Spoilers The Walking Dead - Season 9 discussion and spoilers

[Scout101]

Dunno, this current stuff isn't doing much for me. The Whisperers just aren't that interesting, and our groups ought to be able to take care of them pretty quickly. Their big advantage is *somehow* being able to control the walkers, but we haven't had walkers as a real threat in so long that it's not a threat that moves the needle much anymore. They show up with a dozen guys, just take care of them and call it.

But it's early in the season, so we need more back and forth first before the last two episodes where something actually happens.

And agree that the show is too spread out, too much to care about, and not enough focus anymore on any particular area or group.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Now that I think would be scary. I was also thinking the only other scary thing would be sexual predators which you think would be a big threat in a world like this.

TWD is not going to focus on it as a continuing plotline (well, until this Whisperer arc, if I recall some of the abuses depicted in the comics), but its been presented as a threat in many situations:

• Season 2, Episode 11 - "Judge, Jury and Executioner" - Randall's gang. Daryl beat the information out of Randall that his group raped two young teenage girls and made the father watch, which supported the kind of comments made by his companions Tony & Dave (to Rick in "Nebraska").
• Season 3, Episode 7 - "When the Dead Come Knocking" - The Governor. He forced Maggie to remove her shirt & bra and implied he was going to rape her. Although he did not, and knowing that he was using a psychological ploy to break her, the Governor seemed too comfortable with the act.
• Season 4, Episode 16 - "A". Joe's Claimers. They planned to rape Michonne and Carl, making Rick watch before killing him. Raping / pedophilia was part of their nature / belief system as Len (in mocking an obviously depressed Daryl) spoke of women as "a piece of tail" and the fragility of them especially the "little 'uns" meaning children.
• Season 5, Episode 1 - "No Sanctuary" - Unnamed men. This group imprisoned and raped members of Terminus, including Gareth's mother, Mary.
• Season 7, Episode 15 - "Something They Need" - The Saviors' David. Earlier in the season he was lustfully harassing teenaged Enid, and in this episode, he tried to rape Sasha. Lets not forget Negan forced a number of women to be his "wives."

So, sexual predators have had more than enough attention paid to them.

I think a third option would be a group that has it's hands on a nuclear bomb

Beneath the Planet of the Apes / Battle for the Planet of the Apes.

 

[crookeddy]

New series low for The Walking Dead and a massive dropoff from the premiere - 4.54 million, down from 5.16. There was some tough competition from the NBA All Star Game, but next week is even tougher, with the Oscars.

 

[The Wormhole]

With regard to the baby she heard crying (and be advised I don't read the comics so have no idea about the Whisperers storyline) could it be that she was pregnant and gave birth but either the child died or, more horribly, her mother killed it?

Interesting thought. They don't do that in the comics, but the show isn't 100% faithful to the comics anyway, so I could see this happening. Although another thing to consider

Spoiler: Next week's episode

Next week we'll see there are babies among the Whisperers. As this is hardly ideal circumstances for having a baby, I'm sure there's been quite a few tragedies involving babies Lydia has witnessed, resulting in the baby's cries this week being a trigger for her.

 

[crookeddy]

Before I get accused of being negative, here is something remarkable:
The Gifted premiered with 4.90 million, in its second season, now down to 1.60.
The Walking Dead premiered with 5.35 million (already amazing for cable) and NINE years later is at 4.54 million. That is absolutely remarkable. This show needs to be on every "most influential show of all time" list going forward.

 

[theenglish]

I'm a little surprised by how quickly this story is moving along. The television series is only a couple of years behind the comics now, with six month's worth of comic stories being covered in the past two episodes.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The Walking Dead
Season 9 / episode 11- "Bounty"

Daryl: Daryl had no reason to make a stand for Lydia--even after hearing her story. He has no ides how many Whisperers are out there, or any idea about their resources, so ballsy resistance was a bad move. Just about every terrible thing that follows in conflict with the Whisperers can be tied to this moment as Alpha's trigger.

Alpha / Whisperers / Lydia: Well, the near sacrifice of the baby was one of the sickest things ever seen on the show...but its a great character layer to show that this is unlike any enemy group previously encountered. This one act almost makes Negan's gruesome debut seem a bit...tame.

Although comic book Lydia and Carl had a relationship, TV Henry comes off as too weak to deal with the community he's close to running into

Henry: I knew he would be the fool to run off with Lydia (he barely knows her), but facepalm...SMH and eyerolls and every other clichéd expression are well earned by Henry.

Enid: Aside from her big change into a doctor, despite the threat to Alden she's still mature enough to chase after Henry, appealing to his crush on her, not knowing if the worst has already happened. That, and so many years later, and she still gets choked up talking about Carl.

Magna / Connie / Kelly / Yumiko / Luke: Connie's hearing-challenged running fight was a clever way of conveying how she deals with the world, and she's not the type anyone needs to take care of (no matter what Kelly thinks), joining Daryl on a hunt that will take them right into the heart of Whisperer territory? Sometimes bravery and stupidity walk hand-in-hand.

Carol/Ezekiel/Jerry: "The future begins!" / "Maybe we're done losing for awhile.." (Ezekeil) potentially famous (teasing) last words in the flashback...

Why didn't they kill every walker they encountered in the theatre? By now, they know just the sight of the living gets any contained horde "excited" enough to break through barriers.

NOTES: I always wondered why no one in TWD world ever took over a movie theatre to use if they had the power resources. Its reminiscent of what Neville arranged in The Omega Man, and in a world where next to no one would ever think of salvaging movie projector parts, it would be easy to obtain as many functional parts--with a surplus--as anyone would ever need.

Another fast moving, very tense episode.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I’m still amazed that’s Samantha Morton, she looks so different from what I remember.
ETA: Holy crap! Perusing IMDB I had no idea that was Brett Butler playing Tammy Rose!

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I’m still amazed that’s Samantha Morton, she looks so different from what I remember.
ETA: Holy crap! Perusing IMDB I had no idea that was Brett Butler playing Tammy Rose!

You were surprised by that, too. I did noit look her p, but suddenly realized that's who is playing Tammy--its just that much time has passed since I saw her in anything, and she's so dressed down in this role.

 

[Admiral2]

Henry: I knew he would be the fool to run off with Lydia (he barely knows her), but facepalm...SMH and eyerolls and every other clichéd expression are well earned by Henry.

I swear, if he gets Daryl killed I'm gonna reach through the screen and strangle him myself. He's turning into exactly the type of teenage character I can't stand.

 

[Galileo7]

The Walking Dead
Season 9 / episode 11- "Bounty"
...
NOTES: I always wondered why no one in TWD world ever took over a movie theatre to use if they had the power resources. Its reminiscent of what Neville arranged in The Omega Man, and in a world where next to no one would ever think of salvaging movie projector parts, it would be easy to obtain as many functional parts--with a surplus--as anyone would ever need.

Another fast moving, very tense episode.

I am glad you mentioned THE OMEGA MAN movie theater scene. I thought of it too. NIGHT OF THE COMET also had their movie theater scene. I agree a movie theater would be a great place to set up a shelter.

 

[The Wormhole]

Really liked this one. The showdown with the Whisperers at the gates of Hilltop was great, with the near-sacrifice of the baby showing how truly messed up the Whisperers are, Showing the chase from Connie's perspective with muted sound was a really unique sequence. And they balanced out the Whisper tension at the Hilltop with a somewhat lighthearted subplot with Ezekiel and his gang raiding a movie theatre. Solid stuff all around this week.

 

[kitik]

What was that spray painted mark on the sign we saw as Ezekiel was riding out of town? A mystery or should I know what it was?

 

[jbny67]

Still a mystery at this point.

 

[The Wormhole]

Yeah, they touched on that on Talking Dead, and the actors present were all "No, can't talk about that. You'll see."

 

[Jayson1]

What I don't understand is if they want to watch a movie then why don't they just go and find some old dvd or blu-ray players and dvd and blu-rays around and just watch movies that way? I think they do have access to electricity or at least I know Alexandria does so I assume the other places must have it as well. Not to mention a projector would need electricity as well. In fact I would think picking up things like this would be something these places do more and more when they can now that their settlements are more settled and civilization has in many ways come back. Clearly not to a pre-zombie level but that one guy was talking about retiring with his wife. being able to just retire is a very old world idea.

Jason

 

[Admiral2]

What I don't understand is if they want to watch a movie then why don't they just go and find some old dvd or blu-ray players and dvd and blu-rays around and just watch movies that way? I think they do have access to electricity or at least I know Alexandria does so I assume the other places must have it as well. Not to mention a projector would need electricity as well. In fact I would think picking up things like this would be something these places do more and more when they can now that their settlements are more settled and civilization has in many ways come back. Clearly not to a pre-zombie level but that one guy was talking about retiring with his wife. being able to just retire is a very old world idea.

Jason

I see both aesthetic and practical reasons.

First, the point of showing a movie at all is to promote a sense of community among the Kingdom's people and among all the settlements at the fair in general. Despite the misgivings some of us may have about going to the movies in real life, there's something to be said about groups of people living through dire times sharing an entertainment experience. On the practical side, if you want to use a DVD or Blue Ray player for the same purpose, unless you can find a fifty-inch flat screen to go along with it you're SOL as far as sharing the experience unless you have projection technology anyway.

The movie projector is the right technology for the purpose. It's about community, not convenience.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I didn't catch where they were getting the movies. Aren't they all digital these days?

 

[Admiral2]

I didn't catch where they were getting the movies. Aren't they all digital these days?

Doesn't mean they couldn't dig up a couple on reels. Salvage runs might turn up all manner of goodies.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Well, the first major confrontation with the Whisperers did not go well, but it could have been worse. Lydia returned to her mother willingly to save the two hilltop people, so nobody died. And this leaves the door open for Lydia to escape or otherwise return. Now that she has seen that it's possible to live in a civilized manner, it's doubtful that she will be content with her former life, which will put her at odds with Alpha, and perhaps in a position to influence some of the others. We also learned that there are more Whisperers than were first apparent, but not so many as to be a major threat-- unless Alpha is still holding back some of her forces.

It's interesting that Alpha seemed to only care about getting her daughter back, yet was willing to let the real Walkers eat the baby. And didn't seem to care at all that Hilltop saved the baby and kept it. It was kind of nice how the baby ended up in the custody of the old couple who were still missing their dead son.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the episode we had a rare, but welcome, adventure in humor-- or at least lightheartedness-- as Ezekiel and his pals visited a Zombie-infested movie theater to get a light bulb for their projector. The humor actually started in the prologue (which was a flashback to when Maggie was still the boss at hilltop and Jesus was still alive), when Jerry announced that he and his SO were having a baby and had some misadventures with his chewing gum. In the prologue, Ezekiel also came into possession of Michonne's charter, although the exact reasoning behind that eluded me. But Ezekiel, in the present, hopes to get the thing signed at the upcoming Faire, which would make him, Tara, Michonne, and whoever is leading Oceanside the new Founding Fathers. The Sanctuary was also listed on the document, but that community is defunct.

Henry, understandably, was not happy about Lydia being traded back to the Whisperers, even if it was her decision, and has set out after her. The kid is a pain in the ass. He also left a note, resulting in Daryl going after him, and the deaf girl tagging along much to grumpy Daryl's dismay.