? What's the point? To remind the audience that Troy did research on this stuff? Then awhile later Jake dies, and turns due to Troy waiting to put a knife in his head, and I have no idea why Nick wouldn't do it, I guess because he thought it was family who should do that. But if Nick thinks this way, then why did he butt in and stop Jake from killing Troy beforehand? Like I said, sloppy writing. Also, it's hard to believe the show killed Jake off, and even more so due to the fact that before writing this review, I have seen the following episodes which leads me to believe that Jake was just a throw away character.
The writing gets worse, when the horde reaches the ranch. If you have seen TWD, then you know what I mean. And I'm taking into consideration the fact that I know more than FTWD characters do because I've seen TWD. Out of all the residents at the ranch, even the 'soldiers', not one of them thought to try shooting guns to guide the horde away. They did have the good idea to line up the RV's, like Rick's group did in Alexandria, but they all just stood behind the wall of RV's with their guns in their hands. You'd think that the writers would at least add a variation to this scene. And everyone followed Alicia's instructions to go to the storage room / cellar, not one person freaked out and tried to run away like you'd think they would because these people at the ranch, except for the 'soldiers', have not had to deal with many walkers at all, especially a herd. Then inside the storage room, everyone was just too calm, especially for people who have never seen a huge herd of walkers.
This series is getting much better, and I do not want to see it go downhill like TWD did. It has so much potential, and it's disappointing to see the storytelling, plot, and character continuity suffer.
Fear the Walking Dead: Things Bad Begun (2017)
Showrunner change, Excellent scenes, Hope the great storytelling continues
I really enjoyed this two episode finale, the entire season was great. FTWD has come a long way. I hope that the change of showrunners does not affect the momentum and quality storytelling of this series, especially after what happened with TWD. Please, don't mess this one up, Gimple! I have my fingers crossed for season 4.
I give a lot of leeway for artistic license, especially with this finale because I understand that Dave Erickson had to leave it open-ended so the new showrunners could take over. They did a good job, considering, but I don't understand why Erickson did not know the new showrunners' exact intentions. Did they not collaborate much? When I think of the fact that we don't know the fate of most of the main characters except for Madison, and have to wait such a long time to find out, it is eerily reminiscent of the finale of TWD season 6 - which was a gimmick, torturing fans by making them wait so long to see who lived or died. I do not think that Fear is using the gimmick in the same way, but I wonder if the new showrunners just thought it was okay to have an ending like that because they did it before, instead of working with Erickson more. Overall, knowing that the ending of this season would've been different if Erickson was not leaving, and knowing that Gimple's camp will be taking over has made me more critical of this finale and uneasy about season 4.
In 'Things Bad Begun' the Clark's are tired of fighting losing battles, risking their lives and going to extremes trying to create a safe home, and each character is reacting differently. You'd think that post apocalypse, people would realize it's in their best interest to not fight each other and spend their energy on real problems like the walkers, finding food and water, but no - they fight each other at their own expense, just like everyone did pre-apocalypse. Same problems that society has in real life, not only in TWD universe. No one can force everyone to work together for the good of all.
I guess Nick wants to party due to the guilt over killing Troy's dad and because they just lost the ranch. I don't think he will let himself become addicted again like he was in season 1 though, he seems to always find a place for himself no matter where he is, even if it's just making money for harvesting locus ceruleus. It's interesting that FTWD finds uses for walker parts, no matter how gross, we haven't seen anything quite like that in TWD.
Victor tells Madison that she can create a home for her kids' future at the dam like she wanted to do at the ranch, and offers her liquor to make it not seem so bleak. We can see past her badass-ness, she is still the same mother who wants the best for her kids as she did pre- apocalypse. When Madison is telling Victor how she longed for Christmas with family like it was pre-apocalypse, the specificity used with the term 'iced angel cookies' made me wonder if the phrase was used as a literary device, or maybe it was used as part of the religious theme we often see in TWD universe.
It seems that Alicia is not sticking to her plan to be alone, she's driving around with a new friend looking for food and supplies. I was under the impression that she was going to a cabin that Jake told her about so she could live by herself. What's up with that? The car crash was a good surprise and was a well thought out way to move the plot forward to introduce her to Proctor John.
At the dam, Daniel is shaving in a yucky old sink that resembles Madison's bleak view of making a home at the dam. Daniel wants revenge for his daughter's death, and I absolutely love how the show played that out; he innocently lured Nick inside the room to sit and talk with him, like he's just a sad father wanting to know about Ophelia's death, then threatened him with the fact that his job was interrogation and torture. The writers' creativity went even further, with how Daniel got the real truth from Nick even though he lied. When Daniel told him that the only people who could be responsible was either him (Nick), Jake, or Troy, then without hesitation Nick replied that it was Jake, it was like a mother asking a toddler with a mouthful of cookies if he got into the cookie jar and the toddler said 'no' - sounds funny, but the writing and acting worked well. Also, maybe Nick knew that Daniel would not torture him since they know each other so well, so he just made it obvious he was lying so he wouldn't feel responsible for getting Troy killed due to his guilt for killing Jeremiah. This scene shows the huge difference in life experience between the two, and points out how much Nick does not want Troy to be killed. He sees himself in Troy, the flaws caused by his parents and the fact that he lost his own father too. Nick knows that Daniel knows who was responsible for steering the herd to the ranch, even though he left Daniel with the ending statement that it was Jake, not Troy. It's scenes like this that really make an episode great.
Madison's Christmas fantasy shows her loneliness and how the characters have had to change post apocalypse.
Fear the Walking Dead: Sleigh Ride (2017)
Theme of how characters have had to change to survive post apocalypse
The timeline of episode is linear, with fantasy Christmas scenes used for showing the differences between the person Madison (and others) used to be and the people they've had to become post apocalypse. This theme ties in with Nick's dilemma of the changes he sees in his mother, and with Victor's dilemma of knowing that he might have to commit murder someday. I don't understand the jet in the sky though, it could be foreshadowing or some other literary device, besides just the transitioning to the next scene. Maybe it resembles how quickly things have changed.
I'm not too impressed with the new villain yet, Proctor John and his motorcycle club. So far, he seems like a brat that wants everything to go his way and blames others for problems that his actions cause. I just hope they don't kill off any more main characters to make up for having a new bad guy. IMO, Madison, Nick, Alicia, Victor, Daniel, and Qaletaqa are not expendable, I want to see them all survive and hope that they aren't separated for too long next season. I also hope that Gimple's new team doesn't spend entire episodes on each person's journey post explosion then drag out their reunion until the season 4 finale.
I like Alicia's new jacket with wings on the back, I guess Proctor John must have gave that to her because the first time we see her wearing it is when she's getting off the boat with him. The wings fit in with the religious theme that shows up often in TWD universe, maybe it's a hint at the upcoming crossover with TWD - when I seen those wings, I immediately thought of Daryl's vest.
Will Victor ever learn? Pre-apocalypse, he dealt with business people who used more civilized methods to deal with him when he conned them, now he really messed up making a deal with Proctor John. I love the character Victor, there is such great potential for development. I love Daniel, too, he was like Jack Bauer in this episode!
The scene where Nick confronts Madison was hard to watch, but it points out an important issue of the post apocalyptic world about survival, living, and what kind of person you choose to be. He doesn't like to see this change in his mother, as she never gave up on him when he caused problems due to his drug addiction pre-apocalypse, then now he sees her killing a young guy his age, who is causing problems. It is understandable why Madison killed Troy, but Nick can't wrap his head around it and does not see the differences between himself and Troy. Nick only sees Troy as a young man like himself, whose problems are due to his upbringing or caused by issues like losing a father. Mostly, Nick wants to hold on to the hope that like himself, people can overcome their problems - the empathy he feels for Troy and guilt he feels for killing his father blinds him from seeing how dangerous Troy was. I think that now, I understand why the writers added the line Troy said to Madison "Life's funny, ain't it? You know, we walk around in circles
" right after Daniel said to Nick, "People don't change, they just walk in circles." Maybe the meaning of 'walking around in circles' was added to show that Troy was not capable of changing and that he would most definitely repeat the horrendous things he had done in the past. As far as this meaning applying to Nick too, for one thing, Nick was not still using heroin any longer which was nothing compared to Troy's psychopathy, plus Nick has a conscience and empathy for others which Troy totally lacked. Since they didn't have time in this scene for Madison to talk with Nick more about this, I hope they flesh this out more in season 4. Despite his confusion with a person causing problems versus a person who is a psychopath like Troy, Nick did have a good point when he asked Madison what right does she have to make the decision about who live or dies - but he is not a parent, so he does not see it from Madison's view that she made that decision due to her children's safety, and she probably understands Troy's psychology more than Nick does due to her school counselor training and experience. This is similar to the dilemma on TWD season 5 "Conquer" where Rick killed Pete and Morgan did not approve. The issue of murdering ties in nicely with Victor's fear of having to kill since he's never had to, yet, and then shoots Daniel - I'm so glad that Daniel lived!
I don't understand why Proctor John cared so much about Nick warning everyone at the dam about his take over, when he had much more pressing business. And why did he put so much time and emphasis into making a big production of threatening to kill Madison and Alicia since he wouldn't be able to trust them after killing Nick? I think he was planning on killing Victor too, and since there were only Proctors on the bridge of the dam to witness this, along with the Clarks and Victor, who was he trying to prove his power to? We don't know much about Proctor John, so unless he has fun making a big production of killing people, I assume those scenes were meant for the viewers.
I have a hard time believing that Madison did not change places with Nick when he had the detonator and told them to leave on the zodiac, because from what we know about her character, she would gladly give up her life for her kids lives - this was even mentioned earlier in the season. Either the writers did not maintain character continuity, or there's an explanation that will be revealed next season.
The Walking Dead: Mercy (2017)
Disappointed fan, entire mess, not worth a complete critical review
Wow. After watching the season 8 premiere, I don't think I can accurately describe the level of disappointment I feel with what used to be my favorite TV series. It's hard to wrap my mind around how this show can be such a mess when the producers have top of the line resources at their disposal. When I think about the amount of work, money, and time spent on creating TWD episodes, it angers me that they could not come up with something better. This episode is an embarrassment.
After watching this episode once, I opened up my word processor to start outlining my critical review, then opened my browser to watch a second time so I could write and review like I normally do, but I stopped - I did not want to watch the episode again and I did not even want to waste my time on creating the same type of review that I would normally write for a TV episode. Why should I waste my time on researching and explaining all of the areas a complete review would cover when the entire production of this episode was a complete mess? So instead, I'm just pointing out what is blatantly evident as any other viewer would.
At this point, I've already put more effort into this review than the writing, acting, maybe both, of Tara's performance on the bridge. I'm not necessarily blaming the actor who portrays Tara, the directors and producers should've never let whatever that was happen. Yes, Carol had very little dialogue too, but at least she seemed concerned about what was happening by sitting up straight and aware unlike the slouching twizzler chewing Tara - what the hell was that all about? It makes me wonder if the look on Carol's face was not acting but was real due to this nonsensical scene, or maybe it was acting, if she was supposed to be worried she was out there in the field amongst walkers with a totally lazy, unaware slob as her backup. The second time I seen her chewing on that twizzler and with those ridiculous sunglasses on, it literally made me gag.
It's great to see that Rick has a more positive attitude, but what happened to the Rick we seen in the final episode of season 7 where he's full of rage when he tells Negan " I'm going to kill you."? Then in this episode, it's like Rick and Negan are two cartoon characters in an argument on the playground. Not much made sense in this weird episode, like after Rick said they only need to kill one person, meaning Negan, then he's right in front of Negan, safeguarded by tons of armed allies and armour, and he talks to him? And the counting - that was just bad. Then when they finally engage, Rick's group wastes tons of rare bullets shooting out small glass windows at the top of the building, and Negan is still alive. That scene was all wrong, in every way it could be.
Talk about hope - this episode was a slap in the face to fans who were only watching this episode because of their hope that things would get better for this series in season 8. And for all the fans who appreciate a zombie post apocalyptic science fiction drama that has rich characters they care about with deep connections to each other, unlike we have in the real world nowadays, it's a huge let down. Fans have also loved TWD for it's meaningful themes and premises - then we get this episode that has a great message about faith and hope but the production, writing, and even the acting is just a big mess. They couldn't even get Rick's flash forward hopeful dream bit done right. I can understand doing a flash forward of Rick's reaction to who died at the supposed end of the war, but why break up his hopeful dream scene, or whatever that was? By the way, from the look on his face, the red eyeliner around his eyes, and the two new graves, it seems that they are foreshadowing the deaths of people very close to Rick. I hope that he finally realizes by the end of this war, that getting rid of Negan does not mean they have removed all the bad people who only take from the world, it just means that their group of people who work together for the good of all becomes larger and there's less bad guys in the world. What has happened to TWD? Thank goodness we have FTWD!
The Last Ship: Welcome to Gitmo (2014)
Narrative moves quickly, multi genre, believable characters, Michael Bay
This episode opens with Quincy speaking Russian, continuing his talk on a sat phone that began at the end of the pilot episode. What is he is up to and why? We know that the Nathan James is headed for Guantanamo Bay, as Chandler previously decided and announced to the crew that their duty is not just to the U.S. anymore, but to the entire world, and that they will do whatever it takes to stay alive at sea until they find the cure. Sounds like a setup for some really great action, and it seems that mostly, the crew is all in, especially after Chandler's infectious announcement showing his courage, loyalty, and hopefulness.
At this time, the crew has no contact with the government, knowing most leaders did not survive, there's no infrastructure, they're low on food, fuel, other supplies, and they possess what they need for the cure, so Chandler knows that it's all up to him to make the best decisions. He is handling it like a leader should, is confident and decisive, but it's evident that he really doesn't have a choice unless he just completely gives up, it's like he is telling himself, "We have to do this, no matter what the obstacles are, we will get it done."
Rachael takes stock of what supplies she needs to create a lab that is capable for producing the cure on the way to Gitmo, and the tactical teams practice for possible conflict. Chandler's idea to work on the cure at sea seems like the best option, and getting supplies for the lab and the ship at Gitmo seems like a good idea since it's an unmanned food and fuel station. I agree with Chandler about not going inland due to the chaos they seen on the news footage, because if they find the food, fuel, and lab supplies they need all in one place, it would save a lot of time and resources.
I like how the narrative moves quickly, they spend just the right amount of time in each scene. It's good to know that this series isn't only just action, drama, war, or science fiction, it's a mixture of all of these genres which appeals to many different viewers. There's scenes in this episode that deal with the crew's personal emotions and reactions to the apocalyptic virus and scenes with the science explained by Dr. Scott, yet this is far from a soap opera or medical drama. In saying that, there is one scene that I think they could have spent more time on the science, where Dr. Scott explains the basics of how to avoid exposure to the virus to the teams that will go ashore at Gitmo. Other than explaining how the crew must protect themselves from the virus, it seems that the scene was mostly concerned with how the crew does not completely trust Dr. Scott since she kept the virus a secret from them while their families were dying.
At Gitmo we see some interesting navy procedures, lots of action, the effects of the virus, and a new character teams up with the crew. This show has so many types of believable characters that viewers will find at least several to identify with. You can take this show seriously as the universe of The Last Ship is very close to real life. It's evident that a lot of time has been spent on details and even though thermobaricmanic Michael Bay executive produces, it's not all about flashy explosions and shots of the awesome maneuvers of an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. I had to come up with a very special word for Michael Bay's work, I think I found a good one.
The episode cleverly ends with a cliffhanger that's a mix between a discovery and a surprise twist.
The Last Ship: Tempest (2017)
Decisions, stuck between a rock and a hard place
On the way to safeguard the seeds to prevent them falling into Dr. Vellicks hands, the Nathan James is trapped between rocks, an enemy, and a turbulent storm, forcing the crew and Fletcher to make tough decisions.
Except for the crew's happiness that Slattery and Chandler are back in action, the atmosphere of the Nathan James is almost as dark as the water and sky outside. Harry, the U.K. spy, continues to remind Fletcher of his duties while the real refugees receive care from the crew. Making a decision to either follow your morals or obey orders has been an ongoing issue since season one of The Last Ship. Captain Chandler has always been successful choosing the moral and ethical route, all the while staying true to the military's core values, but what will Fletcher choose?
In a prior episode titled "Nostros", Chandler tells Doc Rios that Lucia called the nostros by another name "fleeta" - the symbolism of the word becomes obvious in this episode. There's many references to Homer's Odyssey and a reference to a real historical battle from the 1800s. History is so very interesting, so why make something up when there's real history to draw from?
A new relationship is blossoming on the Nathan James, there's talk of a previous one, and a question mark about another. The characters just never stop growing in this series. The writers use dramatic irony and a bits of humor in this episode, along with the theme for this season about the differences between aggression needed for survival, and excessive unnecessary aggression.
It's fun to find all the references to Homer's Odyssey in the episodes this season, and I was surprised that I found a very subtle one in Tempest. It's a symbol that's used as an allusion to a TV series from 1968.
The visual and sound effects are incredible, you can actually feel the sound in one of the scenes - and the scene I'm referring to is not some huge explosion, which shows that the producers do not only focus on the big stuff like missiles being fired, but the little things that are important too. At the end of this episode, the Nathan James has a new mission, one that has been suggested previously.
The Last Ship: Allegiance (2017)
Allegiance, Morals, Evil, Revenge - Homer's Odyssey symbols, Eric Dane irony
Dr. Vellick counts on the goodness and morals of the US navy to rescue people in a life threatening situation as a way to get a spy on board to steal the seeds. He knows that the goal of the crew of the Nathan James is to save lives at risk to their own, as they've proved all along.
The title of this episode refers mainly to Fletcher, how he struggles between his allegiance to his country when faced with a decision to betray the U.S. and rest of the world. This episode also deals with the crew's confusion about Captain Chandler's allegiance to the mission of saving humanity.
Dr. Vellick wants to re-engineer humans genetically along with curing the red rust affecting crops, to ultimately control the world. Captain Chandler has an idea to capture him so he can help the U.S. fix the red rust crisis more quickly, but unfortunately it is not his decision to make unless circumstances change. During their mission to get the seeds to the U.S., the Nathan James rescues victims on a sinking fishing trawler.
Here's 2 Greek symbols and References to Homer's Odyssey: Captain Chandler tells Doc Rios how Lucia called the nostos plant "fleeta", which is a feminine word for "fleet", as in a group of warships under one commander. Maybe this is foreshadowing?
"Nostos", the weed that was changed by the virus that caused Captain Slattery to feel like he was back home again with his family, was used in Homer's Odyssey - it's a Greek word and theme that means "homecoming", as in when a hero is returning home by sea after war.
In the first episode of this season, Captain Chandler said that he was confused about revenge and justice, but there's proof that he does not let feelings like revenge interfere with his decisions like Captain Meylan does, as when they discussed capturing Dr. Vellick to bring him back to the states so they could save lives more quickly, Meylan lets his own revengeful feelings for Vellick get in the way of using the mad doctor to save lives. Meylan even condemns Chandler for itching for a confrontation with Giorgio, when maybe that is what is needed to solve some of their problems. Chandler tells Slattery that he seen a side of himself that he didn't like, but it's evident that he has not lost his way or his morals, and he is still the same man that previously saved the human race. When Slattery replies to his statement by saying, "Welcome to the human race", he means that it is normal for a good decent person, like Chandler has always been, to be so scared and confused when he had feelings of revenge - issues that would not bother someone evil.
It's great to see Captain Chandler back on the Nathan James, because the current CO, Captain Meylan, who is filling in for Captain Slattery, is not willing to take the risks needed when it comes to saving the world like Chandler is. When he rejected Chandler's plan to capture Dr. Vellick to bring him back to the states so they could possibly cure the red rust more quickly to save more lives, it made me think back to season 1 where if Meylan would've been in Chandler's place, that there would now be nobody left to save.
In season 4 it's ironic that Captain Chandler took a break from the Nathan James and the actor who portrays him, Eric Danes, had to take a break from filming due to personal issues. Like Sgt. Kandie says in this episode, it was his destiny that brought him back, and maybe that similarly applies to real life because The Last Ship would not be the same without Eric Danes. Additionally, maybe since there was a time limit for Eric to get back to finish filming, it caused him to take care of a problem that otherwise might have become worse if not addressed quickly - I hope that's the case, anyways, for the sake of Eric's health.
I love the fact that, in addressing similar real life current issues, the Nathan James takes on villains that are "morally and unethically dangerous" like Fletch mentioned, because in real life these days, there are not many organizations left that are so noble.
The Last Ship: Lazaretto (2017)
Love comparisons to Homer - No huge spoilers, just small ones- Great episode with surprising revelations!
This episode begins with a flashback to give us a view of Dr. Vellick's backstory. The crew of the Nathan James find an island used as a Lazaretto back in the days of the plague that might have clues to the location of Dr. Vellick and the seeds. Vulture Team infiltrate the Lazaretto by commingling with prisoners to get inside the building to gather intelligence. CMC Jeter's injury affects his performance while fighting, it appears that he won't be able to keep it a secret much longer. At Dr. Vellicks lab, surprising details are revealed of how his intentions could affect the entire world and a view of why he thinks humans need to change their behavior. There's plenty of action on land in this episode with hand to hand combat, SCPO Wolf's martial arts, and Vulture Team's guns but no big explosions or missiles being fired from ships. Most of the episode is shot on land and not much screen time is given to the leadership on the Nathan James, but I'm sure we will see more action at sea very soon. There's a surprising aha moment in this episode! Toward the end of the episode, proof that Sasha's instincts about Fletcher are correct.
This episode provides more depth into several characters from this season, like Giorgio, and gives details about how Dr. Vellick plans to change humans according to his weird beliefs of evolution while providing the world with uninfected food. Before this episode, I assumed the doctor was using his ability to create uninfected food as ransom to control the leaders of countries, like he did with the Greek Vice Admiral Demetrius but it's revealed that his plans are much more sinister.
I love how the writers use Homer's Odyssey as the literary device of allusion in this season: sometimes it's subtle like when Captain Slattery refers to the Lazaretto as "the land of the dead" when Sasha explains that a former Lazaretto was reopened during the red death to house the infected and they all died there, but other times references to Homer's Odyssey are more direct, like the titles of the episodes and when PO2 Miller was actually reading the book titled "The Odyssey". Back in Season 2 episode 1 when LT. Alisha Granderson is given a tour of the executive wing in Amy Granderson's building, there's a classroom where the students are learning about Homer, with words from the ancient epic Greek poems written on the board.
The comparison of the title of this episode to the building where Giorgio's previous fighters are being held and tested is brilliant. A Lazaretto, also called a lazaret, or lazzaretto in Italian, is a building or ship, usually located on islands, that were used in the past as quarantines for people with contagious diseases traveling the seas. Lazarettos were used in the 1500s and 1600s to quarantine plague and cholera victims, and some were used as hospitals up until the early 1900s. The very first Lazaret was located in Venice, Italy in 1423.
There's a clear message in this episode that when things get really bad, such as the fate of the human race, that not only individuals, but even allied countries will think of themselves first and resort to violence, putting their own needs and loyalties above their morals.
It's refreshing that The Last Ship is a multi genre series that includes hard science fiction. The drama of a pandemic, the realistic technology of an actual Navy ship, and the action of being at war is great entertainment for everyone.